Venky

Sreenu Vaitla's 2004 Telugu film follows Venky, travelling to Hyderabad to join the police. He witnesses two murders on the train, and once at the academy realises the killer is his own superior. The premise rests on concealing that knowledge. Venky has to continue his training while looking for evidence; the narrative mixes tension with comedy and uses them in turn. Ravi Teja leads and his timing carries the film. The tone is light, the action sequences exaggerated and the songs take wide space. The narrative follows the commercial pattern. Who it's for: those who like commercial Telugu action comedy. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a realistic police narrative; the film uses the institution purely as genre ground.