Kinavalli review - A disappointing horror flick

At the beginning of Kinavalli, we have a voiceover by Biju Menon where he says you shouldn't look for logic in the movie as it deals with ghosts. That's a valid thing that need not be said as a viewer with common sense can understand that. The issue I personally felt was with the cliched content. The horror movies these days only work if you can interpret things in a different way and in that aspect Kinavalli is a dud.

The couple Vivek and Ann are about to celebrate the wedding anniversary of their love marriage that happened without the consent of their families. The issues surrounding that even affected the friendships Vivek had prior to marriage. So Ann decides to invite all the close friends of Vivek to their house in the Misty Hills and the movie Kinavalli shows us how that plan becomes a horrible experience for the friends.

The climax that shows a small variety in terms of presentation of ghosts is the only variety this movie has. But even to reach that variety we have to sit through a lot of tricks that are just cliche. I found myself looking at a bizarre scenario when the powerless humans start to talk to ghosts in an egoistic way. There are some rules movies set about their unreal premise and this movie wasn't even respecting that. This method would have worked if the intent was a genuine horror comedy.

Kannada actress Surabhi Santosh plays the pivotal role of Ann and it's a character that largely utilizes her looks. Apart from delivering extreme emotions, there isn't much there for the character to perform. Ajmal Zayn, Krrish, Sowmya Menon, Vijay Johny and Sujith Raj are the other debutantes in the film who all are not so exciting to watch. Hareesh Kanaran saves the movie from boredom in a pointless character.

From his first movie onwards Sugeeth has a style in crafting a drama that wasn't really refreshing. Here also that texture remains and with dull content, he is forced to make the visuals look grand. Naveen Vijayan's cinematography is extra glossy and makes the movie look more like an ad. The lack of sense we find in character behavior in horror movies is there in Kinavalli as well. The friendship looks fake as it lacks depth. The music wasn't really helping the narrative in making it a better cinema. 

If your idea of watching a horror movie is just getting scared, then with all the camera angles and the usual set of tricks Kinavalli has managed to do that. But if genuine feel and fresh content are what you are looking for, this is a disappointment.