Director Aditya Hasan comes to the big screen after his hit web series 90s, but Epic - First Semester turns out to be a major letdown. The movie tries to present a realistic and slice-of-life modern relationship drama, but it quickly falls flat due to thin story writing. Instead of a strong plot, the director mostly relies on routine live-in relationship tropes confined inside a single bedroom. What was supposed to be a relatable youthful romance ends up looking like a confusing and over-dramatized struggle where characters change their mindsets without any logical reason.

The film starts on a warm and nostalgic note by connecting with the world of the 90s web series back in India. Once the story shifts to London, the pacing slows down and focuses entirely on the conversations and intimate moments between the lead pair. The first half manages to stay somewhat watchable due to light situational comedy, a few breezy moments, and clean chemistry between Anand and Vaishnavi. The interval block ends on an intimate note, setting up the relationship drama for the next hour.

However, the second half completely loses its direction and becomes very tedious to watch. The narrative heavily drags with long arguments, an over-dramatized stretch addressing period pain and PCOD, and a bland pregnancy scare subplot. The writing tries to forcefully introduce parent-son emotional angles near the pre-climax to make the audience feel sad, but it fails because the lead pair's problems never feel convincing. The climax is abrupt, incomplete, and leaves the viewer fully unsatisfied without proper emotional closure.

In terms of performances, Anand Deverakonda fits his innocent and confused role decently well, carrying a restrained body language that suits his character. Vaishnavi Chaitanya is natural and performs well within her limited scope, though her character is written with confusing personality shifts. Sivaji gives a wonderful performance in his brief appearance with good comedy timing and subtle emotion. Kalyani Shankar's comedy track feels forced and out of place in a realistic setup, while other supporting friends leave little impact.

On the technical side, Hesham Abdul Wahab is the major savior for the movie with a fresh background score and one good song in Sancharame, though other tracks are forgettable. Azeem Mohammad's cinematography is adequate but offers nothing extraordinary since most scenes happen inside one room. Navin Nooli's editing needed serious work, especially in the dragging second half. The production values by Sithara Entertainments are decent for a small-scale romantic drama.

Overall, Epic - First Semester is a below average to disappointing attempt that fails to live up to the expectations set by Aditya Hasan's previous work. A passable first half with a few decent conversations and music are the only redeeming qualities here. The lack of a strong core conflict, unconvincing emotional turns, and an abrupt climax make it a dull watch. If you go in expecting the magical warmth of 90s, you will mostly be rewarded with a lot of classroom boredom instead.

Anand Deverakonda: Gives a restrained and sincere performance as a naive, confused young man. His innocent body language and comedy timing in conversations work well.

Vaishnavi Chaitanya: Natural and convincing in her role, bringing the required confidence to an independent character, though hampered by inconsistent character writing.

Sivaji Sontineni: Impresses in a brief father role with his effortless comedic timing and subtle emotional performance.

Vasuki Anand: Passable in her limited screen presence as the mother.

Kalyan Shankar: Generates a few laughs as a friend, but his meta-comedy track feels completely out of sync with the main film.