‘Euphoria’ movie review: Gunasekhar’s part gritty social drama raises relevant questions

Euphoria is a difficult watch that demands viewer discretion; its ‘A’ certification is justified. Eschewing the mindless violence common in mainstream cinema, writer-director Gunasekhar delivers a sharp fictional drama rooted in a harrowing true story that shook Hyderabad.

The film uses its narrative to pose urgent questions through three interconnected lenses: a survivor reclaiming her life, a mother desperate to reform her son, and the perpetrator’s uneasy and long path toward redemption.

The plot draws from a 2022 incident in Jubilee Hills, where five minors from influential families sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl. After leaving a non-alcoholic party, she unsuspectingly entered a vehicle, leading to an assault that sparked nationwide outrage. True to the toxic social climate surrounding such cases, an inevitable wave of victim-blaming followed.

In Euphoria, Chaitra (Sara Arjun) portrays a fictional character inspired by the 17-year-old survivor. She pointedly asks the judge if it is a crime for girls to enter a pub, questioning why she should live in shame when she was not at fault and had stayed within her boundaries. Though she feels grief and anger, she never flinches from asking these questions.

The narrative evokes the emphatic “No means no” line from Pink, underlining the importance of consent. A subplot involving a fatal car accident in Banjara Hills further explores how public memory fades quickly while lives remain shattered forever.

The film marks Gunasekhar’s return to contemporary drama following a long detour into historical and mythological dramas like Rudhramadevi and Shaakuntalam. Collaborating with Bhumika Chawla more than two decades after Okkadu, he delivers a hard-hitting narrative.

The first hour is riveting as it captures the vulnerability of a teenager whose dreams are nearly shattered. It underscores how women often bear the brunt of social failure; Vindhya (Bhumika), who heads an educational institution, is blamed by her husband for neglecting their son in favour of her career. Crucially, the film does not absolve the father, whose indulgence and tendency to turn a blind eye are equally scrutinised. Throughout, the story raises relevant questions about responsible parenting.

As details emerge, the film shatters stereotypes. The prime accused, Vikas (Vignesh Gavireddy), is a top-ranking student, challenging the assumption that substance abuse and waywardness are reserved for “last benchers”. While the narrative does not fully probe the roots of his behaviour, it effectively deconstructs these social misconceptions.

There are a few niggles. While the film foregrounds Vindhya as a conscientious mother, the mothers of the other accused are conspicuously absent. The fathers, meanwhile, are sketched as one-note figures — men of influence determined to shield their sons from consequence.

Thankfully, these lapses do not derail the film. The police procedural delivers several gripping moments, led by Gautham Vasudev Menon as the commissioner. With restraint and authority, he inhabits the role with ease. Both his character and the judge are written with a balance of resolve and empathy. A hospital sequence stands out as well, with Bhumika earning plaudits and reminding viewers of her range when offered layered emotional material. Euphoria also does not shy away from calling out the rot within sections of the media.

After a strong first hour, however, the film loses momentum as it veers into some puzzling choices. When Gunasekhar turns inward to examine the psychology of the perpetrators and the possibility of remorse, the narrative slips into familiar commercial tropes, particularly in the prison sequences.

The later turns taken by Bhumika’s character are also jarring, giving the impression of a narrative running out of ideas. If the intention was to explore the fraught complexity of a mother–son relationship, the execution falls short.

The film, however, finds redemption in its closing moments. With sparse dialogue by Nagendra Kasi and Krishna Hari, the subtext lands more forcefully, allowing silence to do the heavy lifting. Sara Arjun and Vignesh make the most of the space their roles afford them, signalling promise. Much of the film’s strength also lies in its expansive supporting cast — from the actors playing the other accused to familiar faces such as Adarsh Balakrishna, Ashrita Vemuganti, Nasser, Rohith, and others.

Euphoria demands patience in parts, but it remains a timely social drama that engages with pressing questions.

Published – February 06, 2026 04:42 pm IST