UNAKKENNA VENUM SOLLU MOVIE REVIEW

We are definitely in the season of horror flicks with back to back films in this genre. While many films also resort to comedy to add spice to the recipe, a few stick to just serious horror. Unakkenna Venum Sollu (UVS) belongs to the latter category, just like last week's Maya.

 

A horror film is expected to provide us some chilling moments and give us the creeps while we return home after watching it. UVS unfortunately doesn't have enough such moments, though the film has been made genuinely and with good technical values. It isn't yet another small-time film which can be brushed away just like that, as the team seems to know their stuff with some research involved too.

 

The story is what you expect out of such films, where a spirit generally has a score to settle and haunts one or more individuals. Here, its the spirit of a young abandoned baby which roams around its parents, demanding answers to unfulfilled promises.

 

The film takes quite awhile to get going and a lot of time is taken to establish characters before the story actually picks up. The 1st half isn't an engaging experience while the 2nd half is easily the better part of the film, with the multi-segmented climax being a highlight. The use of hypnotherapy in the climax is interesting and these sub-conscious scenes have been shot well by the team - director Srinath Ramalingam, DoP Manish Murthy and co. The emotions work well.

 

The music by Siva Saravanan isn't given prominence, with respect to the songs, but the background score, sound effects, VFX and DI work always have a role to play in such eerie horror thrillers. 

 

The actors are all mostly fresh and Mime Gopi is required to exert and be hyper as the exorcist. The young girl Anu impresses in her brief appearance as Daisy. Deepak Paramesh, the male lead, seems to be a natural while the sophisticated looking lead actress Jaqlene Prakash appears conscious while acting.

 

On final analysis, Unakkenna Venum Sollu could have been a much more impactful film with a tighter screenplay and more thrilling moments to savor.