chikatilo movie review
“Chikatilo” (often spelled Cheekatilo in recent coverage) is a dark, slow- burning crime thriller about a journalist digging into a serial predator whose crimes echo real-world cases of sexual violence and systemic apathy. It’s more about trauma, media ethics, and women’s safety than about sensational gore, so expect a heavy, unsettling experience rather than a flashy thriller.
Quick Scoop
- Type: Brooding crime thriller / investigative drama.
- Theme: Gendered violence, media sensationalism, institutional failure, survivor testimony.
- Tone: Gloomy, serious, psychologically driven, with restrained but disturbing violence.
- Best for: Viewers who like grounded, true-crime-adjacent stories that prioritize ethics and emotion over jump scares.
- Trigger alerts: Sexual violence, rape, murder, survivor trauma, victim-blaming.
Story and Themes
At the center is Sandhya, a news anchor who turns to a true-crime podcast after a young intern and friend is raped and murdered, pushing her to re- examine how crime is reported and who gets to control the narrative. As she investigates an old pattern of killings, the film slowly links present-day crimes to a long shadow of past violence that society preferred to ignore.
The movie leans hard into:
- How crime journalism can become voyeuristic “content” instead of a tool for accountability.
- How institutions routinely fail women, letting cases go cold until someone outside the system pushes.
- How survivors carry the weight of shame, silence, and disbelief while predators operate in the dark.
Rather than glamorizing the killer, the story keeps its focus on victims, survivors, and the psychological toll on those who investigate these crimes.
Performances and Direction
Sobhita Dhulipala’s performance as Sandhya is consistently highlighted as the film’s strongest asset: controlled, introspective, and quietly intense instead of showy or melodramatic. She plays a professional who is driven not by action-hero bravado but by moral urgency and a growing sense of responsibility toward the women whose stories she’s telling.
Direction-wise:
- The filmmakers withhold graphic spectacle and focus on atmosphere, investigation, and emotional fallout.
- Survivors’ scenes are handled with restraint, emphasizing courage and vulnerability rather than exploiting their pain.
- Some supporting characters feel thin, which slightly weakens the emotional depth beyond the lead.
The result is a film that feels earnest and socially conscious, even when it’s not as sharp or layered as it could be.
Visuals, Atmosphere, and Violence
The visual language is built around nighttime urban and semi-rural spaces, with recurring motifs—jasmine flowers near female victims, cowbells near male victims or couples—that create a chilling pattern instead of in-your-face gore. The production design and costuming make the world of crime journalism, studios, and investigation feel grounded and believable.
Key points:
- The midnight ambience and shadowy locations reinforce a sense of lurking danger and unresolved history.
- Violence is present but framed more as a consequence and a trauma than as spectacle.
- Technically, the film is polished: strong camera work, cohesive tone, and detailed sets that support the story’s realism.
Weak Spots and Criticisms
Even positive reviews mention that the film stumbles in key areas:
- The climax is often described as underwhelming or generic, not fully matching the promise of the slow-burn build-up.
- The narrative sometimes stays at the surface of its big ideas instead of digging deeper into systemic issues or character backstories.
- Supporting characters, including some law-enforcement and side media figures, can feel underwritten, leaving the world around Sandhya a bit one-note.
So while the film raises important questions about violence, media, and patriarchy, it doesn’t always deliver the most complex or daring answers.
Critical vs. Audience Take (Snapshot)
Here’s a simplified view of how different perspectives line up:
| Perspective | What They Praise | What They Criticize |
|---|---|---|
| Critics (mainstream outlets) | Lead performance, moody atmosphere, ethical handling of sensitive material. | [1][3][7]Weak climax, limited depth for side characters, some structural unevenness. | [3][7]
| Crime-thriller fans | Serial- killer patterning, investigative structure, realistic tone. | [1][3]Less graphic or “pulsating” than some might expect; more drama than pure thriller. | [7][3]
| Social-issues viewers | Focus on survivors, critique of media voyeurism, commentary on institutional apathy. | [3][7]Wish for deeper systemic exploration and more nuanced supporting arcs. | [7][3]
Is It Worth Watching?
If you’re looking for a thoughtful, morally serious crime drama with a strong central performance and a focus on women’s experiences, Chikatilo/Cheekatilo is very much worth your time. If you mainly want a high-octane, twist-every- five-minutes thriller or explicit true-crime re-enactment, this will probably feel too restrained and talky.
TL;DR: A dark, well-acted, socially aware thriller that prioritizes emotional and ethical weight over shock value, strong in mood and lead performance but weaker in payoff and character breadth.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.