13 B

For the most part of this eerie diorama, what else would’ve got our audiences hackneyed? Aye! A disembodied arm chocking one’s neck, ghosts fast-flying across the ceilings and nooks of the screen space, victim shuddering over worrying vexations and lastly, everything disappearing due to spiritual powers. Merely, these were so clichéd that they fail to scare even children these days. They would term it “silly”.

But precipitously, ‘13B’ is rigorously horrendous sans these elements. ‘Man Vs Gadgets’ – Preferably, man is so obsessed with his electronic mediums, say mobile phone or television and there are no questions denying this truth.  A couple of famed quotes though not straightway to the motif has more relevance with this film. ‘When Television is Good, Nothing is better; When TV is Bad, Nothing is worse’. If Newton N Minow quotes this way, there’s something quite daintier too – ‘Art imitates Life while Life imitates Television’.

Trust us! ‘13B’ is all about a television set and nothing else that throws the most skittish things around. It can be compared to ‘One Missed Call’and 'Remote Control' but the connection ends right there.

The film opens with Manohar’s (Madhavan) felicitous family moving into a new apartment on 13th Floor. A lovable family indeed, for we happen to witness their elated life of brothers occupied in corporate companies gagging-around in, their wives (Maddy’s wife – Neetu Chandra) preparing delicious dishes and their mom (Poonam Dhillon) an ardent buff of Saas-Bahu serials not ready to miss even a minute of the episode.

If you ever thought it to be a sang-froid entertainer, you’re terribly faulty.  Why milk clabbers right from the first day in the new house?  Why do the walls go impenetrable where Gods’ statues are to be hung? Why does Manohar’s neighbor’s dog refrain from entering this house? Moreover, what is the reason behind Manohar’s snapshot alone going miserably ill-shaped on his mobile? Why doesn’t the lift work for him? And much before he could even get over these strange mishaps he’s exposed to the most grueling arena where a TV serial is forecasting what is about to happen in Manohar’s life.

Furthermore, Manohar is dump stuck when he discovers that the TV Serial is telecasted only in his house.

Vikram has played his cards right in bring out the best of thrills with unexpected twists and turns. Yeah! If you think you’re smart enough to predict what’s gonna happen next, you would fail miserably. The story keeps shifting at the right momentum that keeps everyone edge-seated.  The filmmaker blends the spine-tingling horror with equal proportions of romance, family and what not? You’ve got a bit of humorous things too… At no point, the screenplay goes dropping back. Characterizations have been brilliantly depicted right from the protagonist till the smart black dog that serves its best.

Impertinently, Madhavan is excellent in picking the right scripts and he’s sure to make it big if he continues striding on the same path. Be it his romantic appeal or in the most of mixed-up situations, he’s top-notching. Although, we don’t see other characterizations limned so perfectly, they are up with their best efforts.

In exact terms, technical aspects eclipse the characters’ show. P.C. Sriram’s mind-boggling cinematography with unique sepia-bounded tones provides the film a different shade. Though songs aren’t more appealing, the background score is awesome. If the song ‘Sab Khariyat Hai’ has a pleasant touch, there’s something different you experience every time this song comes along the show. Editing by Sreekar Prasad is so elegant that it adds up building tension in every passing moment.

On the whole, ‘13B’ is one such unforeseen flick of horrendous genre that remains in your minds post-the show. It’s the best made horror film of the decade. Along the lists of top-charting directors Ram Gopal Varma and Vikram Bhatt, who made the best horror films, here’s Vikram Kumar striking jackpot with 13B.