Chandrasena: A Dusty Trip Into Myth

Is this for you?

Honestly, only watch Chandrasena if you have a real soft spot for early cinema or if you are doing some deep-dive research into older mythological films. If you are looking for a casual Friday night movie with popcorn, you’ll probably hate it within the first ten minutes. It is slow. It is very stagey. It doesn’t care if you are bored.

The whole thing feels like it’s being performed on a wooden platform rather than a film set. The actors are constantly projecting their voices like they are playing to the back row of a theater that isn't actually there. It’s weirdly endearing once you accept that nobody is trying to be realistic.

The Vibe Check

There is a specific scene where the characters just stand around waiting for divine intervention, and the silence goes on for way too long. It’s almost like the camera operator forgot to call cut. You can actually see the lead actor trying to remember his next line, and he just stares at the floor for a few seconds. Nobody bothered to edit that out.

It’s not as snappy as The Knockout, that’s for sure. It lacks that punchy, quick-fire energy. Instead, it feels more like an old dusty book that someone finally opened up.

• The costumes look like they were pulled from a trunk in an attic.
• Leela Chandragiri has this one look of shock that she uses for everything.
• The lighting is almost entirely flat, which somehow makes it feel more like a dream.

I caught myself looking at the background textures more than the actual plot. There’s a fake tree in the second act that looks like it’s made out of painted burlap. It wobbles every time someone walks past it. 🌲

You can tell the director was trying to capture something grand and epic, but the budget clearly said otherwise. It reminds me of the limitations seen in Spring Fever, where the sets are doing most of the heavy lifting. The story is a mess of tropes, but the earnestness is still there.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s barely a coherent narrative at times. But there’s something about the way it refuses to be modern that makes it stick in your head long after the credits roll. Just don't go in expecting a high-octane thrill ride.