Release Date : October 17, 2023
123telugu.com Rating : 2.5/5
Starring: Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Rao Ramesh, Satya Raj, Avika Gor, Bindhu Madhavi, Archana Jois, Amardeep, Manas, Abhinaya, Nandu, Ayappa Sharma, Rajeev Kanakala, Jayaprakash, and others
Director: Ohmkar
Producers: Ohmkar, Ashwin Babu, Kalyan Chakravarthy
Music Director: Vikas Badisa
Cinematographers: B. Rajasekhar
Editor: Adi Narayan
Related Links : Trailer
Anchor-turned-director Ohmkar, who is known for his horror films, has now come up with a horror series titled Mansion 24. The series stars Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Rao Ramesh, Satya Raj, Avika Gor, and others in the lead roles. It is currently streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar. Let’s see how it is.
Story:
Amrutha (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar) is an investigative journalist. Her father, Kaalidas (Satya Raj), is an archeologist who goes missing after conducting an excavation. The archeology and police departments believe that Kaalidas ran away with some valuable artifacts. The media labels Kaalidas as a traitor, which affects the health condition of Kaalidas’ wife (Tulsi). Amrutha decides to unravel the mystery behind her father’s missing. She finds out that Kaalidas has visited an old mansion before going missing. Everyone tells Amrutha that whoever went to that mansion didn’t return and warns her not to go there. But Amrutha takes a risk and visits that mansion. What did she observe there? What happened to her father? Did Amrutha chase the mystery? This is what the series is about.
Plus Points:
The series is a compilation of a few short stories. The stories featuring KGF fame Archana Jois and Nandu are engaging. The stories might not be new, but they were presented in an engaging manner. Archana Jois, Nandu, and Bindhu Madhavi delivered good performances.
What’s more impressive about Mansion 24 is its exquisite production design. Art director Ashok Kumar did an excellent job, and he sets up the mood rightly for a horror series. The production design is nicely complemented by stunning visuals. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar is decent in her role. Abhinaya, Avika Gor, and Rajeev Kanakala were fine in their limited roles.
Minus Points:
The first three subplots aren’t engaging and fail to provide thrills. The storytelling pattern is similar to Darna Mana Hai and Darna Zaroori Hai, but the stories lack the punch ultimately. The story featuring Avika Gor is fine on paper, but the execution played the spoilsport here as things go on a flat note without any chilling moments or scary scenes.
There is not much effort in writing as far as the key characters are concerned. Satya Raj, Rao Ramesh, Jaya Prakash, and Tulsi are terrific actors, but they are let down by weak writing. The poorly designed characters and lack of emotional depth work against the show big time. One can see the climax twist coming from miles away. It is very routine, and sadly, it is presented in a pale manner.
The way the show ends is very bad. It is understandable that the makers wanted to keep the show precise, but to get hooked to the show, the characters’ development needs to be strong. The cliches and tropes of horror movies can be found immensely in Mansion 24. They have become routine now, and it is better if the makers let go of these cliches. The over usage of the same might cause fatigue.
Technical Aspects:
Vikas Badisa’s background score and music are fine, but they are watered down by poor writing. The cinematography by Rajasekhar is brilliant. The series looks rich, and the production values are good. The VFX works could have been a little better. The editing is in tandem with the director’s vision.
Coming to the director, Ohmkar, he did a below-par job with Mansion 24. As said earlier, the series has a few short stories, out of which only two are engaging. The other stories fail to make an impact. Ohmkar’s horror films are a blend of comedy and horror elements. In Mansion 24, the director chose to go with the horror aspect alone, which is absolutely fine. However, the way the stories are presented is not great, and the ending twist is predictable. The horror elements are monotonous.
Verdict:
On the whole, Mansion 24 is a horror thriller that relies mainly on regular horror elements. While a couple of sub-plots impress, the rest fail to leave a mark. The main plot is poorly written, and the actors don’t have much scope to perform. The main twist is easily predictable, and the show ends in a routine manner. Mansion 24 majorly benefits from its excellent technical values such as impressive sound design, rich visuals, and good background score. But the overall experience is not satisfactory.
123telugu.com Rating: 2.5/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team