Date of Release: March 10, 2023
Speaking: Telugu
Genre: Criminal Comedy
Krishna Kanth Mamidala, the director
Writer: Mamidala Krishna Kanth
Photographer: Akshit Dixit
Mahi Illindra, the producer
Gyani Singh, Director of Music
Tellers of Production Scripts
Seasons: 8
a 13+ certificate
Ensemble: Archana Shastry, Prachi Thakker, Sriram Reddy Polasane, Chaitanya Krishna, Vajja Venkata Giridhar, Ravi Varma, Adrika Sharma, and Archana
Story: On a fateful night that alters their lives, four strangers ride together in a taxi. A once-in-a-lifetime chance to become wealthy appears to bring them more problems than benefits.
Review: Bad Trip, the debut feature by director Krishkan, also known as Krishna Kanth Mamidala, is an uneventful series that alternates between being hilarious, edgy, and just plain okay. The entire plot is tied together by the director’s clever premise, although it isn’t always executed well.
From Bengaluru, Ved (Ravi Varma) has traveled to Hyderabad. He boards a cab driven by Santosh (Giridhar) on his way home from the train station, with Abhi (Chaitanya Krishna) riding along. In the shared taxi, they pick up a fourth person, but they find themselves in an uncontrollable position. They go on a “bad trip” with a dead body, a stolen automobile, a kidnapping, and a lot of money.
The characters are well-established at the beginning of the series. Ved is a gentleman who wants to inform his parents that he is not interested in getting married but finds it difficult to say no. Santosh, a former auto driver, aspires to provide a brighter future for his child and earn an honest income by operating his taxi. The main character disruptor, stuntman Abhi, thinks he’s the “real hero” in every movie. He’s the first to jump at the possibility of making a fast fortune. Archana Shastry, Adrika Sharma, and Prachi Thaker are all included in the narrative; nevertheless, it is best to keep their identities a secret.
Bad Trip starts strong, takes a while to get going, stumbles a little in the actual battle, but picks up steam in the end. At first, the jokes are corny, but as you learn more about the characters and their thoughts, they become funny and captivating. It’s hard not to feel that the conclusion of the eight-episode series should have been far superior. It might have used more editing and better writing because the ending comes off as a little disorganized. All the same, the series works for the most part.
