Theatre Lo - More comedic than horror-filled
Two comedies can be entirely different, two romances
can be distinct, there are many styles in which villainy and gore can be
depicted in the case of the action genre, but horror movies cannot be
horror movies without the mandatory eerie sounds, characters that have
never suspected anything ominous falling in the trap of the evil spirit,
the night effect, so on and so forth.
Theatre Lo is one such movie, but what is curious
about the horror-comedy film is that one remembers more the weird
characters, the ogling/stalking buffoonery of two of the characters,
rather than the evil and its avenging agenda.
In an effort to scare the daylights out of us, the
director, for a change, has created a character who is a viewer of his
film (titled Naluguru) like the rest of us. However, with the execution
not so imaginative, the idea fails to have the intended effect on the
audience. After RGV's tired attempts to psychologically win over the
audience by challenging him, and sometimes glorifying the evil, subtly
mocking at the naivete of those who refuse to believe in its existence,
writers like Maruthi and Saikiran Mukkamala (the concept is by the
producer himself), whose films were incidentally released on the same
day, have a commonality when it comes to their stories.
The film begins with a scene outside a theatre
playing Naluguru, we see a range of funny characters. In the film, four
youngsters - a short-tempered cricket better, a rich magician, and
their two friends who belong to a lesser class. The last two constantly
leer away at the better's girl friend, trying to grap her attention by
indulging in silly tricks. The first part packs many laughter-filled
moments, there is a cool comic touch to each scene.
Their car journey to Vizag is used to establish their
quirks, arrogance, meanness, and when they show fear at the sight of
the police, a suspense is created.
Stranded in a forest, they move to a guesthouse, once
there the endgame begins for them, with one guy after another trembling
at the darshan of the evil spirit in a colourful attire. Concomitantly
in the theatre playing this film, four guys disappear one after one, in
front of the very eyes of an audience.
Is there a link between the film and the real world? Watch out for the climax.
Though a fairly well-written narrative, the tricks
employed by the writer fall flat thanks to the total absence of a
substantial plot oustide of the film within the film. One feels either
cheated or let down or both when a devil other than the anguished kind
we see is not introduced. The Pizza-kind ending is a mere shadow, for
we don't feel for the victim (the character who has been experiencing
ominous signs from the beginning).
The RGV comedy by the actor who played Gour Raju is
enjoyable. The dialogue is fine and what works most for Theatre Lo is
the realistic reactions of the characters in danger. The loud crying of
the better, the fear shown by the maid when she first sees the devil
and so on.
The actors prove to be good choices. Swetha Pandit is a mere glam doll and she doesn't deliver a dekko.
Technically, Chinna's music and the cinematography are average.