U Turn Review - A mention worthy remake from team Pawan and Samantha!

Akash Premkumar

Samantha’s U Turn directed by Pawan Kumar happens to be the remake of the hit Kannada film titled the same. Based on the double road flyover, the thriller has Samantha playing a journalist. What does U Turn have in store for its audiences ? Read further to find out.

U Turn starts off with a trippy and impressive upside down shot, that has been used for its entire frontal credits. There is no deviation from the crux of the story and with limited characters, it is easy to get into the required mood right from the word go.

The basic idea of the double road flyover is something that has not been tried or tested in Tamil cinema and this immediately creates an interest in the mind of the watcher. What makes U-Turn engrossing is its technical superiority. The cinematography by Niketh and a fantastic sound design team are the biggest pluses. Special mention to certain movement shots and interesting angles used inside the police station that have been naturally captured. Pawan deserves credit for the detailing of the ‘U’ in several objects and references throughout the movie.

As for the casting, Samantha who plays reporter Rachana looks stylish in her new look and her performance seems to be that of a seasoned actor. Her subtle reactions, tom-boyish look and dialogue delivery add value to the film which rests on her shoulder. To complement this, Rahul Ravindran’s character is quite neatly played by him. Aadhi Pinisetty and Aadukalam Naren as cops have done a tremendous job and hold our attention.

Though it is predominantly a shot by shot remake from Kannada to Tamil, there is not much of an issue with respect to nativity, thanks to the interesting theme that can be universally accepted and conceived. There is no space for added commercial elements and likely so, you won’t find any.

Music is not jarring and exists as a part of the film but what requires a mention is the silence used by the director in certain scenes. Samantha has some good scope for performance in the first half and scores well in her emotional scenes. In spite of a few twists interestingly placed in the film, the way these twists are revealed matter a great deal and this aspect could have been worked on a little more to spice up the suspense/mystery elements.

The last few minutes of the movie have a lots of surprises for both those who have watched and for those who haven’t watched the Kannada version of U-Turn. Pawan Kumar has played with this last quarter and this could very well be the highlight of the Tamil version.

Actors Bhumika Chawla and Narain’s extended cameo roles that take course in the second half are also notable factors that add up as positives. The post credit sequence has some footage of real incidents from which the entire concept is based on. This puts forth the message that is being conveyed in an equitably genuine manner.

What could have been capitalised on a little more were the intense scenes which are intended to create an impact or thrill. The idea of keeping them a tad bit subtle could have been reconsidered by director Pawan Kumar. Nevertheless, Samantha’s U-Turn has its fair share of thrilling moments backed up by some decent performances and top class technicalities.

Bottomline:

Samantha and Pawan Kumar’s U-Turn is true to its genre and has a few suspense filled moments making it a decent watch for its audiences.

Rating 2.75/5