Euphoria 2026 Telugu Movie Review

BOTTOM LINE
Only First Half Works

RATING
2.25/5

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CENSOR
A, 2h 30m

What Is the Film About?

Euphoria revolves around a aftermath of a gang rape incident involving a group of minor boys. The film looks at how the law punishes them and the consequences they face beyond legal action. At its core, it also follows a socially driven mother who takes it upon herself to reform her son.

Performances

Bhumika Chawla plays an important role in the film and in fact the second half is largely driven by her character. Unfortunately, both the writing and the performance fall short. On both counts, it turns out to be a disappointment. She is given a few crucial episodes with her son in the latter half, but surprisingly, even performance wise, she fails to leave any real impact.

Sara Arjun on the other hand is a perfect fit for her role. She delivers a neat performance and feels like spot on casting.

Analysis

Euphoria directed by Gunasekhar opens on a strong note with Bhumika and a legal case instantly grabbing attention. Within minutes, the film moves into a flashback. This is where it scores well.

Unlike many Telugu films where flashbacks drag with routine, template scenes, here the flashback quickly gets to the core issue. It wastes no time and immediately pulls the audience in. The first half remains largely engaging, with several well-written and genuinely disturbing moments that keep coming at regular intervals and hold interest.

That said, the first half is not flawless. Since Gunasekhar is attempting to tell a hard-hitting story, it would have worked better if the narrative had stayed more grounded. Some old-fashioned elements feel unnecessary, such as exaggerated press people behavior and influential parents conveniently losing their political power or positions. These moments feel off and could have been avoided to make the storytelling more sincere and restrained. This stands out as a clear miss.

There is also a song placement issue. A cheerful song meant to showcase the bonding between Bhumika and her son appears during a serious phase of the story and feels out of place and unnecessary at that point.

Despite these issues, the writing and intensity largely hold up. The disturbing moments and the core conflict keep the audience engaged, resulting in a largely engaging and decent first half overall.

The second half goes completely off track right from the start. The idea Gunasekhar uses to drive the narrative through the mother character, played by Bhumika, and her attempt to change her son’s life does not work at all. Whether it is the exam angle, or even the choice to show her turning into a drunkard, nothing feels logical or convincing. None of it works as a socially thought provoking idea, nor as engaging cinema, or even as a regular film viewing experience.

The writing and execution fail to engage or convince at any level. On top of this, the drug racket subplot and Gautam Menon’s track only add to the chaos, making the second half feel like a complete mess with hardly anything working. Even basic elements such as song placement in the second half went horribly wrong and could have been avoided altogether.

Performance wise and impact wise too, there is very little worth appreciating in the second half.

Overall, Euphoria has a sincere and largely engaging first half, but a completely clueless second half that undoes whatever the first half manages to build. Watch it for the social intent, but keep expectations low.

Performances by Others Actors

Euphoria features a fairly large supporting cast. Nassar appears in a brief role, and most of the supporting actors handle their parts adequately. However, when it comes to some key characters, the casting does not always land. In particular, the boy’s father casting could have been better. Other than that, the supporting cast largely fits the film’s tone and setting well.

Music and Other Departments?

The music is composed by Kaala Bhairava and the film features a couple of songs that are largely forgettable. Visually too, both songs are placed at awkward moments, which only makes them feel worse.

When it comes to sound design and background score, whether handled by Kaala Bhairava or Pradeep G, the work deserves appreciation, especially in the first half. The sound design significantly elevates the mood and creates a disturbing atmosphere that adds to the engagement.

Cinematography by Praveen K Pothan is fairly decent, and the film looks visually appropriate for a story driven narrative. Editing by Prawin Pudi could have been better, but the completely flawed second half leaves very little scope for recovery at the editing table.

Production values by Gunaa Teamworks are decent and suit the film’s social intent.

Highlights?

Strong social intent

Well intentioned social story

Disturbing and engaging tone

Largely engaging first half

A few well written scenes in the first half

Drawbacks?

Weak and derailed second half

Poorly written mother and son track

Fails to extract emotions

Clueless tracks in the second half

First and second halves feel unrelated

Did I Enjoy It?

Only the first half. Despite a few cinematic liberties, the first half held well for me, but the second half completely undoes that experience.

Will You Recommend It?

Not for everyone. The film works only in the first half, and that alone may not be enough for all viewers.

Euphoria Reviewed by Kalyan, M9 News

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