‘U-Turn’ Review: Alaya F’s Supernatural Thriller Builds Anticipation To A Satisfying End!
Go for this one!
I watched the first South Indian film of my life, the 2016 Kannada supernatural thriller titled U-Turn. Sounds a bit extreme but it is true. After I finished watching I came to the realisation about why I don’t prefer films from the South, and one of the reasons is that these films are too dramatic for my taste. This movie has been remade in Hindi with the same name. The Hindi version of the film stars Alaya F as the lead. Directed by Arif Khan, the cast of U-Turn also includes Rajesh Sharma, Aashim Gulati, Manu Rishi Chadha, Priyanshu Painyuli and others. And it is with much surprise that I am writing this that the remake turned out to be far better than the original.
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The Plot Of U-Turn
Alaya F AKA Radhika Bakshi is an intern at a newspaper who has been covering a story about the accidents taking place on the NTPC flyover. People who take the route of the flyover move the divider blocks to take a shortcut u-turn but don’t put the blocks back. These misplaced blocks have been causing fatal accidents. But looks like Radhika has more in connection to the cases than merely reporting them, which leads the police to her door.
The police suspect that Radhika has been murdering those people because she had their addresses and phone numbers, and the timing of their deaths was well within 24 hours of her meeting them. After much digging and cross-checking with the RTO office, and the traffic department, the police do come to believe that she is innocent. But Radhika does not stop her search to find who are the people illegally taking those u-turns without caring for the lives of others. And it is this hunt that leads her to discover something quite shocking and unbelievable.
Now, if you have seen the trailer of the film, you would know that there is a supernatural angle in the film. But what I loved most about the script was how well this aspect was woven into the story. The makers offered a logical explanation for all that happened and did not just blame the “ghosts” for it. Sadly, this is exactly what they have done in the Kannada version which is why the movie did not do it for me.
The Alaya F starrer is also perfectly paced. It gives the audience a moment to register new details of the case and does not just dump all information on them. There is no dull moment in the entire film either. It answers all questions that arise in the mind of the watcher satisfactorily without making it all look “circumstantial”.
The characters of U-Turn
Alaya F as a resilient and determined Radhika Bakshi has really gotten into the skin of her character. She adds an edge to her character which makes her look convincing as a journalist. Alaya’s character is shown very differently from the Kannada original. She is bold, modern, and careful yet enjoys her life to the fullest living away from her family.
She is the kind of woman who is not afraid to make the first move on a man. Despite all odds being against her, she wants to get to the bottom of those accidents.
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Priyanshu Painyuli plays the cop who helps Radhika get to the bottom of the case. He looks good in a cop’s role and could possibly have had a romantic relationship with Radhika. Aashim Gulati plays a crime reporter who works in Radhika’s office. He and Radhika do have chemistry together but their romantic angle did not fit the plot. I feel this was because even before their love could take off, the focus shifted to the case.
Verdict
Alaya F headlines this gripping murder mystery which does not bore you at all unlike the original. The crescendo of the movie builds gradually and eases into the climax while holding your attention all along. I enjoyed watching U-Turn as served as a nice watcher’s block breaker for me. Give it a go over the long weekend!
Also read: Exclusive: Alaya F On Signing ‘U-Turn,’ Summer Skincare, Wanting To Working With Varun Dhawan And More
U-Turn is available for streaming on Zee 5.
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