Odela 2 Movie Review – Spirit vs Ghost, But Only Half the Thrill:

The sequel, Odela 2, starts off where Odela Railway Station ended. Tirupati (Vasishta N. Simha), the character who was killed in the previous film, now stalks the village of Odela. Even in death, his spirit is neglected. Now seeking revenge, he targets newlyweds. To defend the helpless, Shivashakti (Tamannaah Bhatia) steps in along with her sibling Radha (Hebah Patel). Along the plot, the couple attempts to kill the demon and bring back peace in the world.

Now Performing and Directing

Although it was a late start, Tamannah rounded off the second half with a commanding performance loaded with emotion. The second half was vauchered by her winning voice and stunning looks that mesmerized the audience. Vasishta may be underdelivering as most of his performance is voice over work for some viewers, but with Hebah Patel playing a supporting role with her limited however ‘crucial’ blast of a performance he is bound to shine. Murali Sharma didn't really do much for me lightening the scene in somewhat his characteristic fashion, so overall I found him disappointing.

Plot-wise the film has good action sequences but rather comical base, with the add of having director Ashok create atmospheric horror, I feel obliged to say they set themselves up to fail. the idea of the film was to focus on the horror aspect not the cliffhanger, so It feels honest of me to say that without the supervision of Sampath Nandi the film would have had no action at all. Other stacks the film builds upon is the visual effects, which ahve my stamp of approval for being average but utterly destroys any interest towards the film implants. The entire plot loses its edge.

Analyzing the Technical Aspects

Yet again my approval stamp comes out, but this time solely to Ajaneesh Loknath as his background score works one hundred percent. Reason being is, it didn’t shoot through the ceiling bringing me to the ideals of a good monster plot, but at least stays under my radar managing to maintain my ear intact when there is meant to be some suspenseful moments.

Conclusion goes to the VFX, or as I like to call this stampeless lot. A clear no go for me for not lying to magic like effects that would render some scare off moments less effective.

Screenplay: Lacked continuity; slow in the first half, fast in the second.

Cinematography: Adequate, but less-so in establishing a chilling atmosphere.

Highlights and Drawbacks

What Works:

Tamannaah’s performance post-interval.

Emotional depth between characters.

Satisfying climax that is highly sentimental.

Intertwined spiritual themes incorporated into horror.

What Doesn’t:

Other films’ influence are too obvious, like Arundhati and Akhanda, making scenes feel predictable.

Weak VFX and underdeveloped ghost sequences.

Gaping logic holes and inconsistent storytelling.

Absence of a strong male antagonist.

Final Verdict

Odela 2 is a mixed bag. Its first half is dull and dragging, filled with backstory, while the second half is stronger due to Tamannaah’s performance and emotional storytelling. Many fans of spiritual horror will likely appreciate elements, but the film fails to meet its potential.

Bottom Line: Spirit vs Ghost – Stronger second half saves the film.

Rating: 2.5/5