'Kinnerasani' is currently streaming on ZEE5. In this section, we are going to review the OTT release.
Story:
Veda (Ann Sheetal) is the owner of a library where she accidentally stumbles upon a suspense novel titled Kinnerasani. The book tells the story of a father who is desperate to kill his 4-year-old daughter. Veda is shocked to the core. The incident narrated in the book has an uncanny similarity to her father Jayadev (Ravindra Vijay) and her own childhood. Meanwhile, her boyfriend Venkat (Kalyaan Dhev) is carrying out a clandestine mission and wades into Veda's complex past.
The rest of the film is about whether Veda gets saved, why Jayadev wants to kill her, what happened to Veda's mother, and whether Venkat succeeds in his secret mission.
Analysis:
In the opening sequence, a woman says that she will love Venkat till the last breath. All of a sudden, she is stabbed and shot dead. A pup looks dejected and shocked by the eruption of sudden violence. Soon after, the first act introduces the viewer to the film's very many characters. Veda wakes up from bed and her mood goes for a toss when her eyes turn towards the scar on her forehead. We realize that trauma is associated with the scar.
To be sure, director Ramana Teja ensures that the mood is set right in the initial portions. Kalyaan Dhev, who has been doing commercial films like 'Super Machi', does a genre film that steers clear of superfluous elements. Ravindra Vijay is an unassuming villain, creeping us out with his pathological behaviour.
'Kinnerasani' fritters away its strengths in the second half. After managing to create suspense and a brief flashback where we see a girl with exceptional talent, the pay-offs are simply non-existent here. The atmospherics are not special.
The main flashback, that comes in the pre-interval block, is milk-and-water despite its versatility (a wedding gone wrong, a love affair that blooms unexpectedly).
If you remove the intro and the end credits, this film is a 2-hour one. Yet, the director and his editor felt the need to infuse a couple of unnecessary songs. Mahati Swara Sagar's BGM is barely a saving grace. The cinematography is just about average.
The film needed to be narrated with a grip on the audience's attention in the second half. The flashback should have been a little more revealing, a little more emotional. For this, an adequate amount and writing energy were needed to be invested in Veda. Venkat should have been intriguing rather than simplistic.
Despite its obvious flaws, 'Kinnerasani' manages to be a watchable affair because of the genre.
Verdict:
Watch 'Kinnerasani' with average expectations. It's a decently suspenseful mystery thriller.
