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It is a rarity to find horror or suspense films in Kannada. So also films made from original scripts. Barring a few directors, most of the filmmakers are content with remaking successful non-Kannada films.
It is in this background that one appreciates the efforts of an award-winning director like Babu, who has shown courage to make a film like Mohini 986788888.
Though Mohini is not entirely a spine-chilling film, there are sequences which really shake you. The graphics and the sound effects are used perfectly to scare the audience.
Babu is a trendsetter of sorts in the Kannada film industry, having made children's adventure films like Nagarahole and a political thriller like Antha. In Mohini, he tries a different genre, which is on the lines of Hollywood classics like Omen and Exorcist. But on the whole, the film suffers from a weak script that sometimes defies logic.
The ghost in the film is shown to have superpowers. It can recharge its own mobile, kill people with ease and leave no clues for the investigators. Some of the characters in the film are not well defined and some sequences look unbelievable.
Despite these aberrations, Mohini is certain to entertain the audience. The songs are well picturised and the stylishly choreographed fights will surely delight the frontbenchers. Babu is also successful in creating the right ambience for a horror film with the right selection of outdoor spots, right use of colours in the background and good camera angles. As usual, his artistes have given the best performances.
Varsha is a television journalist trying to track some criminals behind a racket. She is threatened by the people involved in the racket, but her friend Varun -- a street urchin -- saves her. Varsha finds out that those involved in the racket are dying under mysterious circumstances leaving her no evidence to unravel the racket. Later, she finds out that Varun is a CBI officer also on the trail of the same people. Varun's investigation leads him to his own brother-in-law. How this mystery is unravelled in the end forms the rest of the story.
Audithya is improving with every film and his dress sense also has improved. Sada looks glamorous, though her body language in the film does not suggest that she is acting as a journalist. Suhasini Manirathnam and Nasser are impressive in their brief roles. The horror block involving Anu Prabhakar, her child and Rajesh are brilliant and all the artistes featured in this block are expressive and good.
Mohini has good technical support from music director Hamsalekha who has made a glorious comeback with his recent films. If you like horror movies, you will certainly like Mohini.
Rediff Rating: 