Mukhachitram

Mukhachitram (transl. “Face portrait”) is a 2022 Telugu drama directed by Gangadhar from a script by Sandeep Raj. Vikas Vasista, Priya Vadlamani, Ayesha Khan and Chaitanya Rao Madadi lead the cast, and Vishwak Sen appears in an extended cameo as a lawyer. Produced by Pocket Money Pictures with music by Kaala Bhairava, it released in theatres on 9 December 2022.

What the story is about

Raj Kumar is a well-known plastic surgeon in Hyderabad who marries Mahathi, a village girl introduced to him through a marriage broker. The match does not please his longtime friend Maya: the two were sweethearts at school before Raj moved to the US with his parents, and while he moved on, she never quite did. About a year into the marriage, with Mahathi expecting a child, a sudden accident pulls all three lives together in a way that the film’s title hints at. What follows turns into a courtroom drama, and the twists are best discovered on screen.

Cast

• Vikas Vasista as Dr. Raj Kumar
• Priya Vadlamani as Mahathi
• Ayesha Khan as Maya Fernandez
• Chaitanya Rao Madadi as Dr. Satya
• Vishwak Sen as lawyer Viswamitra (extended cameo)
• P. Ravishankar as lawyer Vashishta
• Sunil as Dr. Varma
• Sruthi Singampalli as Durgamattha, Mahathi’s aunt
• Meer S as Raghuramaiah, Mahathi’s father
• Rocket Raghava as the marriage broker

What critics said

Reviews credited the film’s intent more than its execution. The Hindu called it “far from perfect” but said it “makes a point about marital assault and the need to give the victim an empathetic hearing”, adding: “If only it had been written, narrated and enacted better.” Nelki Naresh Kumar of Hindustan Times Telugu gave it 2.5 out of 5, noting Ayesha Khan’s glamour and Vishwak Sen’s guest turn in the climax. Satya Pulagam of ABP News Telugu gave it 2 out of 5, praising Chaitanya Rao’s acting and dialogue delivery and P. Ravishankar’s voice as the lawyer, but saying Ayesha Khan’s performance needed a lot of improvement.

We have found no reliably sourced box-office figure for the film.

Where to watch Mukhachitram

Aha acquired the streaming rights, and the film premiered there on 3 February 2023. Our OTT record is based on the film’s Wikipedia article rather than a platform listing, so check Aha for current availability.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Mukhachitram and the reviews it cites, linked above; our own cast and crew records.