Plot: A failed businessman, finally tastes success in real estate. This turns into an obsession and now he would go to any extent to do business and not fail. An anonymous person threatens him to stop his successful business.
Story:
Rahul (a failed businessman) and Deepu (a drug dealer) go into hiding in Yemmiganur. Deepu is being tracked by Sameer, the brother of the man she killed in Hyderabad. Rahul, while trying to sell his house to leave the country with Deepu, cracks the real estate business and becomes a success. When Sameer comes looking, they kill him and bury him in a land that Rahul is selling. When everything appears to start going in Rahul's way, a stranger threatens him to stop his business. When Rahul begins to probe who the stranger is, he finds out more about himself and his past and their common history.
Performances: Vikas Muppala pulls off the complex role that doesn't have place for typical hero elements. He is vulnerable and nervous at once. He smiles rarely but doesn't overdo the anxiety innate to his character. Gayathri Gupta makes the viewer feel her suffocation. She pines for freedom from fear and the actress portrays her character's restlessness with nuance.
Sajiv Pasala, who plays the other Rahul, is subtle. The dialogue delivery and tonality maintained by all the artists suit the subdued, psychological mood of the film.
Technical Departments: Writer-director Bhanu Bhava Tharaka draws the best from cinematographer Raman, whose camera angles make us feel the psyche of the characters. Still camera movements and top-angle shots, for example, make sense.
This is an Editing-based thriller where Editor Vinay adheres to his director's vision. The shifting timelines don't confuse you if you keep track of the scenes without getting distracted. Art Director Shiva Kumar Macha ensures that the film attains a multiplex quality.
Composer Karthik Rodriguez does a good job of keeping the score measured. The brooding and frightening nature of the plot turns has been conveyed without run-of-the-mill notes. Nagarjuna Thallapalli and Sai Maneendhar Reddy's sound design is deft.
Analysis: The film is a commentary on human greed. Rahul's obsession with material success has been portrayed with a touch of surrealism. The commercial logic of real estate makes him believe that the dead don't deserve the graveyard. The poetic justice towards the end couldn't have been more poetic.
The protagonist's evolving psyche makes us wonder if 'Plot' is a coming-of-age drama masquerading as a neo-noir crime thriller. Rahul's day job is shown in all its everydayness. Marketing in the realty sector is tricky and is fraught with habitual lies. The emotions of customers are preyed upon as a ritual here.
With metaphors and rare themes like stolen identity, 'Plot' keeps us engaged despite the convoluted narration. Some elements like ego clashes between the two Rahuls make sense only in the climax.
Man, consumed with greed and ambition, lives in a state of denial. 'Plot' lends a philosophical undercurrent by making memory and delusions its central themes.
Verdict: If you are fascinated by psychological thrillers with dramatic and rare themes, 'Plot' is the one for you.
