JD Chakravarthy, who famously made Nag pull a cycle chain in Siva, has come a long way from playing a baddie to a director. His latest release, Homam, has drawn acclaim for its treatment as well its technique.

He had been under the shadow of his mentor, Ram Gopal Verma, for long and some say, at the cost of his career. Opinions differ but Chakri has surely honed his skills under his tutor. His earlier ventures behind the camera like Pape Na Pranam, Madhyahnam Hatya and a comedy in Bollywood — it simply sank without a trace on the day of its release — have all been big disappointments. With Homam, it all seems so long ago. With Chakri and Jagapathi Babu in the lead, Homam is a remake of The Departed. He may not be original but like his mentor, Chakri seems to be good at adaptations.

However, what makes his work more appealing is that Tollywood for all its stars sadly lacks variety. God forgive the day Vijaybhaskar released his Nuvve Kavali — the inspiration behind Imran Khan's Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. Ever since, our directors have researched love stories like no other from the sublime to the ridiculous and continue to do so, may be till the day the very thought of a sweet nothing story churns our stomachs. As such, Homam, with its suspense and tension in every frame, gives us a much-needed catharsis!

Chakri hopes to follow it up with Marana Homam with terrorism as its main theme. He wants to shoot it in Pakistan or so he says. It should be interesting.

Before signing off, a few words about Madhyahnam Hatya. The film prior to its release landed in a controversy owing to its tagline — how to kill your wife or something to that effect. Ramu and Chakri got into damage control mode or was it their style of PR? Whatever, it was subsequently changed but the movie bombed due in large measure to its publicity.

Actually, it was an interesting film. A middle class married fellow batters his nagging wife to death. As the plot unspools, the viewer tends to sympathise with the protagonist believing in his innocence. But as it ends, if you work the story backwards, it becomes obvious that the fellow was a cold-blooded murderer. Worth a watch if you have missed it.

This time for Homam, too, there were rumours of a clash between JD and Jagapthi Babu. It seems Chakri hasn't learnt his lesson yet.