A Daring, Confusing Journey into the Heart of Nothingness"
Ram Yogi Velgapudi wants you to know one thing: he's not here to follow the rules. In fact, with EVOL: A Love Story in Reverse, it seems like he went out of his way to break as many as possible. And you know what? That's kind of admirable. But does it make for a good movie? Well, that depends on how much patience you have.
On the technical front, EVOL is a triumph. The cinematography is sleek, modern, and utterly captivating. The camera movements are precise, the lighting is gorgeous, and the overall aesthetic is undeniably cool. If we were judging this movie on style alone, it'd be a 10/10. Velgapudi's team clearly knows their stuff, and they deserve all the credit in the world for creating something so visually striking.
But here's the catch: after you've marveled at the film's technical brilliance, you're left with a narrative that feels... hollow. The reverse storytelling is an interesting gimmick at first, but it quickly becomes more of a headache than a revelation. Instead of feeling engaged by the characters and their journey, I found myself constantly trying to keep track of what was happening (or what had already happened, depending on how you look at it).
It's clear that Velgapudi is trying to say something profound about love and time, but whatever that message is, it gets lost in the film's relentless pursuit of unconventionality. By the end, I wasn't left contemplating the deeper meaning of life-I was just relieved it was over.
And yet, despite my frustrations, I can't entirely hate EVOL. There's something undeniably exciting about watching a filmmaker completely disregard convention and go for broke. Telugu cinema needs more films like this-films that challenge the status quo, that force us to think about what cinema can be. Even if EVOL doesn't quite stick the landing, it's still a fascinating experiment, and for that, it deserves a place in the conversation.
