Director: Sri Ni
Cast: Shubha Poonja, Lokesh, Pavan, Dravya Shetty and others
A horror movie’s main agenda is to scare the audience. In order to do so, the devils/evil, demons, spirits or ghosts, have to be innovatively scary, failing which, there is no fun in watching them in the first place. While working on a set template, Srini, the director, has released this “family” horror show.
Apart from a family of ghosts which follow a group of five friends, driving to their friend’s place on a weekend, the ‘rest of the soul’ of Kelavu Dinagala Nanthara is similar to any typical horror movie.
Among the unwritten rules for a majority of such scary movies, is the fact that most such films involve a group of friends, driving in a car or a fancy jeep to a far off destination. Here, they are in a car. The next predictable aspect is the group — usually comprising of at least one sexy girl, and a couple of male counterparts. One of them has to act funny and is very easily frightened. In Kelavu…, Lokesh of the Comedy Khiladigalu fame provides relief with his humorous acts as BP. His frightening role is based on his assumption that a zombie is after his life!
As the journey continues, they eventually get lost (a mandatory turn of events needed in such a genre). Later, they encounter unusual and shocking events. Of course, the car has a flat tyre, one of them goes missing, and lots more predictability follows.
Frightened by these horrifying incidents, the group speed away before they are stopped by a couple, seeking help. They look innocent. Even a primary school student can guess the next scene, as they head to a nearby lodge to rest along with the couple they had picked up enroute. With a room to rest, the restless souls start their scary act with the help of a eerie background score.
The only sensible part of this film is the climax, where the intentions of the ghost family are revealed. It comes with a social angle too, which is appreciable, but that apart, it is the same old scary faces doing the same old vanishing acts with special effects!
