Since its first release in 2016 and the fact that it was shot in Kannada, there must be something special about the story or concept of this movie called “U Turn” that has inspired seven adaptations. In the Tamil version, Samantha Ruth Prabhu starred, while in the Hindi version, we now have Alaya Furniturewalla. What might occur to the drivers making the U-turn? Who is responsible? Is there a supernatural force at work here? Therefore, can you just go through it, or do you have to make a U-turn? Scroll to read U-Turn Review below.
Story: In this ZEE5 Original film, Radhika (Alaya F), a journalism intern, gets tagged as a suspect in the murder of one of the drivers while investigating bike riders who were breaching the law on a city flyover.
Rating *** (3/5) stars
U Turn Review
The story revolves around drivers who attempt to perform a U-turn at the NTPC flyover but lift concrete blocks from a divider, causing many accidents. The NTPC flyover truly starts to feel like the film’s essential character after a point. As she conducts research for a news story on the same flyover, Radhika, a journalism intern, becomes the primary suspect in a string of unlucky murders.
Up until a certain point, the writing is clear and well-balanced, but the addition of supernatural aspects and the subsequent diversion the plot takes from reality make it seem a little unprofessional and lose the audience’s interest. In terms of how the subject is presented, Director Arif has exercised wise judgment. This whodunit story is not as predictable as others and has numerous unexpected twists.
The movie is billed as a supernatural thriller, and it does a good job of living up to that description. If they aren’t used to seeing horror films, viewers should prepare for a few jump scares and eye-shuddering scenes in the early part of the movie. The director’s choice to incorporate scenes with gory and deformed characters heightens the ghostly aspect of the movie. In one cleverly written scene, Alaya is working in her office in the middle of the day when suddenly a supposed ghost approaches. The terror aspect of the movie is effectively emphasized in this sequence. The second half of the movie switches to a more traditional story after the first half of the movie concentrates on the supernatural.
The compelling plot of U-Turn’s first half leaves an impression. The audience is kept on the edge of their seats by the reporter’s unexpected abduction and the string of tragic deaths. The research is expertly woven with turns and twists by the creators, adding a sense of surprise and amazement. The movie’s second half, nevertheless, struggles to keep up the first half’s energy. The thriller becomes tedious and loses its intrigue. Although the climax is intriguing, it is unduly drawn out, which dulls the 128-minute running time. The movie has a good beginning, but it doesn’t tell a clear tale.
The performance of Alaya F as Radhika adheres to the plot and is passable. She does a good job at distributing the emotions, and she manages to depict the same character in a variety of ways without overdoing it. Alaya excels throughout her role as the main character in a plot where other factors may overpower her personality.
Inspector Arjun Sinha is played by Priyanshu Painyuli, who has a strong screen presence and is intelligent and keen. He displays excellent camaraderie when he works with Radhika. As required by the storyline, Aashim Gulati and Rajesh Sharma give respectable performances. Manu Rishi has a lot to offer and makes you smile with his one-liners.
The atmosphere and BGM do increase tension and suspense. They are well-maintained and give the storyline credit. All of the cliché whodunit tropes—spooky atmosphere, breezy evenings, rain and thunder, gloomy, torn-down buildings, a zombie’s face—have been employed to generate and heighten the tension. The flypast has been the subject of many camera perspectives at different times, giving it the significance of a principal character, which it ultimately turns out to be.
The Verdict
Overall, you can ride through this Arif Khan film without doing a U-Turn, and the superb acting and good plotline help to cap off the exciting journey.
