Review : 118 – Enjoyable Thriller

Kalyan Ram has pinned a lot of hopes on ‘118’ as the film created a decent buzz with its interesting trailers. The suspense thriller is directed by Guhan and has hit the screens today. Let’s see how it is.

Story:

Gautam(Kalyan Ram) is a journalist who keeps getting weird dreams about a girl(Nivetha Thomas) getting killed. After a point in time, situations related to that dream keep happening in his real life as well with a connection to the number 118. Left with no choice, he decides to investigate the case himself along with his friend(Prabhas Sreenu) and fiance(Shalini Pandey). Who is this girl? What does she have to do with Gautam? Is there a back story to this 118? To know the answers, we need to watch the film on the big screen.

Plus Points :

The concept of the film is interesting and the director Guhan has narrated the film well for the most part. Kalyan Ram is neat as the investigative journalist. Be it his looks, or the manner in which he portrays the serious emotions throughout the film, Kalyan Ram was impressive and carried the film on his shoulders.

Nivetha Thomas once again proves what a strong performer she is. Though she comes late in the proceedings, she does well with her emotional act. Her performance in one particular scene in the hospital was very touching. Shalini Pandey gives able support to Kalyan Ram and plays her part well.

Prabhas Seenu was good as Kalyan Ram’s sidekick. The manner in which the concept of lucid dreaming has been connected to the story looks good. The first half has decent thrills and the manner in which every aspect of the story is unraveled looks neat and crisp. The thrills showcased in the film are gripping in the first half and create a good interest for the audience.

Minus Points :

After a brisk first half, things get slow once the flashback of Nivetha Thomas starts. The director showcases the same old concept of corporate cheating and how an innocent girl gets into problems from big heads.

The proceedings in the second half are also predictable as many a time you get a feeling that you have watched such stuff previously. Rajeev Kanakala and his role do not have much clarity.

Technical Aspects :

Production values by Mahesh S Koneru are top notch. The film looks rich in every frame and gives you that authentic feel of a good thriller. Special mention to the camera work as the film has been showcased in a very good manner. The montage shots, scenes covering various cities and the resort setup look realistic.

Music by Shekhar Chandra is decent but his background score was even better. Dialogues by Mirchi Kiran are apt and suit the mood of the film. Kalyan Ram has been styled quite well in the film. Coming to the director Guhan, he has done a good job with the film. He chooses a simple story but has executed it nicely with a gripping screenplay. The manner in which he unleashes all the loopholes in the thriller looks good in the first half and sets up a good tone for the later part.

His detailing for small and minute properties which are attached to the story have been written an executed well. He carries the momentum in the second half but things get bogged down with a predictable flashback which should have been made crisp to make it more interesting for the audience.

Verdict :

On the whole, 118 is a simple and neat thriller which has been made with no unnecessary deviations. It has decent moments in both the halves and the suspense is carried out neatly. But the flashback in the second half slows down things a bit and is predictable. Barring this, the film has a classy feel and will surely attract the A center and multiplex audience. Box office wise, we need to see how the film works but Kalyan Ram has ensured that his attempt at doing a different film has surely worked with 118. Go watch it.

123telugu.com Rating : 3.25/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

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