13 B movie review, 13 B makes horror exciting!

13 B is a fantastic movie dominated by a compelling unique script and good usage of special effects. Unlike the usual clichéd techniques of a spurned and dead lover who returns to haunt its victim by employing hideous techniques, 13 B is different. Here, it instill fear without showing gore, bloodshed or too many pyrotechniques. At times going hilarious and at times making the protagonist stranded and clueless, 13 B employs the thrills, the fear and edge of the seat excitement to its plot. Writer-director Vikram K Kumar, the director of 13 B shows that there is no substitute to a good script.

Story of 13 B
The spooky story of 13 B has an engineer Manohar R Madhavan), his wife (Neetu Chandra), mother (Poonam Dhillon), his brother-in-law, his wife, sister and kids shifting into a high rise building(read 13th floor) in presumably, Navi Mumbai. Things turns weird for Manohar as unexpected things happen in the daily activities of his life. The lift which works right for every resident of the building goes kaput when he steps in. His family who is always hooked on to TV soaps comes across a serial called ‘Sab Khairiyat’. The strange thing is the characters who are in the serial and the situations seem to be straight out of the life of Manohar’s life. The events in the serial run parallel to the lives of Manohar and his family. A person who used to mock at TV soaps, now has to bow down before the idiot box which seem to dictate his life.

Plus points of 13 B
1. Director Vikram K Kumar does not resort to the usual mechanics of horror management. He does not indulge much in weird camera angles or show blood or gore to fear the audiences. He plays on the audience psyche, so much that the movie looks like a mix of a supernatural thriller and horror.
2. The first half is all about the build-up of things going awry with Manohar’s life. Thankfully the director does not dwell too much in superstition and tantric fundas. The second half is wonderfully multilayered with flashback account of what really kicked off the spook factor.
3. The pre-climax and climax are the high points of 13 B with the director keeping the tension going till the end.
4. The cinematography is bang on, the editing is crisp and the movie’s signature start in tandem with the theme of the film, and ending is commendable. Background Scores by Tubby and Parik is fantastic.

Minus points: of 13 B
1. Why doesn’t any other member in the family realize the correlation between real and reel life like Manohar does? This is not explained.
2. Shankar Ehsaan Loy could have come up with better fare. Their work is just average in 13 B.
Best scenes of 13 B
1. The pre-climax scene and the climax scene.(Elaborating more will give away the shock value)
2. The sensuously comical Kamasutra talk between Madhavan and Neetu Chandra.
3. The scene just before the intermission when Madhavan comes to realize the extent to which his family is in deep trouble. Also the scene where Madhavan frantically waits for the scene in the TV soap where he would know about the fate of his wife.

Performances of 13 B
The best part of 13 B that each and every character in the movie and the TV(yes) has a strong characterization. Everyone plays his and her part well. There is no ‘hero’ as such in the film, but Madhavan who is the protagonist bears the maximum brunt of the spook. He plays his part well and is quite effective in the climax scene. Neetu Chandra, an under-rated actress gives a wonderful performance once again. This is one actress who has the mettle to do performance oriented roles. Sh
Vikram K Kumar is not just a smart storyteller and a proficient technician but has also extracted credible performances from his cast. R Madhavan is excellent as the central protagonist of the film, troubled by the TV. He adds absolute conviction to his character and is largely responsible in adding life to this tale of dead. Neetu Chandra takes a backseat but exudes raw appeal through her husky vocal chords. Deepak Dobriyal is impressive in a short but strong characterization. Murli Sharma lends able support.

Conclusion:
With 13 B, Sab Khairiyat Hai! 13B is likely to be a thumping hit!