Vakada Aparao

“Thala” (2025) takes you for a wild ride through the tangled streets of Vizag, where everyone’s got an angle and loyalty’s just a word people throw around. Vakada Aparao’s stamp is all over this one—gritty, loud, and never letting you breathe easy for a second. The story? Oh, it’s a mess, in the best possible way. A fallen gangster, Ravi, gets out of jail and thinks he’s gonna waltz back into his old empire. Spoiler: things have changed. His so-called friends either moved on or want him gone for good. The city’s changed, too—new kingpins, new rules, and nobody cares about old legends unless they’re profitable. Ravi’s got a chip on his shoulder and honestly, who wouldn’t? He wants his spot back, but the game’s dirtier than ever. There’s politics, cops on the take, and a rival who’d sell his own grandma for a shot at the throne. Toss in Ravi’s fractured family—his brother’s knee-deep in trouble, his mother’s barely holding it together—and you’ve got drama dripping from every scene. The soundtrack slaps, the fights are raw (and sometimes pretty funny), and the city itself feels like a character, always watching, always hungry. By the time credits roll, you’ll either be rooting for Ravi or praying he gets what’s coming. Either way, “Thala” doesn’t let you off the hook. Raw, relentless, and way too real.