Alaya F’s latest outing, U-Turn – streaming on Zee5 – fails to make an impact. The film is a Hindi remake of the superhit 2019 Kannada supernatural-thriller of the same name.
Director: Arif Khan
Cast: Alaya F, Priyanshu Painyuli, Manu Rishi Chadha, Aashim Gulati, Rajesh Sharma
Duration: 1 Hour 41 Minutes
Rating: 2.5/5
Storyline:
Set in Chandigarh, Radhika Bakshi (played by Alaya F) is a young, free-spirited journalism intern who is working on a feature story – investigating unusual accidents on the NTPC flyover in the city.
The flyover often makes headlines as impatient motorists remove the divider blocks to make illegal U-turns and don’t put the blocks back, leading to several fatal accidents.
During her research, Radhika ends up interviewing some of the drivers who took U-turns on the flyover. Things go eerie when she becomes a prime suspect in a mysterious death related to the accidents, she is forced to prove her innocence and find the real culprit.
Police Officer Arjun Sinha (played by Priyanshu Painyuli) investigates the case and finds out that all the motorists who took a U-turn on that flyover in the last one year – the names are mentioned in Radhika’s diary and out of which some were also interviewed by her – are all dead.
Watch U-Turn on Zee5 to know what happens next!
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What Do We Think?
Besides Hindi, the Kannada original has also been remade in Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam and Tamil languages. While the original took a supernatural route to explain the events, the Hindi version decided to create logical explanations for the unnatural deaths. Despite that, U-Turn is a pale remake that falls flat due to its predictable storyline and weak sub-plots.
Arif Khan’s direction is decent. The climax of this film, which is different from the original version, is unpredictable and lacks logic. The film works in parts and loses its pace in between. Despite its weak storyline, the movie manages to keep you hooked till the last scene.
The cinematography manages to set the tone right for a thriller. The songs and the dialogues are quite forgetful and don’t have much impact on the narrative.
Speaking of the performances, Alaya F seems promising. She looks confident as a journalist and shines in her performance. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Alaya carries the film firmly on her shoulders.
Besides her, Manu Rishi Chadha is a revelation and has an important part to play in the climax. The seasoned actor pulls off his character, Dhillon, with ease and his performance is incredible as always.
Priyanshu is another highlight of this movie. Although he doesn’t have anything path-breaking to offer, he is a treat to watch.
The other supporting cast, Rajesh Sharma as Head cop Saxena and Aashim Gulati as Aditya are wasted.
HIT Or MISS?
All said and done. The Alaya F-starrer offers thrill and horror but in bits and pieces. If you like horror movies with a bit of mystery, U-Turn is a decent watch for this weekend. And if you have watched the original, then you can give it a pass.