Review: Zebra - Prolonged but Engaging

 

Movie: Zebra
Rating:3/5

Cast: Satya Dev, Daali Dhananjaya, Sathyaraj, Satya, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Sunil Verma, Jenniffer Piccinato, Amrutha Iyengar and Others

Director: Eashvar Karthic

Produced By: OldTown Production, Padmaja Films Private Limited

Release Date: November 22, 2024

Story:

Surya (Satyadev) works for a bank. Swathi (Priya Bhavani Shankar), who works at another bank and will soon join Surya's bank, is his love interest. But one day, Swathi encounters an unforeseen clerical error in her bank which could put her in danger. Surya encounters a far more serious issue while attempting to save Swathi. In four days, he must give the Don Aadi (Daali Dhananjaya) five crores. Does bank employee Surya have the financial means to make such a large payment? How did Surya earn five crores? The remaining story forms the crux of Surya's uphill task.

Performances:

SatyaDev and Daali Dhananjaya played the two lead roles and they were superb. Sathyaraj appears in a comic role for a surprise and he entertains as much as he can. Satya provides the expected comic relief as Bob. Priya Bhavani Shankar, Sunil Verma, Jeniffer Piccinato, Amrutha Iyengar, and others were apt.

What worked for the film:

Firstly, the main concept of Zebra is interesting. How a normal bank employee gets entangled in a big crime is shown very well. Another well-worked element of the film is Satyadev's characterization and his comic interactions with Satya. The sequences that connect Satyadev and Daali Dhananjaya's characters are particularly noteworthy. Also, the director never puts any scene just for the namesake, and almost all the scenes are linked perfectly with the hero's problem. The climax adds a good emotional touch to the film without giving a feel of routineness.

What did not work for the film:

The film deals with concepts like financial and bank fraud and stock market tricks but the director Eeshwar Karthic does not elaborate on the scenes where the hero manages to get his job done, for example, the entire episode involving the fake fire alarm and vault theft is shown in a racy way, but the required kick or thrill goes missing. Also, though the screenplay is on point and never gets deviated, it does give the feel of drag here and there. 

Zebra Review and Verdict:

Zebra showcases an interesting main theme, interesting drama involving the lead characters, and some well-mixed lighthearted moments. The performances from SatyaDev, Daali Dhananjaya, and others were very good along with thrilling parts. However, the screenplay gets dragged on at times and the director could have handled a few crucial episodes better.