Police Complaint, a Telugu crime, suspense, and thriller film, was released on 12 June 2026, with a runtime of 2 hours and 36 minutes. The film has received a critic's rating of 2.0 out of 5 and a similar user rating. Directed by Sanjeev Megoti, the movie stars Naveen Chandra, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Krishna Sai Makineni, and Kriti Verma. The story revolves around a reopened murder case that delves into black magic and karma, but the execution fails to meet expectations.
Story Overview
Police Complaint begins with a crime that refuses to stay buried. Years after the murder of a pregnant woman, a determined police officer, played by Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, reopens the case, convinced that the truth was never fully uncovered. What initially appears to be a cold case soon reveals connections to suspected black magic rituals, drawing the investigation into murky territory where superstition, fear, and crime intersect. As the officer pieces together the past, people linked to the case begin dying under mysterious circumstances. Each death appears connected, creating what the film describes as a chain reaction of karma. The investigation slowly exposes hidden relationships, corruption, old betrayals, and long-suppressed secrets. As rational police work collides with stories of curses and occult practices, the line between fact and belief becomes increasingly blurred.
Review
There is a compelling thriller hidden inside Police Complaint. The premise itself is promising: a reopened murder case, mysterious deaths, black magic rumors, and a detective trying to separate truth from superstition. On paper, it sounds like the kind of crime-horror hybrid that should keep audiences guessing. Director Sanjeev Megoti gives the story enough moving parts. The film unfolds like a puzzle, introducing suspects, motives, and secrets at a steady pace. Every new clue appears to open another door, and for a while, the mystery is engaging enough to keep viewers invested. The narrative's strongest quality is its willingness to withhold answers, encouraging audiences to piece together the truth alongside the investigation.
The problem is not the mystery itself but how it is executed. The film frequently shifts between crime procedural, horror drama, and family melodrama, often without finding a comfortable balance. Scenes designed to create fear rarely generate genuine unease, while the dramatic portions occasionally become too heavy-handed. Instead of complementing one another, the genres sometimes compete for attention.
Varalaxmi Sarathkumar remains the film's strongest asset. She brings conviction to her role and lends authority to the investigation, making the procedural portions more believable. Even when the screenplay struggles, she keeps the narrative grounded. Naveen Chandra provides capable support, while Ragini Dwivedi and the rest of the cast fit comfortably into the film's world.
One of the more interesting aspects of Police Complaint is its recurring idea of karma—not as a spiritual abstraction, but as a force driving the consequences of past actions. The film repeatedly returns to this theme, suggesting that buried truths have a way of resurfacing no matter how carefully they are concealed. Unfortunately, the screenplay doesn't explore this idea as deeply as it could have. The investigation itself contains a few well-handled twists, but many of the revelations become predictable long before they arrive. Characters often feel defined by their role in the mystery rather than by fully developed personalities, reducing the emotional impact when secrets come to light.
Technically, the film is serviceable. The cinematography creates an appropriately dark atmosphere, and the background score constantly attempts to inject tension into scenes. However, suspense cannot survive on mood alone. Several moments that should feel chilling instead feel overly familiar, relying on genre conventions rather than genuine surprise.
What ultimately holds the film back is that it never fully commits to either its crime-thriller instincts or its horror elements. It keeps hinting at something darker, stranger, and more unsettling than what eventually unfolds. The setup promises a layered mystery steeped in superstition and secrets, but the payoff settles for safer territory.
Overall, Police Complaint is worth a watch for crime-horror fans, though its execution falls short of expectations.
