What is the Story About?
Madhu (Regina Cassandra), and Anya (Nivedhithaa Sathish), are sisters who live apart during the lockdown. Anya, also known as Lavani, has a live social media account that shares terrifying paranormal moments from her home. It is a popular way for her to connect with others, but it can also cause problems in the outside world as well as with Madhu.
What are the problems caused by Anya’s Tutorial social-media page? What is the secret between these sisters? What was the effect of the mystery ending on the series’ core drama?
Performances?
Regina and Nivedhithaa Sathish are the central roles of the sisters in this series. The latter is the more prominent of the two. It’s more interesting and dynamic than the predictable and flat Regina.
Nivedhithaa has many layers to her role, but she isn’t able convey them all properly. She excels in those parts that require her to express emotion through her eyes, but she is also able to remain calm and intense. Initial irritation at the character design and its revelation is a sign of things to come, but it improves as more information is revealed.
Regina plays Madhu, however, in her normal style. It’s a familiar scene, so it’s not surprising. It’s nothing to be unhappy about, but it’s not memorable.
Analyse
Anya’s Tutorial is directed by Pallavi Gangireddy. It’s a psychological drama that combines horror elements with comedy in equal parts.
The series’ beginning sets the tone for the rest of the series. It’s slow-paced and requires patience. We also see the problems with the narration. Although it is well shot, the acting and staging are not satisfactory.
This problem is repeated throughout the film with different characters acting. Even though they are clearly visible in the production, it gives the proceedings a tacky feel.
The bigger problem is that Anya’s Tutorial simultaneously incorporates many ideas into its narrative. There is the drama of the sisters, the social media angle, and the psychological effects of this during lockdown. The horror component with paranormal specialists is added to all this. Anya’s Tutorial attempts to combine all of these elements, which results in a messy and inconsistent narrative. While some parts are good, the overall effect is not overwhelming.
It would have been possible to explore the horror of the track for kids and its continuation as adults. The social media impact on children’s angle is also acceptable. However, neither of these are presented in a concise way to make an impact. They are good at presenting ideas but not as a whole.
Anya’s Tutorial is the middle section. This is largely due to the horror track. Despite the slow pace, some sequences are still engaging. The ending is too fast and leaves no room for a new season.
Anya’s Tutorial is a good example of a theme. The narrative has many ideas and it works well in part. You might enjoy trying something new. However, be aware of your expectations.
Are there other artists?
There are many critical roles in Anya’s Tutorial, apart from the two main leads. They are just bits and pieces of roles that serve the narrative, and they don’t have any impact on their own.
While Sameer Malla is an important character in the story, he is not a standout performer. Darsh, who again plays a crucial role in highlighting real-life consequences of social media addiction, is also weakly executed. Nanditha, Divya, and Madhu are both okay. Pramodini Pammi is okay, but not enough. The rest of the actors are competent, but that’s it.
Music and other departments?
Good background music by Arrol Corelli. This adds to the mood beautifully, as does Gautam Nair’s sound design. Vijay K Chakravarthy is a skilled cinematographer. Although the darker tone and theme are well captured, they heavily borrow from other works. Raviteja Girijala could have done better editing. The opening is especially slow. Although the writing is good in some parts, it could be better overall.
