In the bustling world of Telugu cinema, where crime thrillers often deliver pulse-pounding excitement, Constable (2025) arrives with high hopes but stumbles badly. Directed by newcomer Aryan Subhan and starring Varun Sandesh in the lead, this October 10 release promised a gritty tale of rural justice amid shadowy murders. Yet, as audiences file out of theaters, the consensus is clear: what could have been a taut, engaging procedural ends up as a frustrating slog. Clocking in at just over two hours, the film earns a middling 2.25/5 from critics, highlighting its squandered potential in a genre ripe for innovation.

Unraveling the Core Plot: A Familiar Yet Fumbled Setup

At its heart, Constable follows Kashi (Varun Sandesh), a earnest village policeman whose quiet life shatters when a series of brutal killings grips his sleepy town. Teaming up with Mahati (Madhulika Varanasi), a mysterious admirer harboring her own secrets, Kashi dives into the investigation, uncovering layers of corruption and personal vendettas. The premise echoes classics like Arjun Reddy meets rural noir, blending small-town authenticity with high-stakes suspense. Subhan's intent to spotlight the overlooked struggles of grassroots cops is admirable, painting a vivid picture of dusty lanes and flickering lanterns. However, this foundation crumbles under the weight of erratic pacing, leaving viewers more puzzled than intrigued by the unfolding chaos.

Screenplay Struggles: Weak Foundations and Clunky Storytelling

The film's screenplay is its Achilles' heel, a meandering script that prioritizes flash over substance. What starts as a lean procedural devolves into disjointed vignettes, with plot threads introduced only to be abandoned midstream. The narration feels labored, as if the editor couldn't decide between building tension or rushing to the next reveal. Transitions jar like a poorly tuned radio, disrupting any budding immersion. Critics have noted how these narrative hiccups transform intended thrills into unintentional lulls, turning a potential edge-of-your-seat ride into a tiresome detour. In a genre demanding precision—like the sharp cuts of Drushyam—Constable's looseness feels like a rookie mistake, alienating fans who crave logical progression over haphazard dumps of exposition.

Standout Amid Mediocrity: Varun Sandesh's Grounded Portrayal

Amid the script's pitfalls, Varun Sandesh emerges as a beacon of reliability. Returning to thrillers after a string of rom-coms, he infuses Kashi with quiet intensity—a far cry from his boyish charm in earlier roles. His subtle micro-expressions capture the cop's growing paranoia and moral dilemmas, making the character's arc the emotional anchor. Sandesh's chemistry with Varanasi sparks fleeting moments of warmth, hinting at what a tighter script could have amplified. Yet, even his solid turn can't salvage scenes bogged down by over-the-top histrionics from supporting cast members, who veer into caricature territory.

Extraneous Fluff and Lost Opportunities: Padding That Drains the Drama

One of Constable's gravest sins is its indulgence in superfluous sequences that pad runtime without payoff. Extended song interludes clash jarringly with the thriller tone, while tangential subplots— like a needless romantic detour—dilute the central mystery. These detours scream of indecision, as if the filmmakers couldn't trim the fat to let the core story breathe. The result? A film that misses golden chances to explore themes of rural policing's isolation or the blurred lines between law and loyalty. Instead, it settles for surface-level shocks, squandering Subhan's evident passion for atmospheric visuals in favor of filler that feels phoned in.

Twists That Tease But Never Deliver: Engagement in Freefall

For all its aspirations, Constable deploys a handful of twists meant to jolt awake dozing viewers. A mid-film revelation about Mahati's past and a late-game betrayal offer brief sparks of ingenuity, nodding to the genre's love for misdirection. But these moments fizzle fast, undermined by telegraphed clues and resolutions that strain credulity. The crime-thriller blueprint—methodical clues, red herrings, climactic showdown—fails to ignite, leaving audiences detached rather than on tenterhooks. What unfolds is less a web of intrigue and more a tangled knot, where engagement evaporates like morning mist over the village fields.

In wrapping up, Constable stands as a cautionary tale for ambitious indies: bold ideas need sturdy scaffolding. Varun Sandesh's commendable effort deserves applause, but the film's weak screenplay and narrative bloat overshadow its flickers of promise. Streamers might give it a pass for a lazy weekend, but theater-goers beware—this constable's patrol is more patrol than peril. For Telugu thrillers that hit harder, stick to proven gems until the next patrol call.

Read Also: Kantara Chapter 1 Review: Rishab Shetty's Epic Prequel Dazzles with Spectacle but Stumbles on Rhythm

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