Bloody Mary Review: A lazy web show that suffers from multiple flaws 

Cast: Nivetha Pethuraj and others

Director: Chandoo Mondeti

Run-Time: 91 minutes

Streaming On: AHA Telugu

Rating: 2

Mary (Nivetha Pethuraj), Raju (Rajkumar Kasireddy) and Basha (Kireeti Damaraju) are orphaned childhood friends with their own set of dreams. Mary, who suffers from partial visual impairment, is a nurse. Raju, who has a hearing disability, is a wannabe cameraman. Basha, who is mute, wants to rule the hearts of the audience by becoming an actor. Their lives are turned upside down on a day when Mary inadvertently kills her boss. A series of ill-fated events put the trio in a soup. They have got to deal with a tough nut named CI Prabhakar Reddy (Ajay as a cop) and a cruel trafficker named Sekhar Babu (Brahmaji) before they can find peace.

In ‘Bloody Mary’, a character is witness to a murder and thinks it is all over for him. Another character is witness to a ‘witness’ of a murder and is petrified that he is finished. They behave as though they are defenceless even though they are 100% innocent. Does their paranoia emerge from their traumatic past? Would they show inner calm and strength in the face of supposed adversity if they had a loving family? Let’s just assume that the writer of ‘Bloody Mary’ did consider the questions. But what follows in the 90-minute web movie would make us believe otherwise.

The same characters, along with the female protagonist Mary, show far less horror on their faces than they should when their existential crisis only deepens with the entry of two dangerous characters. 

When ‘Bloody Mary’ doesn’t frustrate you with its superficial performances, the sheer quantum of convenient plot points does. Mary and her two male friends get to deal with exactly that cop against whom they have got an immense advantage. This cop, who is otherwise competent and ruthless, believes in Mary’s fakery and doesn’t even attempt to rush to catch hold of the person he is supposed to on a night even when the stakes are just too high. He spots the person accidentally rather. 

There is no adequate urgency in the body language of Mary, Basha and Raju. They show occasional anxiety to evoke laughs rather than to invite the viewer to soak into the drama. The banter and camaraderie between them are mimetic. 

The loosely-written characterization doesn’t let us appreciate Mary even when she is one step ahead of her enemies. The slow-motion elevation shots are a case of style overtaking substance. CI Prabhakar, who otherwise knows his self-interest, is shown as if he is not capable of doing his own SWOT analysis. Brahmaji barely shows menace and proves to be a casting misfit. 

The swiftness in the last 15 minutes makes us wonder if ‘Bloody Mary’ had to really be such a short movie. How do OTT platforms decide one story needs to be told as a 4-hour-long marathon web series and yet another story must be hurried through? It must be all random, perhaps. 

Also Read: Gaalivaana Review: A fairly gripping thriller that comes with a shocking twist