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13B – movie review

Fear has a new address

  


13B, movie review

13B is a supernatural thriller which is released simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil.

In today’s world of unrelenting pressures, challenged survivals and super fast life styles, the major source of Relief, Information and Entertainment is… the TV. So much so, that it has moved up from its modest position of being just another ‘house hold appliance’ to actually determining the power equation in a family. It is easy to identify the hierarchy in the family depending on who controls the Remote Control. So what happens when the TV realizes this power and begins to take control. What happens when instead of showing you the facts, the TV, begins to show you what it wants you to see.

The protagonist of this film – 13B, Manohar (R Madhavan), is a hard working Civil Engineer. Aged 31 and happily married, he is the embodiment of the typical urban Indian male. For him family comes first and he provides them with all the facilities of a comfortable lifestyle.

His view of life is practical and rational. He has a highly analytical mind. This enables him to handles all strenuous situations with a presence of mind and clear thinking.

Settled in a good job and living in an apartment, all is well with his and his loving and supportive wife Priya (Neetu Chandra). She is typical modern day home maker who loves her TV soaps and enjoys watching it with the family. She is a doting daughter in law, an affectionate sister in law and a fun loving, caring aunt. She too is looking forward to motherhood.

The upwardly mobile middle class Indian family moves into a new apartment – 13B on the 13th floor. The family is greeted by a series of trivial incidents that could be regarded as inauspicious but are shrugged off by the excited Manohar. The women in the family oblivious to any unseemly coincidences get hooked on to a new family serial on the TV.

The family show is eerily similar to Manohar’s family, who have also just moved into a new house just like they have. As the serial unfolds, Manohar notices that the incidents that happen in the serial are a reflection of what has happened to Manohar and his family. The rest of the family remains oblivious to the similarity so he prefers it that way to avoid panic.

Now the happenings in the TV serial start taking a turn for the worse and Manohar, to his great horror, realizes that the same would happen to his family as well. As Manohar explores the strange happenings, he unravels a deep secret.

R. Madhavan and Neetu Chandra and Poonam Dhillon as the mother-in-law have given brilliant performances in 13B. The talented Southern Star Madhavan deserves many such roles in Bollywood. The camerawork and editing deserve a special mention as it is much superior than the usual horror flicks churned out in Bollywood.

Vikram Kumar, the Director of 13B reveals a shocking fact:

Initially the TV brought the entire family together in the drawing room. Now everyone wants to watch their own program, on their own TV, in their own room. It’s almost as if the TV decided to bring the family together and then divide it. And we thought we were controlling it using a remote… HA!

Cast of 13B:
Manohar – R.Madhavan
Priya Manohar – Neetu Chandra
Manohar’s mother – Poonam Dhillon
Cop – Murali Sharma
Dr. Shinde – Sachin Khedekar
Manoj Manohar – Sanjaih Bokaria
Ashok – Deepak Dobriyal
Amitha
Dhritiman Chaterjee

Credits & Crew of 13B:
Presented by BIG Pictures
Writer & Director: Vikram K. Kumar
Director of Photography (DOP): P.C. Sreeram
Music By: Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy
Lyrics By: Neelesh Misra
Art Department – Sikander Ahmad, Tariq Umar Khan
Visual Effects by Rajiv Raghunathan, Rajashekharan Rajeev, Muthu Stalin
13B, movie review