Movie: U Turn
Rating: 3/5
Banner: Srinivasaa Silver Screen
Cast: Samantha Akkineni, Adhi Pinishetty, Bhumika, Rahul Ravindran, Ravi Prakash and others
Dialogues: Bheem
Music: Poornachandra Tejaswi
Cinematography: Niketh
Editor: Suresh Arumugam
Action: Chetan D’Souza
Producers: Srinivasaa Chhitturi, Rambabu Bandaru
Written and directed by: Pawan Kumar
Release date: September 13, 2018
Samantha, one of the top leading ladies in Tollywood, has attempted to produce and act in a female-oriented thriller for the first time with 'U Turn' which won critical claim for its Kannada version.
The Telugu trailer drew attention too as it was intriguing. Amidst good buzz, the thriller hit the screens. Let’s find out more about this movie...
Story:
A young reporter Rachana (Samantha) becomes the prime suspect in a case related to a series of deaths. She informs the young police officer that she’s working on the news story and she has nothing to do with the deaths happening at RK Puram flyover.
Initially, police don’t believe her story but later the young police officer (Aadhi Pinishetty) buys her version after watching a death that happens in front of his eyes.
How Rachana with the help of this police officer clears the puzzle behind the deaths forms the main story.
Artistes’ Performances:
Samantha has pulled off the role of a young reporter with ease. Unlike her role in recent ‘Mahanati’, this journalist role is more real and contemporary. She has given her best shot though her dialogue delivery is not convincing.
Aadhi Pinishetty plays typical police officer role in his usual style. Bhumika actually appears in a guest role for ten minutes. Rahul Ravindran is just okay.
Technical Excellence:
The film has fantastic technical qualities with first rate cinematography, good sound mixing and perfect production design. All the technicians have worked in tandem to create mood in the first half.
Highlights:
First half
Mood
Technical aspects
Drawback:
Predictable climax
Analysis:
“U Turn” is remake of a Kannada movie of the same name and the original director Pawan Kumar has made it in Telugu as well. This is essentially a mystery thriller with super-natural elements.
As long as the film focuses on mystery part (the deaths and Samantha’s link to it) it is engaging, but it turns too predictable once the supernatural element is introduced.
Director Pawan Kumar has chosen a story that has an undercurrent social message -- people lacking basic traffic sense. This message is coated with mystery elements by focusing on minute details, building suspense, creating the mood.
The director has taken so much care to tell it in a realistic way though he forgets some basic points like how the police officers have no right to keep a woman for a night in the police station.
A senior-ranking officer’s constant growl against the young officer for probing further doesn’t make sense at all.
Despite these problems and slow pace, the movie is engaging enough till the interval without a doubt.
The film’s entire strength lies in the initial portions which give us the feel that we are watching a superb riveting thriller.
There are some stunning moments too and the director keeps the audience guessing with twists. However, the novelty and the interesting factor wears off as the movie progresses.
There isn't enough meat in the penultimate sequences to keep us engaged. When the twist is revealed, we get the feeling that it is a forcible trick. These sequences should have been dealt in a better way.
Logic also goes missing in the climax part.
All in all, ‘U Turn’ is a suspense thriller that offers some thrilling moments and banks heavily on performances and initial portions.
Bottom-line: Engaging Thriller
