K13 movie review: Shraddha Srinath, Arulnithi starrer is a meta thriller with solid surprises
K13 movie review: This Shraddha Srinath starrer isn’t flawless but thanks to its surprises and twists, the Arulnithi film is anything but dull. Rating: 3/5
Film: K13
Director: Barath Neelakantan
Cast: Arulnithi, Shraddha Srinath and Yogi Babu
Rating: 3/5
Debut director Barath Neelakantan’s K 13, a meta thriller, is not flawless but it has some solid surprises to make audiences leave the cinema hall on a high. It is one of those thrillers that need patience to really savour its twists, surprises and pay-off. Even though the film takes time to warm up and really makes sense, the pay-off is worth sitting through.
The story is centered on an aspiring filmmaker Madhiazhagan (Arulnithi), who has spent close to a decade trying to fulfill his directorial dream. His life is turned upside down when he wakes up and finds himself tied to a chair in the house of the girl, Malarvizhi (Shraddha Srinath), whom he had met the previous night in a pub.
As he tries to free himself, he finds Malarvizhi lying in a chair with her wrist cut and bled to death. As Madhi tries to figure out how he ended up at the house and how Malarvizhi died, the suspense starts to unravel and the story goes from a mystery thriller to a psychological drama as the clues are put together.
Most of the story unfolds inside a house and it’s really fascinating how the suspense is neatly built even within a closed enclosure. As Madhi regains consciousness and comes to term with reality, he starts to think like a writer and treats the situation as though he created it and what follows makes K 13 not a run-of-the-mill thriller. The whole meta angle makes K 13 even more exciting, and the surprises unlike anything Tamil audiences have experiences in recent years.
Arulnithi, who has by now championed the art of picking unusual scripts, does full justice to his role with a restrained performance. Shraddha Srinath shines in a peculiar role and it’s gutsy of a mainstream heroine to even accept such a character.
The film does take a needless detour with a brief sub-plot featuring comedian Yogi Babu which could’ve been avoided. Otherwise, K 13 doesn’t put one wrong foot and manages to impress with part slow-burning, part gripping narrative. Sam CS’s background, which sounds fresh, aids in elevating the tension in some crucial scenes apart from breathing life into the film.
K 13 marks the arrival of a promising director who wears his inspiration on his sleeves. Here’s a filmmaker whose work I’d like to closely follow and wish he keeps getting better with each outing.
Follow @htshowbiz for more
Recommended Topics