'U Turn', starring Samantha Akkineni in the lead role, hit the screens this Thursday.  Here is our review of the mystery thriller.

Story:

Rachana (Samantha) is an intern journalist working for a newspaper.  Her interest is drawn towards a civic nuisance that some people commit on the RK Puram flyover in Hyderabad.  She seeks to track down those who disrupt the road divider on the flyover with the help of a suspicious-looking vagabond.

One fateful night, Rachana ends up in a police station when Nayak (Aadih Pinisetty) and Prabhakar (Ravi Prakash) zero in on her in connection with a murder.  One startling revelation after another unfolds that ominous night. Rachana is now in deep trouble because all the persons whose details she has collected in connection with the RK Puram flyover story have died.

Are they murders or suicides?  Is there a pattern? If Nayak decides to discover the connecting dots, Rachana too bravely goes about resolving the mystery on her own terms, much at the cost of spending time with her boyfriend (Rahul Ravindran as Aditya, her colleague).

Analysis: This faithful remake of a Kannada hit by the same name works at different levels.  Director Pawan Kumar tells an ordinary story (using any descriptive terms here might giveaway the suspense) with a touch of innovation.

Rachana's strong-willed nature is established in the opening scene and from then on, the film takes a direct jump into the story, only to introduce the Samantha-Rahul Ravindran romance track for a brief while.

The interrogation scenes involving the cops and the heroine are fairly realistic.  Samantha shows her susceptibility, the empathetic Aadhi Pinisetty is convincing.

There is a sense of lingering loneliness and despair throughout the proceedings, at least on the paper.  A lonely woman fighting for justice and how this is juxtaposed with she standing alone, helplessly, on the busy flyover, is intriguing.

The way the dots are connected leave much to be desired in the second half, though.  The episode in which something mysterious happens with two criminals in the jail is a drag.  After this, the film descends into over-indulgence.  It retains its self only in the climax.

The character played by Bhumika makes an entry at the right time.  Given the emotional nature of the conflict, it would have helped to have a profound song in the climax.  Rather, the film does away with songs in toto.

While it succeeds in hiding the mystery, a caveat is that the strangeness of the incidents starts losing the fizz in the second half.  As Rachana and the cop look for common links, you look for similarities with other films.

Samantha carries herself with confidence.  With her lending her own voice to the character, her sincerity can be felt at every step. The director might have made her look off-colour rather deliberately, complete with a non-glamorous hairdo.  Aadhi, Rahul Ravindran, Ravi Prakash, and Bhumika are efficient.

If cinematographer Niketh Bommireddy does an adept job, Poornachandra Tejaswi's RR is solid.  Editing by Suresh Arumugam is a plus.  Bheem's dialogues are apt.

Verdict:

Thrillers that don't mislead the audience are always respected and to this extent, 'U Turn' has to be given its due.  With a decent story line, the film thrills.  Watching it with lowered expectations will help.  The performances and the technical team deserve a pat.

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