There has been a remarkable increase in the number of horror films and horror-comedy films in recent years and this year in particular evoking complains that horror genre is taking over Tamil Cinema. But who cares about the genre if the film satisfies the audience and achieves commercial success.
Debutante director Srinath’s Ramalingam’s ‘Unakkenna Venum Sollu’ is yet another horror flick to have emerged in 2015 with many newcomers in the cast and crew.
Pooja (Jaqlene Prakash) and Shiva (Gunalan Morgan) living in Singapore come to Chennai for the treatment of a rare disease suffered by their son Abhi. In Chennai Pooja learns about the mysterious cirucumstances surrounding the suicide of her friend Shwetha and she also faces some horrific experiences in her ancestoral guest house. Pooja and initially reluctant Shiva are convinced that it is due to the presense of a ghost in their house.
They approach Mathew (Mime Gopi) a sorcerer who confirms the presene of ghosts in the guest house and offers to help them is pacifying its spirit.
Parallely we are shown Karthik (Deepak Paramesh) a happy go lucky IT professional who also undergoes some abnormal experiences and gets the accuanitance of Judy (Mourhrna Anetha) who has some mysterious background.
Whats the connection between the horrific experiences of Pooja and Karthik? How their problems get resolved? Who is Judy? These questions are answered in a gripping manner in the remaining film.
The story written by MRK and the screenplay of Srinath Ramalingam are extremely loyal to the horror genre. The film is definitely one of the genuine horror flicks that is filled with suspense and shocking horror moments.
The film starts off with a a girl committing suicide forced by a super natural element With the very first scene the director makes us ready for a horror thriller. What follows is a series of incidents happening to unconnected characters retaining the suspense element and few really impactful horror moments here and there
Only in the second half the demystification of the characters starts which also offers some neat emotional moments dealing with the perspective of love and family life of today’s youngsters and their struggle to carry heavy responsibilities in life. Once the background of the ghost element is established the film moves to top gear and steers till the climax as a gripping horror film. The climax portons and the visualization of the world of a ghost stands testimony to the novel approach of the young director.
The main problem of the film is again its extreme loyalty to the horror genre. The first half is excruciatingly slow and it seems to be a planned effort to intensify the shocking experience given by horror and mysterious scenes. This ends up testing the patience.The idea of horror follows the oft-repeated pattern of showing a disfigured face which could have been either limited or done away with. In the second half there are a few logic compromises or cinematic liberties but they fall under the permissible limits of a horror film. Especially the climax portions which tries to connect ghost power, hypnotism and spirituality may be a tough pill for those who are very strict in logic. Also the background of the ghost, despite being retained as a suspense for a large part of the film unveils on the expected lines. But the way this has been narrated deserves a pat on the back.
Except Mime Gopi. all the other actors of the film are newcomers. Jaqlene Prakash as Pooja scores well in expressing pain, distress and horror and Mime Gopi who gets a lengthy role makes right use of the scope to perform. All the other actors fit the bill.
‘Unakkenna Venum Sollu’will go as one of the technically sound horror films made in Tamil cinema. The Rerecording by Siva Saravanan is excellent and one of the best for a horror film in recent times. Manish Murthy’s cinematography compliments the horror feel of the script while Harry Haran’s editing is good and turns fantastic in the climax portion where the proceedings in four different locations are shown in a sequence. Art Director C.H.Mohanji has done a commendable job especially in creating a beautiful world for the ghost spirit.
Verdict: ‘Unakkenna Venum Sollu’ is a genuine horror flick which will be a treat to lovers of that genre and it is worth a try for others.
