Absorbing whodunit

Suspense films have an inherent problem. Unlike normal genres, this is the one stand-out method of filmmaking which does not afford a repeat viewing and it needs to be engaging for the viewers to take a real liking to it, the first and last time it is seen.

Taking a criminal investigation theme, garnishing it with various other twists and turns including romance and related emotions can only make the director’s role more challenging and complex. After all, it is his responsibility, a huge one at that to bring in unexpected sequences and justify it all at the end of the running time, as the audience awaits the logical conclusion.

21-year-old Karthik Naren, the helmsman who graduated on to the big stage from short films, as his brief bio informs us, has handled all these areas of concern with aplomb. Arming himself with a competent lead actor, Rehman, who has been around in southern cinema for a good while now, he proceeds on with confidence. So much so, he conveniently avoids casting a heroine.

The news that Karthik’s father bankrolled the project to set the ball rolling obviously had made things easier for him, as he revealed subsequently in media interactions, after the film was declared a success in Tamil a few weeks ago.

Narrated in flashback, as can be guessed from the opening sequence when the murders are shown, the dubbing movie stays focused, moving in pre-arranged circles in and around the incident. Decoding the reason behind its happening and applying the theory of deduction, the director takes us to the climax which exposes the underbelly of the police investigation and surprises the audience.

Of course, the theme is an oft-heard one and there have been films that have sustained themselves on the strength of the screenplay, which would usually base itself on intelligent investigation techniques of the cops involved. Daring to be different, the director does not open up many fronts like melodrama and romance or even an item number to release the tension building up onscreen.

Hence, as the film ends, just over two hours later, it is evident that it has been an earnest endeavour, slow to warm up among the public when originally released across the border, yet accepted well subsequently. It is a relatively offbeat kind of a venture for Telugu too, whose film viewers have more often than not given the green signal to such kinds of films.

Film Name : 16

Cast : Rahman
Direction : Karthick Naren
Genre : Crime-thriller
Likes : Crisp narrative
Dislikes : Climax that feels rushed through