The story revolves around five burglar-kidnappers - Srinivas Reddy, Saptagiri, Adhurs Raghu, Jabardasth Vinod and Unni Krishna - who break into a big house. They are caught unawares by a bunch of kids. A cat-and-mouse hunt follows, and the movie slips into the zone of slapstick comedy, filled with thrills and jump scares. The kids beat the intruders black and blue and a cop (Ravi Babu) tries to untangle the situation.
The film revives a long-forgotten genre of the 80s/90s, where kids do daredevil acts to outwit the bad guys. Home Alone and many other films fall into this genre, and House Arrest tries to entertain the audience with similar tropes.
The performance of the kids is endearing. The child actors contribute a good dose of humour. They are well supported by the kidnapper-burglars. Adding to the mix are Ravi Babu and Thagubothu Ramesh, who sparkle with their presence.
Director Sekhar Reddy Yerra has done a good job in presenting the novel concept of kids taking kidnappers hostage. The whole film is set in a house, but he has ensured that the audience does not get bored with the same location.
It’s challenging to handle a dozen comedians and play to their strengths, but the director has made the movie a laugh riot. The lighting patterns and the indoor arrangements create an eerie aura, adding an element of surprise.
One big name on board is Anup Rubens, who blends the background score into the funny situations to make them more comical.
However, the movie starts off slowly and takes time to get going. Though there are many surprise elements, it turns out to be predictable in the end. Perhaps the director should have worked on this.
If you can get past these shortcomings, House Arrest works pretty well as a gag fest and entertains the audience with its clean humour. It’s good to see the director experimenting with a new concept and trying to woo the audience with humour.
