‘Psych Siddhartha’ movie review: Shree Nandu and Yamini Bhaskar impress in an edgy relationship drama

There’s something disarming about a first-time filmmaker’s eagerness to break free of established norms of storytelling. Architect-turned-filmmaker Varun Reddy’s Telugu film Psych Siddhartha is a case in point. Varun, who has written and co-produced the film with actor Shree Nandu, presents a fairly simple relationship drama like a comic book for adults, wanting to speak the language of Gen Z. The film may not be perfect but ushers in a promising voice that’s eager to push the boundaries of storytelling.

The 120-minute film does not waste time in setting up its premise. Siddharth Reddy (Shree Nandu) is going through a breakup and is literally on the streets, hoping for a turnaround. At the surface, it’s yet another break-up story that unfolds in a non-linear fashion. The song ‘Blue Yellow’, with its lyrics set to music by Smaran Sai, offers a glimpse into Siddharth’s life and trials and sets the tone of the film.

Siddharth, with sunken dark eyes reflecting lack of sleep, and demeanour that spells a downward spiral, comes across like a spin off of an archetypal brooding, vengeful male who is yet to come to terms with the rejection. A raging man on a self-destructive path that may have seemed novel in Arjun Reddy is now a tired trope.

Thankfully, the narrative presents Siddharth’s story of romance and deceit like a graphic novel steeped in dark humour. In a parallel world, Siddharth could be a cousin of DJ Tillu, the major difference being that he not only gets deceived in love but also in business. While Siddharth is presented as naive and rather stupid, his girlfriend Trisha (Priyanka Rebekah Srinivas) is a caricaturish gold digger.

Varun contrasts Siddharth, who is wronged by a woman, with that of Shravya (Yaamini Bhaskar), who has endured prolonged abuse. The signs that Psych Siddhartha intends to go beyond its comic book style adult humour emerge when Siddharth’s path crosses with Shravya and her son.

For all the barbs and sweeping statements directed at women who deceive, the narrative also shows the mirror to men who like to project themselves as alpha males, even if it contradicts their own family dynamic. A brief conversation between Shravya’s husband (Bobby Ratakonda) and his friend highlights this dichotomy.

In the first hour, the film pushes its edgy narrative style as though to test how far it can go within the mainstream Telugu cinema format. For considerable portions, Siddharth is featured among several boxes and in one sequence, even wearing one of these cardboard boxes, almost like a metaphor for someone who needs to break free and think out of the box.

Not all the humour in the first hour lands. The sub plot involving Siddharth and his friend (Narasimha) is a riot, even though it takes a while to find its rhythm.

In fact, the film itself finds its emotional footing in the second hour, when it tones down its experimentation in style and gets to the crux of the relationship drama. While Siddharth could do with stepping out of the ramshackle filled with cardboard boxes, Shravya could do with some colour to offset what he terms ‘all black’ existence. How this unfolds in the backdrop of a school works like a charm. The film also sensitively portrays how a victim of sexual abuse calmly internalises and finds happiness in intimacy that’s not overpowering.

A few questions remain — about the abusive husband, Siddharth’s sudden transformation, his origins, and so on. Shree Nandu reinvents himself and portrays Siddharth like a man who has nothing left to lose. It’s a rare author-backed character in his career and Nandu utilises it to showcase his potential. The quiet surprise is Yaamini Bhaskar as the stoic young mother. The performances by the child actor and Narasimha as the friend are also worth a mention.

Varun and team save some fun moments for the final episode when a character breaks the fourth wall to tease the audience who have, unwittingly, fallen into the trap of wanting films to fit into a certain mould. The pop culture references and nods to the Tillu films, Arya and Arya 2 among others, add to the fun.

Psych Siddhartha demands some patient viewing initially but it shows how a simple relationship drama can be presented for a new-age audience. Varun and Nandu’s attempt to push the boundaries is an interesting way for Telugu cinema to begin 2026.