Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi Review- Decent Film But Below Par Remake

Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi is a 2026 Telugu-language comedy drama directed by AR. Sajeev. The film has Tharun Bhascker & Eesha Rebba playing the lead roles while Brahmaji, Brahmanandam, Surabhi Prabhavathi, Sivannarayana, Rohini, Bindu Chandramouli, Goparaju Vijay, Dheeraj Athreya, Anashvi Reddy, Nanda Kishore Emani, Dali Sravani & others are seen in important supporting roles. The music is composed by Jay Krish, while the film is produced by Srujan Yarabolu under S Originals & Movie Verse Studios banner.
Story:
Kondaveeti Prashanthi (Eesha Rebba), a young woman from a restrictive & patriarchal household, enters an abusive arranged marriage with Ambati Omkar Naidu (Tharun Bhascker), a fishery owner in the Godavari districts.
Prashanthi initially believes Omkar Naidu to be progressive and supportive, but he soon reveals his controlling and violent nature. Though she remains silent at first, she eventually fights back with courage and self-belief, asserting her independence over her misogynistic husband. What happens later? Will they get a divorce or not? Needs to be seen in the film.
What about on-screen performances?
Eesha Rebba gives out a brilliant performance as Kondaveeti Prashanthi. Though she doesn’t have many dialogues in the film, she stands out as a star performer with her expressions, body language and dialogue delivery. This is surely one of her career-best performances till date.
Tharun Bhascker also delivers a memorable performance as Ambati Omkar Naidu. He nails both the funny and the serious portions with ease. The actor-filmmaker has come a long way as an actor, and one can sense his confidence growing with every new role.
Out of the supporting cast, Brahmaji leaves a fine mark as the hero’s uncle. A few scenes of his with Tharun are very funny.
Brahmanandam and Rohini make hilarious cameos towards the end of the film in the court scenes.
Surabhi Prabhavathi, Sivannarayana & Bindu Chandramouli, as the parents are just about fine.
Goparaju Vijay, who plays the heroine’s uncle and Dheeraj Athreya, who plays the heroine’s brother, didn’t fit in their parts and needed known actors as they are key roles in the film.
Anashvi Reddy, Nanda Kishore Emani, Dali Sravani, Madhu & all others are okay.
What about off-screen talents?
The original story by Vipin Das is very well-written and is completely relatable to all current generations. It reveals some harsh realities, notions, and perspectives that are still ingrained in the social fabric and tamped down constantly by the so-called cultural conventions of the land.
The adapted story and the screenplay by AR. Sajeev & Nanda Kishore Emani is entertaing in the first half, but go wayward as it goes towards the end after the interval. The best thing is how they dealt with a serious theme in a very comical tone with the Godavari backdrop. They also represented physical violence, which is old-fashioned and a lot of other tortures, in a very light-hearted funny manner where the family audience does not feel uncomfortable or awkward while watching these portions.
Director AR. Sajeev does a neat job with his whole presentation. His narrative, too, is engaging in most parts, except for a few scenes in the second half. Kudos to him for dealing with a sensitive topic in a relatable and funny way with a good message towards the end.
The dialogues are well written. The Godavari slang is used effectively in the film, but there are a few places where the slang didn’t go well either.
The songs and background score by Jay Krish complement and elevate the drama. The Sinnari Kona song is the best tune of the album.
The cinematography by Deepak Yaragera is excellent. The camerawork beautifully follows the actions, hues, mood and nuances of the narrative.
The edit by the director & team, along with Kalyan Surya Prakash, is crisp with a sharp run time.
The artwork by Vishnu Vardhan Pulla and the costumes by Princi Vaidh are okay.
The production values by S Originals & Movie Verse Studios are adequate.
What’s Hot?
* Eesha Rebba’s Performance
* Tharun Bhascker’s Performance
* Entertaining First Half
* Hilarious Pre-Interval Portions
* Cinematography & Production Values
* Good Songs & Decent Background Score
What’s Not?
* Weak Second Half
* Rushed Out Climax Portions
* Feels Exaggerated In A Few Places
* Casting Of Few Supporting Actors
* Heroine’s Uncle & Brother Character Didn’t Work At All
Verdict: Overall, Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi is a decent remake that never tries to rise above the Malayalam film. Though the makers try to keep the soul of the original intact, the overall impact doesn’t give you full satisfaction. The casting of the side actors is one major minus of the film, but the light-hearted comedy, the sensible presentation of the gender topic, and the magical performances of both the lead actors make it an okay watch. Can surely give it a try if you haven’t seen the original!!
Telugubulletin.com Rating: 2.25/5
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