Cast: Arulnithi, Shraddha Srinath, Gayathrie Shankar, Adhik Ravichandran, Ramesh Thilak, 'Eruma Saani' Vijay, Rishikanth, 'Kumki Ashwin, Vasudha, Charulatha, Akalya Venkatesan
Cameo: Yogi Babu, Madhumitha
Direction: Barath Neelakantan
Production: SP Cinemas
Music: Sam CS
Genre: Suspense Thriller
Language: Tamil
Version: 2D
Runtime: 1 hrs 43 mins
Censor Certificate: U/A
Plot - Madhiyazhagan (Arulnithi) struggles to become a successful director in Kollywood. When he goes outing with his friends to a pub, he meets Malarvizhi (Shraddha Srinath) there. She is also struggling to become a successful writer. How that meeting ends up in several problems to each other and what happens next forms the crux of the story.
Positives
As usual, Arulnithi delivers a solid performance, by staying true to his character from the beginning till end. His character portrays the struggle of an assistant director to make his successful directorial debut. So, the people who are trying to achieve greater heights in cinema will get connected with his character easily. Shraddha Srinath delivers a neat performance, where her characterization has been given importance in setting the conflict. She expresses the depressed & lonely state of 'Malarvizhi' character in a convincing way. The roles of Gayathrie Shankar and Adhik Ravichandran are just like an extended cameo only. Still, they have done their part well. All the other actors have given their decent support. Aravinnd Singh's cinematography is really superb, in which the shots inside & outside the apartment has been covered well with proper lighting. Ruben's editing looks sleek, which helps to balance the suspense factor in the major portions. Sam CS's songs are not bad. But, his background score is very impressive, which helps to elevate the suspense element and builds up the curiosity towards the next proceeding. Director Barath Neelakantan makes a good debut in Kollywood, by selecting the thriller genre and adding a different flavour to it. His presentation is really good. He frames the two lead characters 'Madhiyazhagan' and 'Malarvizhi' with proper values. Through their characters, the director shows the effects of high depression and how far a creator will go to extract the desired thing. With a crisp & perfect runtime of 103 minutes, he gives importance only to the content. The film travels between the present and the past, in which the director balances it properly without confusing the audience. From scene to scene, he makes the suspense element to be stronger. So, the eagerness on 'What's gonna happen next?' has been easily created in the audience's mind. His screenplay execution is good in both the half, which justifies the thriller genre perfectly. In the first half, the screenplay creates an interest slowly and then it becomes engaging. The interval block is not bad. In the second half, the screenplay maintains the same intense flow till the end. The climax portion is good, in which the twist looks convincing and it suits well with the tension built up.
Negatives
The pub portions could have been better, as it doesn't look much interesting. 'Bikki Likki' song has been placed in the beginning. Even though the duration of that song is less, the director could have proceeded to the next step without that song itself. I thought that Gayathrie and Adhik would have a great role, in creating an impressive turning point of the film. As I noticed them in 1-2 frames of the film's official teaser, a small hype about their characterization has been created. The director reveals their contribution in a major scene, which doesn't fulfill the expectations I had on those characters. Even though the suspense factor makes us think about 'What's gonna happen next', the film will provide an edge-of-the-seat experience only to some people. This is just because of the few surprising moments in this thriller, which is a small drawback. The pre-climax portion looks a little bit simple. The climax portion with a major twist is the biggest highlight of the film. Still, some highly-brilliant people can easily predict the pre-climax and the climax portion. Apart from these flaws, the film will not create a boring feel and it somehow gives you either a complete or decent satisfaction.
Verdict
'K-13' is really a good suspense thriller from the director Barath Neelakantan, in which the performance of Arulnithi and Shraddha stays strong throughout the film. In both the half, the suspense factor will make you get connected with the film. If the director had concentrated on the above-mentioned flaws, this thriller would have been more convincing. Still, you will come out of the theatre with a good level of satisfaction. The thrilling moments and the climax portion may or may not excite you. Still, you will not get disappointed with the performance of Arulnithi and Shraddha. So, this film deserves 'worth watchable once' category for the director's good attempt to present a satisfying thriller. Without much expectations, watch it in theatres with your family and friends.
Cut Short Rating - 8.2/10
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