A couple of minutes into the film, we see Dinesh (Vijay Anthony) consulting a psychiatrist and confessing that he hears voices in his head. He says he hears two kinds of voices, one that sounds like himself and another like ‘the voice of God’. The psychiatrist asks him if he believes in God and Dinesh answers, stating that if there is God, perhaps that’s how he would sound. It’s a compelling voice that he’s unable to ignore.
In the early 90s, late writer Sujatha wrote the psychological thriller novella ‘Aaah!’ which was published as a series in a weekly magazine. Back then, a story of a computer engineer who hears disconcerting voices and discovering a past-life mystery would have made for an intriguing read. Loosely based on this story, Pradeep Krishnamoorthy has written and directed Bethaludu (dubbed from Saithan in Tamil).
The story unfolds at a leisurely pace, gradually letting you understand the gravity of the condition Dinesh is grappling with. Dinesh could be any software engineer around us. He responds to a proposal by Aishwarya (Arundhati Nair) on a matrimonial site. The couple is soon married and life seems to be smooth. But soon, nothing is what it is. He hears voices telling him to find a woman called Jayalakshmi who has supposedly wrecked havoc and must be killed.
Vijay Antony, known for his knack of choosing unusual stories (his last, Bichagadu , earned him a following in Telugu as well) plays his part well, expressing the angst of a guy who tries to act ‘normal’ with his family but is driven insane by those voices.
The romance is rather awkward. He’s apologetic for not having spent enough time to know her well before getting married. She doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, she’s too eager to play the good wife. You make a mental note that something is amiss with her as the plot moves on.
With past-life regression therapy, as Dinesh begins to get a picture of his previous birth, it’s easy to guess who might have been the culprit. Until this point, the film maintains its intrigue. Even the songs that sound off-key and awfully out of place can be overlooked. The portions in Macherla are beautifully shot by Pradeep Kalipurayath.
However, the plot is reduced to a mess when an angle of organ theft and chemical testing on humans is brought in.
For all that emphasis on being a psychological thriller, the climax boils down to a test of muscles.
It’s a pity that an engrossing narrative becomes a yawn, giving way to unintentional humour. Even a run time of 125 minutes seems to be a stretch. The recurring drawl ‘Jayalakshmiiii’ inevitably becomes a joke.
Bethaludu
Cast : Vijay Antony, Arundathi Nair
Direction : Pradeep Krishnamoorthy
