'RED' has hit the screens today (January 14). Here is our review of the newest Sankranthi release at the box-office.

Story:

The film tells the story of identical twins, Aditya and Siddharth. The characters, played by Ram Pothineni, are poles apart. If Aditya gambles and steals from people, Sid works hard as a construction engineer. When a well-to-do young man is brutally stabbed to death, Sid becomes the prime suspect. It's because a Circle Inspector (played by Sampath Raj) wants to frame him due to personal reasons.

But when Aditya appears in the police station, the cops are confused as to who between the identical-looking twins is the murderer. The prosecution fails to crack the case. What follows is a retrospective, which involves an emotional flashback.

Analysis:

The film is a remake of 'Thadam' (Tamil) and borrows its story from Magizh Thirumeni, the Kollywood director. Kishore Tirumala writes the screenplay and dialogues, most of which just don't land. Even an emotional flashback, that had so much potential, doesn't evoke the audience's pity.

The first half goes into establishing Aditya rather than the other lead character. Aditya is a gambler who doesn't think twice before conning people until he meets Gayatri (Amritha Aiyer as an innocent girl who likes him). Pavitra Lokesh (as a cigarette-smoking cheater) and Satya are his partners. In between narrating this story, the film gives a peek into the love story of Siddharth, who is in love with his colleague Mahima (played by Malvika Sharma). But this love story doesn't quite hit home. In a way, it's a big flaw, given how the sub-story is integral to the overall story. There was this criticism that the Tamil original overplayed this particular love story. Maybe, the writers of the remake felt that a thriller shouldn't give much importance to the romantic track and curtailed it.

It doesn't help matters that Ram doesn't always bring out the contrasting natures of the two characters adequately. It could be the failure of the director. The attitude shown by the two characters comes across as uncannily similar at times.

The film needed good pacing. The first half is overlong. The second half, despite the investigation tracks and the flashback forming the lion's share, still seems to move slowly.

Curiously, the much-vaunted investigation track is not bereft of loopholes. You have a comedian (Vennela Kishore) enlightening a cop that fingerprints can be looked into in order to solve a case. And we are told this is a serious-minded thriller?!

Nivetha Pethuraj's performance should have been exciting, while Sampath Raj should have looked more serious. Satya is good enough. Pavitra Lokesh gets to play a somewhat bold role. Sonia Aggarwal is apt in the role of a mother who comes with a broken story.

Mani Sharma doesn't rise up to the occasion as far as the BGM is concerned. On the other hand, the songs are able. Sameer Reddy's cinematography is not adequately helped by smart cuts.

Verdict:

An investigative thriller with great potential, 'RED' falls apart for several reasons. Its flashback, at least, should have been way better. It's not a taut one, much as you would have expected.

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