Despite playing an upright cop -- a role she has successfully reprised time and again -- the fiery Vijaya Shanti is unable to salvage Sambhavi IPS.

The magic of her 1990 superhit, Kartavyam, where she also plays a cop, is missing in her latest release. After Kartavyam's release, Vijaya Shanti became one of the highest-paid heroines in the Telugu film industry. She was dubbed Lady Amitabh and all her films thereafter focused on her 'angry young woman' image.

In Sambhavi IPS, Vijaya Shanti is the protagonist, an upright police officer who is the nemesis of all wrong-doers, including a minister (Krishna) and a local mafia don (Satyaprakash).

Her husband (Sijju) is an IAS officer determined to punish those who have defaulted on their electricity bills.

The rest of the family comprises their young son and Sijju's father.

Sijju, who earns the minister's wrath when he cuts off power to Satyaprakash's residence, comes to know the latter has brutally killed a vigilance officer. Sijju insures himself for Rs 50 lakhs (Rs 5 million). 

Vijaya Shanti is charged with capturing the murderer. As she begins investigating the case, the officer's wife is hit by a speeding car and killed.

Sijju, meanwhile, refuses to bend to the minister's pressure and resigns. Even as they battle with these problems, the family finds a new friend (Keerthy).

Sijju and Vijaya Shanti decide they need a holiday and book themselves into a cruise ship. The next morning, she finds herself covered in blood. Her husband is missing. Her father-in-law's body is discovered on the shore.

Vijaya Shanti is convicted of the murders. One day, she discovers her husband is alive and has joined hands with the villains. He has also faked his own death and framed her for the insurance money.

How she avenges herself on her betrayers forms the rest of the story.

Sambhavi IPS, unfortunately, looks like a loser.

Director K S Nageswara Rao has ruined his attempted remake of Double Jeopardy with poorly canned scenes. The disjointed screenplay only adds to the audience's despair.

Sijju, the young actor who plays Vijaya Shanti's scheming husband, tends to overact. The talented Vijaya Shanti is wasted in yet another ill-defined plot, much to the disappointment of her fans.

Rao is clearly unable to handle big stars; his earlier film, Vyjayanthi, which also starred Vijaya Shanti, was a flop as well. Sambhavi IPS, which credits him with the story, has too many loopholes to make it a gripping thriller. Besides, his casting for the film is ridiculous.

Vijaya Shanti will have to do much better than Sambhavi IPS if she wants to regain her lost glory and her rapidly diminishing fans.