The potential of a geographically mobile spirit is vast. When Ravi Babu (playing the spirit) made a surreptitious visit to the police station eavesdropping on Mohini’s (Poorna) complaint, comfortably seated next to her, it was clear that the spirit was here to say as its freedom of movement can’t be restricted by whatever means. In Avunu-2, it (or, should we say ‘he’ because the spirit is a rapist?) arrives on the scene using the elevator and enters the new, upscale apartment through the main door.
The migration-capable rapist-spirit is also tech-savvy and nothing can stop him except an amulet made in Varanasi. The characters at the receiving end, too, are the same, with an addition made in the form of Harsha’s friend. After being scared in the old, relatively low-budget flat in Avunu-1, the young couple are all gung-ho about nocturnal as well as day-time romance alike (in one scene, a lip-lock is hindered by an unromantic glass pane), having seemingly forgotten all about their recent near-death experience. So much so, when Mohini says ‘Raju mallee vachadu’, Harsha shouts back, saying ‘Clear ga chepu.’ What? Seriously?
In the first part we saw how a newly married couple was prevented by the spirit of Raju from consummating their marriage. He wants to possess the good husband and in his lecherous mission, he was aided by a foolhardy husband who forced his wife to stay in the flat despite she being devastated and extremely frightened. That was Part-I. Here you have a camera-woman who can capture a spirit and presumably even “change the world” asking Mohini to do the unthinkable.
Part-II is a sorry repetition of the first part, but the novelty of the concept is badly over-used to the point of looking jaded. There is the same leering away at a nude Mohini while she is bathing, there is the same pulling off the rug while the couple is sleeping, there are the same attempts to undress her (this time by the good husband, too), there is the same technology-enabled hint that a third entity is roaming about.
Whereas in the first part God’s power could not defeat the evil, here it succeeds for good part. The evil spirit may well leave the world exactly after one year, not a single minute delayed. Or, so we think. It strikes back, in another locality, at Prabhas Sreenu’s curses.
Screenplay-wise, this is definitely not in the same league as Ravi Babu’s other films. While presenting the new element of a drunkard neighbor who with his bizarre tantrums and loving affection towards his wife (he says ‘bangaram’ to her, at all times) presents a dichotomous picture, Ravi Babu scores on the concept but surely fails on the treatment . One waits for something interesting about his story and the climax doesn’t disappoint. The couple is played by Nikita and a well-known character artiste.
Just to make sure Sanjjana’s incredible camera is established in the audience’s mind, Ravi Babu goes for a scene that borders on the stupid, both idea-wise and execution-wise.
The hi-tech apartment is a visual treat for sure. The scene where Harsha's friend explains the features like a salesman could have been avoided.
Ravi Babu banks on some voyeuristic moments here and there. There is no intelligence in story-telling and enlisting a spiritual camera can’t be called innovative. If that is his idea of coming up with something akin to what Villa-2 or the recent Pisachi had, then it is disappointing.
In a sequel like this, having the characters behave more intelligently makes all the difference. What do Hasha and Mohini do with their hands-on experience of dealing with the spirit?
The performances are on the same lines. Poorna looks less glamorous and Harsha is ok.
Verdict: Sans intelligent story-telling, Avunu-2 entertains only in bits and pieces. Good RR and cinematography notwithstanding, the film is more of the same. Even at 107 minutes, the film woks only in bits and pieces.
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