No shocks in 'Shock' (Kannada Movie Review)

Movie: 'Shock'; Cast: Ramesh Arvind, Suma Guha, Neenasam Aswath; Producer: Abhay Chandra Jain; Director: Ha.Su. Rajashekhar; Rating:

'Shock' is the remake of Ram Gopal Varma's horror Hindi movie 'Kaun', which had Manoj Bajpayee and Urmila Matondkar in the lead. The Hindi film was not a success, but is still remembered for fantastic performances by both the lead actors.

It is surprising that the producers of the film decided to do remake it in Kannada in a time when such movies are not popular.

Frankly, 'Shock' is not comparable to 'Kaun' except for its shoestring budget. Even the small segment of filmgoers, who like 'Horror' films, may not be happy after seeing a film like 'Shock'. The film doesn't stand true to its title as it does not have elements to shock the audience. It is good in parts, but most of the time the film is dragging and the script is weak.

As it is shot in a house, so lack of visuals create monotony and bore the audiences. If at all the film had some horror filled elements, it could have been made enjoyable, but unfortunately director Ha.Su. Rajashekhar didn't take his job seriously.

There is no craftsmanship that could be seen in the film like one saw in 'Kaun'.

Though the film is a carbon copy of 'Kaun', comparison with 'Kaun' may spell doom for 'Shock'.

The story of the film revolves around three main characters - one stranger who enters a house, a frightened woman and an inspector who comes in to save the woman.

The suspense element is that the woman is mentally disturbed and has already killed her husband. While the stranger kills the inspector, the woman kills the stranger who had frightened her from the time he entered the house.

By doing this film Ramesh Arvind proves that he is not picking up roles carefully. He unsuitable for such a character. Mumbai-based actress Sumha Guha doesn't fit the bill either as she fails to show required emotions on screen.

Perhaps the director was also in a hurry to complete the film hence failed to correct her.

The background music just looks like a copy of the original, while camera angles are the same.

This remake of 'Kaun' drags and a tedious watch.