Those who were complaining about mainstream films, particularly the non-Indians, the recent time has been in their favour. It was some time since the change has begun, but now the gaps between mainstream and parallel cinema is narrowing. The good news is it's not just Kollywood, but every Indian film industry taking this stride remarkably. Since I'm very attached to Tamil films, my observation says the quality of those film contents were comparable with international standards. Why I'm saying that with confidence is there's a chance this film would be remade elsewhere around the globe.
So now you might be curious about this film. It is not a brain teaser. It is simply a mystery, but the developments, especially the film characters never stop till the final. Like the title says, up to 16, the new characters keep coming not giving any space for you to breath. So predicting anything makes so hard. All along the twist and turns, including a couple of them were clichéd which were needed for a screenplay like this, particularly to divert the viewer's attention from foreseeing upcoming scenes. In a similar, I thought I found a big flaw, but after some time moving ahead further I realised I got it all wrong.
A middle aged man who recently retired from the police service after an incident that led him to lose one of his legs, recalls a series of events of his final days on the duty with a guest aspiring IPS officer. So going 5 years back when a double murder in the same residential area took place, the investigation kick-starts with bringing-in three suspected youngsters. But later, from different angle of the same incident adds more complication. After joining all the pieces together still they only get different theories, but not truth. That final piece in the puzzle revealed only in the last minute, which deciphered in a style.
❝Karma is a boomerang. However far you may hurl it... It will bounce back to us.❞
Once you watch finishing it, you will come to know it was a straight story, but turned into a nonlinear narration. Especially the different characters coming into the frame at different stages of the narration are the most cleverest part. It's good to recall everything you saw to make sure you understood the film. Some people watch such film twice and it is surely not a bad idea. But like I said, it is not a briantwister if you focused enough since the beginning. This is one of the shortest Indian films, so the pace was super fast to cover every detail.
The entire film was a flashback. That's the main reason to give preference to only the most needed parts. But from the audience perspective, the story they learn can be viewed from any angle for a different result. I mean, some of us usually choose sides if there's a rivalry in the tale. In this film it was a guessing game surrounding the deaths. Except a very few characters, no one stays for very long which only fuels the mystery further.
The best part is there's no lie, like any film character committing one to escape the law. The narration only avoids the full detail which is what makes us tough to crack the nut. Those given false statements never see the light on the progression, which is a big hint you if you are watching it for the first time to stay on the right course to possibly come close to the truth before the film reveals itself.
It's the writing and the direction that makes this film great. From Hollywood to French, Korean, we often see good script like this, but in the execution where most of them fails. From the casting and performances to the locations, technical side of the film, even turning it into a good quality product with such budget was remarkably done.
This is the director's feature film debut and it is a loud statement of his arrival. Mainstream commercial cinema is a trap with big stars, so I hope he stays in the parallel cinema. Coming back to the film, it is a must see for neo-mystery-thriller fans. One of the best films for non-Indians to try if they haven't seen any Indian films. But anyway, I strongly suggest it to everyone.
9/10
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