Movie: 12A Railway Colony
Rating: 2/5
Banner: Srinivasaa Silver Screen
Cast: Allari Naresh, Dr Kamakshi Bhaskarla, Sai Kumar, Viva Harsha, Getup Srinu, Saddam, Jeevan Kumar, Gagan Vihari, Anish Kuruvilla, Madhumani, Abhirami and others.
Story, Screenplay, Dialogues: Dr Anil Vishwanath
Music: Bheems Ceciroleo
Director of Photography: Kushendar Ramesh Reddy
Presenter: Pavan Kumar
Producer: Srinivasaa Chitturi
Edited and directed by: Nani Kasaragadda
Release Date: November 21, 2025
Allari Naresh is known for his comedy films, but in recent years he has shifted toward serious subjects. A murder mystery, however, is a completely new territory for him, and it is also a fresh experience for audiences to see him in such a genre.
Let us see how well he fits into this space.
Story:
Karthik (Allari Naresh) works as a henchman for a Warangal politician named Tillu. He is in love with his neighbour Aaradhana (Kamakshi Bhaskarla), an aspiring sportsperson who lives with her mother.
Ahead of the bi-elections, Tillu (Jeevan Kumar) hands Karthik a parcel and instructs him to keep it safe. Believing Aaradhana’s locked house is the safest place while they are away for a few days, Karthik hides it there.
But Karthik is stunned to find Aaradhana and her mother lying dead inside the house. Who killed them, and why? If Aaradhana was already dead, whom did he see earlier at the doorstep?
Karthik teams up with police officer Rana Pratap (Sai Kumar), and their probe leads to a series of startling revelations.
Artistes’ Performances:
Allari Naresh adopts the Telangana dialect for this role, but his performance feels strained despite sincere effort.
Kamakshi Bhaskarla gets a wafer-thin part and delivers it in a routine manner.
Sai Kumar talks more than he investigates. Abhirami stands out in a crucial role, and Anish Kuruvilla is effective as the doctor.
Viva Harsha is adequate as Naresh’s sidekick. Jeevan Kumar fits well as the politician, while Madhumani brings authenticity to the role of Aaradhana’s mother.
Technical Excellence:
There’s little to appreciate on the technical front, except for the production design. The cinematography, music, and visual effects are all below par, and the editing is even weaker.
The writing lacks depth or creativity, making the narrative feel flat. The film features two songs and both are unimpressive.
Highlights:
Twists
Final moments
Drawback:
First Half
Superficial investigation
Slow-paced narration
Analysis
Dr. Anil Vishwanath made his mark with Polimera, and ever since, he has been expanding that franchise while writing for other films. However, none of his later works have matched the impact of Polimera.
In 12A Railway Colony, he is credited as the writer and “showrunner” (whatever that’s meant to imply), while his editor Nani steps in as the director.
The entire first half of 12A Railway Colony is painfully dull. Most filmmakers take 15–30 minutes to set up the plot and shift into the core story by the 45-minute mark. Here, nothing meaningful happens until the interval.
The narrative drags without direction, and only moments before the break does it finally gain momentum; when the hero finds the heroine dead. And even that isn’t the film’s real twist. Like many murder mysteries, the story circles around the familiar question: Who killed her, and why?
The actual plot unfolds only in the second half.
Though the second half is comparatively better, even its twists and the unexpected killer reveal fail to create genuine excitement. A subplot involving a doctor and later a politician adds some interest, but the investigation becomes unconvincing when the hero; a henchman; does all the detective work, while the police officer who enters with great hype ends up weakening the narrative.
12A Railway Colony suffers from a weak narrative spine. Its surprises don’t land effectively, and the ghost-thriller elements feel out of place in a murder mystery. The motive for the crime may be believable, but the film surrounding it isn’t engaging enough. The final attempt to add ghost elements looks forced.
Overall, 12A Railway Colony is just another murder mystery with a couple of minor twists, nowhere near as gripping as Polimera. Much of the drama feels convenient, often boring, and the film offers no real chills. Even Allari Naresh feels miscast in this genre.
Bottom-line: No thrills