Shambhala – An Okayish Mystical Thriller With Dull Execution

Shambhala is a 2025 Telugu-language action horror thriller written and directed by Ugandhar Muni. The film has Aadi Sai Kumar & Archana Iyer playing the lead roles, while Ravi Varma, Swasika Vijay, Priya, Meesala Laxman, Madhunanadan, Indraaniel, Shiju Menon, Harsha Vardhan, Shiva Karthik, Chaitra, Ramaraju, Praveen, Annapoornamma, Rangadham, Sravana Sandhya, Anand & others are seen in important supporting roles. The music is composed by Sricharan Pakala while the film is produced by Mahidhar Reddy & Rajasekhar Annabhimoju under Shining Pictures banner.
Story:
Shambhala is an ancient village with a thousand-year-old past, filled with fear and mystery. In the 1980s, a meteor crashes there, and soon after, a cursed force called Banda Bhootham is believed to be unleashed. From then on, the village witnesses strange deaths, suicides, and terrifying incidents, making the locals believe the curse is behind everything.
To find the truth, the government sends Vikram (Aadi Sai Kumar) to investigate what is really happening in Shambhala. As he spends more time in the village, Vikram uncovers hidden secrets linked to its ancient history and powerful supernatural forces. His journey to solve the murders and suicides leads him to a mysterious woman, Devi (Archana Iyer), whose presence is closely tied to the village’s dark past.
What about on-screen performances?
Aadi Sai Kumar delivers one of his career’s better performances in this film. He gives out a controlled and convincing act as a scientist who doesn’t blindly believe in beliefs but looks for scientific reasoning. He does well in the action parts, but he needs to take a bit more care with his body language, as it looks a bit ordinary in a few scenes.
Archana Iyer perfectly fits the role of Devi. Though her screen time is limited, the character has enough meat due to the weightage in that particular role, and she does full justice to it.
Swasika Vijay is pretty decent in her part. She plays a bold role and is good with it.
Ravi Varma, Priya, Meesala Laxman & Indraaniel are good in their parts as the affected people in the village. All of them get a scene to shine.
Madhunanadan ably supports the hero character throughout the film as the constable.
Shiju Menon, Harsha Vardhan, Shiva Karthik, Chaitra, Ramaraju, Praveen, Annapoornamma, Rangadham, Sravana Sandhya, Anand & all others performed well according to their respective supporting roles.
What about off-screen talents?
The story by Ugandhar Muni is good on paper, with an interesting core plot point that revolves around science vs superstitions after a meteor falls in the village. It explores how fear spreads within communities, how myths are born, and how humans respond when science fails to explain reality, which actually looks refreshing.
The screenplay is not so engaging and is the biggest drawback of the film. The writing doesn’t let the tension flow organically, infact it throws several terrifying scenes through the characters that get affected by the cursed force that turn out to be repetitive.
Director Ugandhar Muni does a pretty half-baked job with his presentation. While he handles a few scenes quite well, there are a few others that look dull as well. Also, his narrative is very uneven with too many repetitive sequences. But the best part of his writing is that he never mocks the belief systems but only questions the extremes on both sides— blind faith as well as strict rational thinking.
The dialogues are well-written. Especially the lines in Sai Kumar’s voice over add good value.
The music by Sricharan Pakala is the film’s biggest strength. The background score effectively heightens the tension while staying subtle and never overpowering the scenes.
The cinematography by Praveen K Bangarri is impressive. He smartly uses shadows, mist, and the natural surroundings to build a creepy and tense atmosphere. The night scenes and wide village shots strongly highlight the eerie mood of the setting.
The edit by Shravan Katikaneni is weak. There are a lot of lengthy scenes that need a trim, especially the interval and climax portions.
The costumes by Ayesha Maryam and the artwork by JK Murthy are decent.
The VFX & Graphics in the film are not up to the mark. Also, the overuse of AI is clearly seen in a few scenes, which is very shoddy.
The production values by Shining Pictures are okay.
What’s Hot?
* Aadi Sai Kumar’s Performance
* Archana Iyer’s Performance
* Interesting Core Plot Point
* A Couple Of Good Thrilling Scenes
* Pre-Interval & Post-Interval Portions
* Good Background Score
What’s Not?
* Unengaging Narrative
* Routine Horror Elements
* Repetitive Scenes
* Lacks Emotional Connect
* Poorly Done VFX/Graphics
Verdict: Overall, Shambhala is a well intentioned Mystical Thriller that is watchable for the interesting setup and the core plot. It is definitely a much better film when compared to Aadi Sai Kumar’s last outings, but it is not the best when it comes to its execution. If you want to watch something different this week despite some dull execution, you can give it a try!!
Telugubulletin.com Rating: 2.75/5
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