EPIC – First Semester
Table of Contents
Quick Facts
Plot
EPIC – First Semester is a coming-of-age love story about Aditya, played by Anand Deverakonda, a young man from Wanaparthy in Telangana who dreams of becoming a film director. He leaves home to study at a film school in London, full of hope and artistic ambition, but the film is not about his career. It is about the relationship that begins there, with Kadali, played by Vaishnavi Chaitanya, a fellow student who becomes the centre of his life.
Aditya and Kadali move in together, and the film follows their live-in relationship through its tender early days and its later troubles. Ego clashes, insecurities and the pressures of a creative life begin to wear them down, and the story asks whether young love can survive the gap between romance and real life. The film is structured as the first chapter of a larger story, which is why the title promises a “First Semester” rather than a complete ending.
Performance
Anand Deverakonda and Vaishnavi Chaitanya carry the film, and their chemistry is its most praised quality. Reviewers noted that the two leads look natural together, and their scenes feel honest in a way that many romantic dramas do not manage. Anand plays Aditya as an earnest, sometimes stubborn young man, while Vaishnavi gives Kadali a warmth and independence that keeps her from being a mere love interest.
The supporting cast adds texture. Sivaji and Vasuki play older characters who reflect on the young couple’s choices, and Srinivas Gavireddy and Kalyan Shankar fill out the film-school world. The performances are not the film’s weakness; if anything, they keep the audience invested through the slower stretches, because the leads make you care about whether this relationship survives.
Screenplay and Direction
Director Aditya Haasan, the son of director B.V.S. Ravi, brings a personal touch to EPIC, and the film feels like a story drawn from observation rather than from formula. The London setting is used well, and the film captures the texture of student life abroad: the shared flats, the creative ambitions, the loneliness of being far from home. The director’s intention is clear, to show a modern relationship honestly, without melodrama.
The weakness, as critics pointed out, is the pacing. The film is slow and repetitive in its middle portions, and it does not quite justify its length, earning ratings around 2.6 to 2.75 out of 5. The story also feels incomplete by design, since it is only the first part of a planned series, which may frustrate viewers who want a full resolution. Still, for a debut director, the honesty of the approach is worth noting.
Music
Hesham Abdul Wahab composes the music for EPIC, and his work is one of the film’s clear strengths. His songs give the romance its emotional colour, and reviewers praised the music for elevating the love story even when the narration slowed down. The soundtrack has a gentle, youthful feel that matches the film’s London setting and its mood of young love.
The background score works in the same way, quietly supporting the emotional beats rather than overpowering them. In a film that depends on feeling rather than plot twists, the music does a great deal of the work, and it is one of the main reasons the film stays with you after watching. For fans of Hesham’s earlier work, this soundtrack will feel familiar in the best way.
Themes
EPIC is about the gap between the idea of love and the reality of living together. Aditya and Kadali begin with the excitement of a new relationship, but the film shows what happens when two strong-willed people share a home, a city and a future that is still uncertain. Ego, ambition and insecurity all play their part, and the film refuses to blame only one side. That even-handedness is its most mature quality.
The film is also about growing up away from home. Aditya’s journey from Wanaparthy to London is not just a change of place; it is a change of identity, as he learns who he is when nobody from his past is watching. The film-school setting adds another layer: the question of whether art is worth the sacrifices it demands. These themes give EPIC a depth that its slow pacing sometimes hides.
Conclusion
EPIC – First Semester is a gentle, honest romantic drama that will appeal to viewers who like realistic love stories. Anand Deverakonda and Vaishnavi Chaitanya share lovely chemistry, Hesham Abdul Wahab’s music is beautiful, and the London setting adds freshness to a Telugu romance.
It is a slow film, and it deliberately leaves the story unfinished, which may not suit everyone. But as the first chapter of a young couple’s story, it has sincerity and charm, and it is now streaming on Netflix for viewers who prefer to watch it at home. If you enjoy coming-of-age romances, this one is worth your time.