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| Muni:
‘Thrill Bill’: The Fear Factor |
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Muni
Movie Review
Cast: Lawrence Raghavendra, Rajkiran, Vethika
Direction: Lawrence Raghavendra
Music: Bharadwaj
Production: Saran (Gemini Production) |
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It’s
after a long time that a horror-thriller-supernatural
kind of film has hit screens in Tamil Nadu. It is
a genre that was considered almost dead or as one
that was monopolized by B grade English movies dubbed
into Tamil and given some crazy titles. Along comes
Muni and proves that an intelligently made movie of
the horror-supernatural genre still has takers, a
lot of them. |
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| Muni
is a story that revolves around Lawrence. The
only son to his parents, he is brought up in
an overprotective manner and grows up hearing
lots of stories about spirits, ghouls, banshees,
draculas and ghosts of all other types. As a
result he ends up as a coward who is afraid
to venture out of home after dark. Lawrence
and his family have to shift their residence.
The new house has something eerie about it,
Lawrence and his family are not the only ones
living in the house; there is someone else-
enter Raj Kiran. You don’t get to see
Raj Kiran, but only a mutilated half burnt corpse
which takes a special liking to Lawrence and
enters his body. Some of the scenes involving
the half burnt form are good enough to send
a chill down the spine of even people with a
rock solid heart. |
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The first half comes to an end after keeping you riveted
to your seats for over an hour. It casts a spell,
the ghost does not get off your mind, the first half
is ‘Thrill a minute.’ |
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Then the second half commences, there is a let
down of sorts here. Even though the first half
scares the wits out of you, it does not tire
you. You are asking for more excitement in the
second half. But then the flash back of Raj
Kiran, the person assumes prominence on screen.
This was one part that should have been done
in a very crisp manner. But what we get is a
rather extended sequence with a generous sprinkling
of comedy. Not that the comedy is boring, it
is enjoyable; but we are just not in the mood
for it. The comedy scenes involving Raj Kiran
have a negative effect on the scary image that
had been built around the ghost in the first
half and when narration returns to real time
you don’t feel as intimidated by the spirit
as before. |
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The
climax fight between Rahul Dev and Lawrence involving
the use of a lot of magical aids (a la Harry Potter)
has been very well shot. Watching this kind of a fight
usually makes us feel like fools, this one does not.
By the time the final credits roll by the director
has redeemed the pitfalls at the start of the second
half. |
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| Lawrence
turns out an energetic performance. He looks
convincing in every frame and does more than
expected. He does not fail to delight in the
dance sequences; he lets himself go all out
especially in the Kula Kula Dracula song (innovative
lyrics: courtesy Pa Vijay). Raj Kiran’s
experience shines through. He is menacing as
the spirit and does well in the comic scenes
in the flashback. Kovai Sarala makes an impression
after quite some time.
Technically too the movie maintains high standards.
Good camera, professional editing all add to
the viewing experience. Bhardwaj’s music
does not disappoint, however it is S.P.Venkatesh’s
BGM that is the real clincher. It adds to the
suspense and tension in the first half; full
marks. The sound effects too, using a technology
new to Tamil cinema are top class.
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Let’s
sum it up this way. Muni is not a movie that you cannot
afford to give a miss. It’s not a classic but
it is different, daringly and scaring. If you are
the type who loves to be jolted off your seat, Spielberg
style or the one who likes getting spooked then this
is the right movie for you.
Muni: Thrilling ride; hop on and enjoy. |
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