13B: Simply Out of the Box! review
After Rajat Kapoor's magnificent "Raghu Romio", here comes another brilliant reflection on our lives held hostage by the small screen. Television runs as the theme underneath the horror-thriller garb of 13B, a movie with a tagline "fear has a new address". However, it's one such little film, that to say the least, delivers much more than it promises!
A family of eight moves to their new apartment and strange things start happening in the house. First the milk goes sour day after day, then the elevator doesn't work only for Manohar (R Madhavan), then we learn that his cell phone camera selectively distorts his images taken inside the house.
Otherwise, it's a happy family straight out of a saas bahu serial, where a mother-in-law lives cordially with her two bahus. Two brothers are like Ram and Lakhman, who have put their hard earned money together to buy this house.
By the time one starts taking it for a clichéd plot, the film takes a new turn: television that has got stuck on channel 13 starts showing a new soap that seems to mirror the family's life. Strangely none of the ladies in the house notice but when Manohar sees it, he can't stop drawing the parallels. The serial that strangely beams only into his household television gets him hooked and he can't stop asking his wife where the story is headed every time he misses an episode.
Does it sound funny? Of course, but never mind, comedy and horror go hand in hand in this film without dampening the effect of either. Elevator, cellphone, light bulbs join the horror brigade apart from the usual suspects like a hammer, buried family album, madman and a blind neighbor.
The director takes all the trappings of the horror genre and throws them flying out of the window of thirteenth floor. The subtext is what makes the film much more than a simple horror film without compromising on the spooky elements. It's a film which gets you scared, makes you laugh and reflect on your own life surrounded by indispensable gadgets and gizmos.
Unlike some of the memorable horror flicks of recent times, 13 B doesn't rely much on background score or unsettling camera movements. Here storytelling takes the centre stage. Plot never stops surprising and end smartly resolves the mystery with making a point with a bang.
13B is a layered film. Though it could simply appear to be a horror thriller but simultaneously it also looks like a satire on our lives that revolve around television. If you look at the plot closely: a mad love for a television personality causes the whole drama and an addiction to soaps resolves it. It makes fun of our lives and also passes some witty remarks on the power of the idiot box, without getting preachy or simplistic.
13B is like a superbly balanced tightrope walk that's highly entertaining and intelligent all the while reflecting on our lives and choices, which are more often governed by the media than reason.
Manohar wasn't a soap addict to begin with, on the contrary he made fun of the ladies in the house for watching "saas-bahu" serials. His wife jokingly asks him to watch an episode and see the results. The result is the film, a sane engineer loses his sleep and sanity.
One of the best and truly original films of the year! Certainly the most memorable Indian horror film!
[rating:4]
Comments( 16 )
This is such a great concept Bikas!!!!
This is such a great concept Bikas!!!! I really liked ur review..i really feel like watching it now :razz:
Strangely enough, isn't this also one
Strangely enough, isn't this also one of the most under-publicized movies? I mean, promo and pre-release marketing-wise?
Don't forget it's a Big Pictures
Don't forget it's a Big Pictures release, who're an expert in "killing" small films. Didn't they do the same to "Johny Gaddar", "Black Friday", "Halla" and many more?
Yup
Yup
So, it has almost become a law that the
So, it has almost become a law that the more the pre-release hype a movie gets the less to expect from it. Of course there are few exceptions like Dev D, or Taare Zameen Par. But, anyway, even those films were not marketed the way Ghajini was
Ghajini or TZP had a huge star on their
Ghajini or TZP had a huge star on their side!! But don't forget even Rab Ne wasn't publicized. But why should a film be publicized? Read the synopsis, watch the trailer and decide for yourself.
A debut film with Madhavan in lead, what can the poor marketing guys do? So they relied entirely on the horror factor, that the director utilizes intelligently.
A great film, must watch :smile:
Yes! Surely!! Thinking of catching the
Yes! Surely!! Thinking of catching the film tonight at some Calcutta theatre. And it's always refreshing to watch P C Sreeram's works, specially in horror/thriller genre.
One hell of a spooky film. I dont think
One hell of a spooky film. I dont think it will be an exagerration to say that this is one of the best horror films ever made in India. It has many scary moments, but unlike other films of the genre (like Bhoot) it does not stop at being a simple horror film. It is also allegorical, subversive and filled with black humour. I was not expecting much from the movie as I had never heard of the director, I had not even heard of the movie until 3-4 days back, due to the dismal marketing..guess sometimes when u walk in without expectations u
will be pleasantly surprised and rewarded. Barring a couple of silly and ill-timed songs, the film was perfect. Its a trendsetter and I am sure we will see more from this new "genre" of horror films in the coming months and years.
Don't watch this one alone!
Just one crib Bikas..I dont think Raghu
Just one crib Bikas..I dont think Raghu Romeo was "magnificient" ..I found it plodding and pretentious, even tiresome.
However fully agree with ur review on 13 B :smile:
I loved Raghu Romio, maybe you need to
I loved Raghu Romio, maybe you need to watch it again :wink:
WOW!! "I dont think it will be an exagerration to say that this is one of the best horror films ever made in India." I would loved to make this statement but as you know I'm no authority on the genre but this certainly is a milestone.
Cheers!
nice review, the film is very
nice review, the film is very interesting. However, the only probem is that except Manohar nobody in his family could draw similarities with the television serial although it was staring at all of them.
Watched the movie... was really
Watched the movie... was really spooky... enjoyed every moment, esp the scary scenex :shock: recommended watch
Thanks Ria, I think there is a pun
Thanks Ria, I think there is a pun intended here. Isn't something unusual about the women in the film--all of them are serial addict housewives, who bear and raise kids and celebrate their husbands' success. Manohar's sister who goes to college even flunks in all papers!
Balaji, wonder if the Tamil version is equally good. yes, it really spooks one out, didn't imagine if a television or elevator can get this scary.
:lol: thanks bikas for recommending
:lol: thanks bikas for recommending this movie..it definitely is a must watch..i do agree with anirban on the dismal marketing done by the film..i dint even know about it untill yesterday..i was glad to see a full theater today..word of mouth seems to have really helped:-)
Hey bikas...I was not that much
Hey bikas...I was not that much interested in watching this movie as i thought it will another play of sudden sound tracks and a funny bhoot with alot of powder of face n dark circles as i hv seen in few last horrors like bhoot,vastushastra,naina...etc but ur review reveals that it hv some extra ingredients thn all those stupid horrors...so will watch it and thn will let u knw how far i confrim to ur review....hopfully ill... :smile:
Thanks Payal, good to know that you
Thanks Payal, good to know that you liked the film, even better that the film is running houseful :smile:
Hey Natasha, it's not a usual horror film, it's also kind of a comedy but little scary. Do give it a try you might like it, Aniruddha was bowled over by it :wink: