13 B
KAHANI GORE GORE KI
by Vishal Verma

Big Pictures Presentation of an Adlabs Film Ltd. picture. Writer- Director: Vikram K. Kumar. Genre: Thriller. Target Audience: General.

Starring
R Madhavan...... Manohar
Neetu Chandra……. Madhavan,s wife.
Sachin Khedekar………. Dr.
Murli Sharma…………….. Inspector Friend.
Poonam Dhillon……………… Mother
Deepak Dobriyal………………. Mentally ill Brother

Technical Analysis
Ramuji & Vikramji beware!! & start pulling your gear cause there’s someone to give us voguish nightmares on the Bollywood Street from now. ‘,13 B’ welcomes another Vikram, Vikram.K.Kumar to the Boooooo world in bollywood cinema.

The national award winner in 1999 for the best Educational/ Motivational/Instructional film (Silent Scream) at the 46th National film Festival joins hands with Big Pictures to churn out a thriller & achieve what majority of Indian screen scares have failed to do.

The once assistance to the prolific Priyadarshan gives us a creepy exploration of the unknown and unexplainable, which is far more frightening than the violent killings that typify most horror films.

No voodoos, no witch crafting, no nimbu & of course no tantra but certainly the mantra that gives you goose bumps minus the demons & their venoms.

Very loosely inspired by Partho Gosh’s ‘100 Days’ starring Madhuri & Jackie Shroff, where Madhuri gets the intuition of things that might happen in future, Vikram in his story uses a Television instead of a character & a soap opera to tell us what lies beneath.

All this with a dash of Hitchcockian spine tingler, at close range, the lense by PC Sreeram astonishingly watches every twitch, gurgle, convulsion and hemorrhage in the process. After an initial slow start, the background score by Tubby & Parik along with the crisp editing by Sreekar Prasad & the helmer’s delicate illusion that reality is necessary for a creak-and-shriek movie results in a spectacle of a stomach-churning experience which makes sure that the audience are at the edge of their seat.

A really commendable attempt by the first timer Vikram Kumar who also impresses with the confidence in the end by giving us a hint of a sequel, this reminded me of the lines of the all time guru of mystery & thrills Alfred Hitchcock which said, "Believe this, kids, and I'll tell you another.".

The movie gets 4 out of 5 points. One for the innovative approach by the helmer. One for the story. One for the sound and camerawork. & finally one for the decent portrayal by R Madhavan & brilliant cameo by Deepak Dobriyal as the mentally challenged brother.

13 B is your thrill pill at the nearest marquee, go for it.

The Story
Manohar (R. Madhavan), an upwardly mobile middle class Indian, moves into a new apartment -- 13B on the 13th floor -- with his family. From the first day in their new home, the women are hooked to a new TV show 'Sab Khairiyat'. The show is about a family eerily similar to their family, who has also just moved into a new house.

As the TV show unfolds, the incidents that happen in the show start happening to Manohar and his family. Initially, a number of happy events take place and a lot of good things happen, both in the show and with Manohar's family. Then things take a turn for the worse and shocking incidents start happening in the TV show.

Will the same happen to Manohar and his family? Will Manohar be able to solve the mystery in time before it consumes him and his entire family

Being a thrill pill not much will be told here, but there is one thing in the screenplay by Vikram which needs to be applauded. The writer in the end unveils all the loose ends starting from the beginning.

Promotion
Honestly, the publicity designs by Marching Ants are doing the click trick slowly but surely.
Media awareness by Imagesmiths has been reasonable, but there is always a scope of innovation when you have a better product in hand. Word of mouth will do its part but initial buzz can be bettered by innovative means. (ex: Phoonk).

Business Analysis
It was a smart move to make this absorbing thriller in two languages – Hindi & Tamil. R Madhavan’s popularity down south will ensure decent legs to the theatres in southern circuits. (A definite earner down south).    

Its Hindi release will have a slow start but its B.O. collections will swell by positive word of mouth due to the edge of the seat thrill quotient. (Should at least end up being above average in the hindi belt).
Overseas results doesn,t seem to be very encouraging.

Overall, a safe bet & a favorable opening for Big Pictures in the bollywood horror street.
With a promise of attractive revenues from other avenues like satellite & dvd sector, this modestly budget thriller should not face any scares from the financial front.

Other Credits
Cassettes and CD's on Big Music. Lyricist: Neelesh Misra. Music Director: Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani & Loy Mendonca. Background Music: Tubby & Parik. Cinematography: P.C. Sriram. Editor: Sreekar Prasad. Publicity Designs: Marching Ants.

Media Awareness: Imagesmiths. Reviewed at Famous Preview Theatre, Mumbai on March, 05, 2009. Running time: 2 hrs. 20 minutes.

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