A new U-Turn, starring Alaya F, is here. We say new because this Hindi remake is the seventh time the original Kannada film (2016) has been adapted. Directed by Arif Khan and produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor’s Balaji Motion Pictures, the movie, which got a direct OTT release on Zee5, is presented as a supernatural thriller.
Is the Hindi remake worth watching during this long weekend? We found out. Read on for an honest review of U-Turn.
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An honest review of ‘U-Turn’: What we like
Credit: Balaji Motion Pictures, Cult Movies
A (slightly) different premise if you haven’t seen the 2016 Kannada film
In case you haven’t watched the 2016 Kannada film that went by the same name, you might find the plot to be slightly intriguing somewhere in the first half of the film. A young (intern) journalist, Radhika (played by Alaya F), is working on a story about how bikers who need to make a U-turn on a flyover in Chandigarh simply remove the stone blocks kept there to do so. The fact that they never keep these blocks in place is leading to a number of accidents, but it is going largely unnoticed by the authorities.
A hint of the supernatural
Balaji Motion Pictures, Cult Movies
For fans of the genre, there are some initial scares which might be of interest. A biker removes the blocks to make a U-turn, only for a homeless man on the side of the road to note down his licence plate number. Later that night, he sees strange things happening in his house—presumably a ghost(?)—before he is found dead the next morning. The reason? Death by suicide.
It turns out that Radhika had been meaning to interview him for her story and had paid the guy a visit, so naturally, the police come knocking.
Here’s where it gets complicated. As it turns out that Radhika had been tracking down miscreants through their licence plate numbers—with the help of the homeless man she pays to do so—the police find many others who had made a U-turn are now dead, all of them presumably dying by suicide within 24 hours of making the aforementioned U-turn. Needless to say, things are all over the place.
What we didn’t like about ‘U-Turn’
Credit: Balaji Motion Pictures, Cult Movies
Alaya F’s character is forced to be a ‘type’
Somewhere down the line, it felt as though the makers were forcing Alaya’s character to restrict herself to a certain type—a “modern” girl with vices—so that when she is the suspect, it’s somehow more believable. A tired old trope, yes, but certainly not one makers are letting go of.
The scares become gimmicky
Squeaking doors and apparitions become so obvious that after the second half, you are simply waiting for the mystery to unfold. The twists and turns hardly arrive at first, but when they do come in the film’s second half, they come in bandwagons. Every other person is a suspect but no one is.
Balaji Motion Pictures, Cult Movies
Then there are other issues—why is Radhika’s mother talking to her dead son, who we know also died in a road accident and how is it connected, as the makers clearly want us to believe? Are the deaths actually a paranormal occurrence or is there a person behind them? The ‘supernatural’ plot just loops everything in before deciding where it is heading, and by the time you arrive at the climax, you find that your interest has relatively dipped.
The verdict
If you haven’t yet watched the original film and have nothing better to do this long weekend, there are some chances that you might like some parts of this Bollywood remake. But before you go in, be aware that a long-drawn second half, not-so-scary scares and umpteen u-turns could kill your buzz.
Social and lead image credit: Balaji Motion Pictures, Cult Movies
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