Play Back

For other uses, see Playback.

2021 Indian film

Play Back

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Jakka Hari Prasad
Written by| Jakka Hari Prasad
Produced by| Prasad Rao Peddineni
Starring| Dinesh Tej
Ananya Nagalla
Arjun Kalyan
Spandana
Cinematography| K. Bujji
Edited by| Bonthala Nageswara Reddy
Music by| Kamran

Production
company

Sri Venkateswara Art Creations

Release date

* 5 March 2021 (2021-03-05)

Running time

| 138 minutes
Country| India
Language| Telugu

Play Back is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language science fiction drama film written and directed by Jakka Hari Prasad. The film stars Dinesh Tej, Ananya Nagalla, Arjun Kalyan, and Spandana. Play Back is marketed as the first Indian film based on cross time connection.[1] The plot follows Karthik (Tej) and Sujatha (Nagalla), two people from different time periods who connect together through a phone call. The film was released on 5 March 2021.[2]

## Plot[edit]

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In 2019, crime reporter Karthik, who works in TV5, moves into an old house. The landline in his house receives a phone call from Sujatha which is intended for someone else. Sujatha's landline, however, repeatedly connects only to Kathik's landline. With no choice left, Sujatha seeks Karthik's help on her passport issue which he obliges. He tries to help her out but soon they realize that they are in different time periods, Karthik in 2019 and Sujatha in 1993.

## Cast[edit]

* Dinesh Tej as Karthik
* Ananya Nagalla as Sujatha
* Arjun Kalyan as Vasu
* Thummala Narsimha Reddy as Henchman
* Spandana
* Karthikeya Krishna Malladi
* Ashok Vardhan
* Murthy
* Ananda Chakrapani as Sujatha's father
* Aishwarya Lakshmi
* Thagubothu Ramesh
* Gowtham Raju
* Deepthi
* Vishnu
* Jenny

## Production and release[edit]

Hari Prasad Jakka who worked as a co-writer for Sukumar's films such as 100% Love (2011) and 1: Nenokkadine (2014) helmed the project.[3] The film was theatrically released on 5 March 2021.[4] It was later released on the streaming platform Aha on 25 May 2021.[5]

## Reception[edit]

Venkata Chari of HMTV appreciated Jakka's direction and his handling of the cross-time concept, stating: "This is a film that would thrill the audience." He opined that the film could have been better had the loop-holes been addressed.[6] Surya Prakash of Asianet News rated the film 2.75/5 also echoed the same and lauded the novel attempt. He compared the film with the 2016 South Korean TV series Signal but added that Jakka adapted the script to Telugu nativity with more emotion and drama.[7]

A reviewer of Zee Cinemalu rated the film 2.5 out of 5 and opined that the casting could've been better. "Ananya was decent but none of the other actors could do justice for their characters," they added.[8] 123Telugu.com also rated it 2.5/5 and concluded: "On the whole, Play Back is a family thriller that has a fresh concept that deals with a cross-time telephone conversation. Though the movie has a few interesting moments here and there, lack of proper narration in the second half comes as a speed breaker."[2]

## See also[edit]

* 2021 in film
* Cinema of India
* Frequency, 2000 American film where a father and son connect over ham radio between different time periods

## References[edit]

1. ^ Naramaneni, Ram (19 February 2021). "దేశంలోనే తొలిసారి క్రాస్ టైమ్ కనెక్షన్ నేపథ్యంలో రాబోతున్న 'ప్లేబ్యాక్'.. రిలీజ్ ఎప్పుడంటే..?". TV9 Telugu (in Telugu).
2. ^ a b "Play Back Telugu Movie Review". 123Telugu.com. 6 March 2021.
3. ^ "Play Back will be the first-of-its-kind movie on the Indian screen, says director Hari Prasad Jakka". The Times of India. 20 April 2020.
4. ^ Swarna, Nagesh (17 February 2021). "మార్చి 5న వస్తున్న 'ప్లే బ్యాక్'.. దేశంలోనే తొలి క్రాస్ టైమ్ కనెక్షన్ మూవీ". TV5 (in Telugu). Retrieved 8 August 2021.
5. ^ "మే 21న 'ఆహా'లో 'ప్లే బ్యాక్'". Andhra Jyothi (in Telugu). 11 May 2021. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
6. ^ Chari, Venkata (5 March 2021). "Playback Review: 'ప్లే బ్యాక్' మూవీ రివ్యూ". HMTV (in Telugu).
7. ^ "తెలుగు సైన్స్ ఫిక్షన్ మూవి 'ప్లే బ్యాక్' రివ్యూ". Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd (in Telugu). Retrieved 8 August 2021.
8. ^ "Movie Review - 'ప్లే బ్యాక్'". Zee Cinemalu (in Telugu). 5 March 2021.

## External links[edit]

* Play Back at IMDb