Lanka movie review: Raasi's return not a good one!

Cast: Raasi, Ena Saha, Sai Ronak, Shiju and others
Director: Sri Muni

 

Raasi, the old-time actress, is making a come-back in the film Lanka, a scientific thriller directed by her husband Sri Muni. Ena Saha and Sai Ronak are the lead pair. Swathi (Ena Saha) and her friend stay at a guest house in Hyderabad. No one knows that Swathi is a top Malayalam actress. A budding director (Sai Ronak) wants to cast her in his short film and approaches her without knowing her star status. Initially, she rejects his offer, but later she agrees to be part of the short film. The film is shot in a big house on the outskirts of the city that is owned by Rebecca (Raasi).

The film crew witness strange incidents in the house and Swathi is troubled by Rebecca. The film crew thinks there may be a ghost in the house. Then Swathi goes missing and the police jump into action. They take the film crew and Rebecca into custody. The search for Swathi and the connection between her and Rebecca takes up much of the narrative henceforth. Director Sri Muni’s plot revolves around telepathy. The film starts off well as the film crew settles into the house. But once Raasi enters, the film takes a new turn, and unfortunately not a very interesting one.

The many sub plots and flashbacks are confusing and the narration is a bit boring. The police station scenes are a bit overboard and not believable. The film which started off as a suspense thriller cannot continue in this style. Some scenes look forced and not connected to the film. Raasi has done well, especially in the climax. Sai Ronak and Ena Saha are pretty good and justify their roles. Satya evokes a few laughs in the first half. Supreet as a cop and Satyam Rajesh are okay. Shiju plays an important role in the second half.

Suspense movies need good background music, but Sricharan Pakala provides some very average music. The cinematography is good, particularly the scene with the river and surrounding greenery just before the climax. Lanka has an interesting point to make, but the execution and narration is all wrong. There are too many plots and illogical scenes, a few scary moments here and there, but on the whole, nothing to excite or interest audiences.