Ice Cream Review

RGV derives an inherent advantage by saying that not much is known about the mysterious, tragic incident (on which this film is based) that happened in Bengaluru in the intervening night of June 26, 2012.  After the film is over, you wouldn’t know whether to categorize some of the flaws as flaws or give RGV the benefit of the doubt, for he himself, like the rest of the world, is not in the full know of the events that preceded the fateful happening that night in a palatial bungalow.

Basically, ‘Ice cream’ may be a non-intelligent film for all we know.  If the director saw something unusual in the case of Renu, he did not present us with an unusual screenplay.  Everything, almost everything, is business-as-usual.  That makes us question: Did RGV faithfully depict everything that Renu (the real life person) told her psychiatrists or did he indulge in a flight of fantasy in the name of creative liberty?  For example, did Renu admittedly see a cat in her house?  If no, RGV deployed a cliché to a boring effect.  If yes, he depicted the fact (as narrated by Renu) in a boring way. Like he does with many other things in the movie.

The entire film takes place in a fabulously decorated bungalow (making ‘Ice cream’ wouldn’t have cost the producer as much as it takes to open an ice-cream parlour the Mumbai suburb).  For some reason, RGV believed that it takes a flowcam to depict the tumultuous incidents in the life of Renu.  He avowedly does away with any “conventional tilting”.  Then, he goes on to show the same stock scenes that second-class horror films have been known for.  Conventional scenes filmed on an unconventional camera.

Also, what is so "hot" about the "fear" born of mental disorder?  If one can't be sensible, at least one shouldn't be insensitive.  Also, when will RGV start learning from movies like Pizza, Villa and, for that matter, even Avunu?

The entire film revolves around certain inexplicable things happening at the place where Renu (Tejaswi) stays.  If we forget that the incidents might have happened in real life, the screenplay becomes a totally stupid one.  Renu is more scared when she is with her boy friend than when she is alone.  She clearly hears an old, shaky voice call her ‘Renu’ in a scary manner, yet she tells her boy friend on the phone, “Antha ok ikkada.”  She clearly sees a devil-like creature in the dark, switches on and off the light three-four times to make sure that it is indeed there, yet she is visibly not scared any more than what she had been before that.  The door is banged by some invisible force repeatedly, and we are not sure whether that is hallucination or real, like so many other things in the movie.  Perhaps, RGV is leaving all that to our imagination. But isn't he lazy in doing that?  A clear yes.

After it is clear that more and more dreams are torturing Renu, we start losing interest in the mysterious characters (that may be) present in the bungalow.  Even Renu is scared in a descending order.  Since she is not proportionately scared of the horrible characters (that may be) present in the bungalow, you at least expect her to be scared of the villain-like plumber, but she is not scared of even a potential rapist.  RGV might say that the plumber was never there, but the disillusioned audience has the right to say that the point was never there.

Of late, RGV is a specialist when it comes to presenting the interval bang: he makes it a point to use it to indicate that he has no story in his brain.  The devil can write in English with a lip stick.  The devil can erase it and hide behind the nearest wall.   Seriously, is this the kind of interval bang a story of this sort requires?

What kind of a screenplay is it where Renu’s inner life is hardly explored?  The entire film is like one thing; the last 5-7 minutes throw up a different picture.  Basically, it’s a run-of-the-mill horror movie with a contrived climax.

It makes sense to leave a thing or two to the audience’s imagination, but almost the entire film becomes hazy at the end.  Renu is the only one with a disorder, na?  Then what about Navdeep’s experiences?  Are they Renu’s hallucinations?

Tejaswi comes across as a decent performer but for the climax.  She is so dumb in the climax that even RGV would have fared well in that role.  As for Navdeep, he hardly registers his presence.  He has no job to do except playing the second fiddle.

Technically, the BGM is at least bearable.  It’s not overboard.  The cinematography is thankfully not horrible.

Verdict: A run-of-the-mill horror movie that packs a lazy screenplay, and with a contrived climax.

Rating: 1.5/5