Target Review

A successful writer who specializes in murder mysteries finds herself caught in a web of murders as whatever she writes happens in real life. A smart cop comes to investigate the case, who is the killer? What is the motive? Let us go and see..

Story

Mandakini (Mumaith) a successful novel writer is currently in trouble as she is being seen as a suspect in the murder of a famous boxing champion. Incidentally, he gets killed the same way as it has been described in the book. ACP Rahul enters the scene to investigate the murder but then a road accident takes place and he is left hospitalized, a foul play is suspected here too. The case is assigned to the shrewd policeman Bose (siva balaji) and he starts his investigation. Even he suspects Mandakini to be the killer but then she has to be let free since none of the interrogation tests prove her to be a criminal. Meanwhile Bose also finds out that the happenings and the murders have got a connection with the ancient martial art form `Marmakala'. He then tries to investigate in that angle to discover the killer but he has got his eye on Mandakini too. What happens from there forms the rest of the story.

Performances

Mumaith Khan has done much better in this one and she seems to be learning the nuances of acting steadily. Shraddha Das was the perfect fit for a sex bomb and was indulging in a lot of skin show even when it is not required. Siva Balaji could not fit the image of a cop as he looked soft. The comedian team comprising of Krishna Bhagawan (average), Kondavalasa (not impressive), Jeeva (stale), Venu Madhav (just okay), Vijaya Rangaraju (could have been better) did their bit to entertain but overall, it was not a successful show by them.

Technical aspects

The dialogues were written without much flavor and the script had few loopholes, the screenplay could have been a lot better. Even the music failed to impress except one song and the cinematography could not get the angles right and the lighting effect was not that harmonious. Editing was missing the marks at key places. The costumes were trendy and gave a good look while the art department was also okay.

Director's portrayal

The director did not have much originality in his approach and both his narrative and presentation could not keep the audience engaged. It is essential that for a suspense thriller to create an impact, the director must handle the script deftly and that was missing here. He could not create the tension in the movie and though he was focusing on the presentation aspect, his narrative was expected to be more solid which did not happen.

Critic's view

Though the film happens to be a take from the Hollywood movie `Basic Instinct', it is by no means a match to it. The Hollywood version is miles and leagues away in quality and presentation. The only good thing for the film is it was brief and the duration was short which saved some strain to the audience. It is the choice of the artistes and also the unwanted inclusion of extra comedy elements that really took away the main focus on the film. It would be difficult for the film to shine at the box office.

Verdict

Not reached target, forget it

Cast: Mumaith Khan, Siva Balaji, Shradhdha Das, Krishna Bhagawan, Viswajit Pradhan, Vizag Prasad, Vijaya Ranga Raju etc

CREDITS:

Banner: Sirisai Surya Movies

Music: Koti

Camera: Suresh Kumar

Director: Ramesh Raja

Producers: Dasarth Sangisetty and B Rama Krishna

Release date: 22nd May 2009