'Zebra' is the latest box office release in the town. In this section, we are going to review it.
Plot:
Surya, a banker at the prestigious Bank of Trust, finds himself entangled in a web of deceit when he tries to bail out his love interest, Swathi, from the consequences of a typo. Driven by love, selfishness and self-preservation, Surya willingly exploits banking loopholes to rectify Swathi's mistake. But his actions, without his knowledge, draw the attention of a menacing figure: Aditya, a ruthless don who must save his honour. To extricate himself from the don's clutches, Surya faces an impossible demand: a staggering 5 crore rupees.
Post-Mortem:
The proliferation of intelligent crime and financial thrillers via Amazon Prime Video and Netflix has led to mixed effects on Telugu cinema. On the upside, our filmmakers are doing their best to research their subjects. They are not content with lazy English phrases spouted mechanically by their characters. On the downside, they have started confusing the audience more than they are supposed to. 'Lucky Baskhar' averted this trap, thanks to a director who knew the difference between writing and exposition, between drama and screenplay. 'Zebra', on the other hand, does the opposite.
In a particular stretch, a key character must ensure that Rs 40L gets transferred to multiple accounts within a minute. He has to pull the wool over the eyes of someone important while doing it. Guess what, the one who is supposed to open the bank ledger a minute late is conveniently bothered by a pan-chewing doofus. By the time the annoyance subsides, the key character has accomplished his mission. This level of convenience in writing is bizarre and frustrating.
'Zebra' is a half-witted cousin of 'Lucky Baskhar' and the poor man's 'Salaar' rolled into one. Surya and Swathi, pushed to a corner, marshall their exceptional hoodwinking skills just like that. And Dhananjaya's Aditya, meanwhile, is battling his own battles, which are partly staged to feel like a cheap imitation of the 'Salaar' dynamic.
The plot contrivances drain you out after the interval. Sunil's caricaturish gangster character is watchable only because of the actor's talent, not because the writing comes with the intended amusement. Sathyaraj's Baba is vaguely written. The action scenes are staged so recklessly that the budget constraints show.
The film needed to be far less dense than it is. From Temper Vamsi to comedian Satya, from Amrutha Iyengar to Jeniffer Piccinato, they either confuse the goings-on or add artificial emotions.
Closing Remarks:
'Zebra' makes for a tiresome watch because of how convoluted it is.
