‘Epic – First Semester’ movie review: A promising but incomplete coming-of-age story

Epic – First Semester arrives with expectations, largely because of director Aditya Haasan and the reunion of Baby leads Anand Deverakonda and Vaishnavi Chaitanya. While this is Aditya’s feature directorial debut, the runaway success of his nostalgia-soaked web series 90s’: A Middle Class Biopic and his first production, Little Hearts, a breezy rom-com, has already established him as a promising new voice in Telugu cinema.

With Epic, Aditya takes a leap of faith, holding back from pandering to familiar mainstream tropes. The tagline, ‘an unfinished story’, and the words ‘point of view’ following the director’s credit suggest an intent to push the boundaries of the coming-of-age story.

That intent comes through in the unconventional screenplay, which makes considerable portions of Epic feel fresh. But the same creative choice also makes the film less cinematically engaging and, at times, incomplete. It is not the lack of definite closure to certain aspects of the story that is troubling so much as the lingering sense of dissatisfaction. In trying to capture the dilemmas of people in their early 20s, caught between professional aspirations, financial pressures and personal freedom, Epic occasionally seems as uncertain as the characters themselves.

Epic – First Semester begins several years after 90s’: A Middle Class Biopic. The older son and daughter of teacher Chandrasekhar (Sivaji) and his wife (Vasuki) are away pursuing higher studies, while their youngest, Aditya (Anand Deverakonda), is content in Wanaparthy, Telangana, making short films and dreaming of becoming a feature-film director. He and his friends fantasise about the journeys of established filmmakers such as Sekhar Kammula and Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who studied and worked abroad before returning to pursue filmmaking. They also take subtle digs at NRIs who become movie critics on social media.

The opening portions breeze by as Aditya is packed off to the UK for higher studies, funded by a hefty loan. He is portrayed as a naïve dreamer who does not even know which course the agent has secured his admission into.

The film contrasts him with Kadali (Vaishnavi Chaitanya), a more worldly-wise young woman who can hold her own in a new country. The UK portions rely on convenient writing, as though the writer-director wants to quickly move past the travails of finding accommodation and a roommate because the real drama is yet to unfold. Even Aditya and Kadali’s first meeting and unlikely student relationship feel contrived. Still, these portions make for an easy watch, with their conversations shaped like a meet-cute romance.

From food to music, everything reflects the different worlds Aditya and Kadali come from. While Aditya’s naivete is established early, Kadali remains deliberately mysterious, almost true to her name, which refers to the sea or ocean. The writing also explores how caste differences can weigh on youngsters embarking on a relationship.

Live-in relationships among students and young professionals living away from their families are hardly new territory in Indian cinema. Musical coming-of-age stories and rom-coms have already explored commitment fears, so Epic is not breaking new ground. What it does acknowledge is how unsettling the idea can still be for students from conservative families.

Epic unfolds largely as a conversational drama, and despite Aditya and Kadali repeatedly insisting on “no strings attached”, it is easy to predict where their relationship is headed. While the director aims to capture the reality of conflicts faced by people in their early 20s, the middle portions demand patience.

The film finds its mojo again towards the end, when the protagonists get a reality check and must walk a tightrope between their professional ambitions and personal relationships.

A lot rests on the performances, and both Anand and Vaishnavi rise to the challenge. In some scenes, Anand is styled as a grown-up Aditya from 90s’, from his appearance to his dialogue delivery. Playing an innocent character is arguably tougher than wearing alpha-male traits on the sleeve, and Anand does it with sincerity. He is convincing as a youngster lost outside the comfort of his small-town home.

Vaishnavi gets a layered character and plays her with the flamboyance that masks her vulnerability. Her near-perfect hair and costumes can occasionally distract, but she shines in scenes that reveal the fears of a woman aware that her freedom in a foreign land is temporary.

Hesham Abdul Wahab’s music works as an undercurrent to the drama, moving between folk-rooted tunes such as ‘Sancharamey’ and the student anthem ‘Sabko’, which embraces the new world of the UK. When Aditya and Kadali’s equation turns chaotic, ‘Manasa Vacha’ provides a soulful balm.

On the whole, Epic ends up much like its lead characters: eager to explore a new world, but not entirely sure how to navigate it. It gets some things right, while others remain a muddle.

Published – September 11, 2026 02:56 pm IST