Neither horror, nor fantasy

Aana

Kannada (Theatres)

Director: Manoj P Nadalumane

Cast: Aditi Prabhudeva, Suneel Puranik, Ranvith Shivkumar, Vikash Uthaiah, Samarth Narasimharaj, Karthik Nagarajan, Varun Amaravathi

Aditi Prabhudeva-starrer ‘Aana’ is a fresh addition to the long list of horror-fantasy dramas in Sandalwood. It aroused some curiosity as the filmmaker billed it as the first female superhero film in Kannada. By no means, does the flick justify this claim. It neither turns out to be a complete horror flick nor a fantasy one, as debutante Manoj P Nadalumane, loses control of the plot.

The flick narrates the tale of five professionals who lose their corporate jobs due to lockdown. In order to make ends meet, they commit robberies, but the money earned doesn’t suffice. To overcome the financial crisis, they abduct a businessman’s daughter named Anarghya aka Aana, who possesses supernatural energy and invite danger. Is Aana a devil? A goddess? A creature carrying strange energy in a human form? Will abductors succeed in getting a ransom? How does Aana play the game of chess and ensure that good prevails over the bad in the end? Answers to these questions form the story.

Nadalumane lets go of an opportunity to churn out a spine-chilling horror flick or an edge-of-the-seat fantasy thriller as the narration falls flat. Subplots like a cop’s daughter’s relationship, groups of Aghoris invoking a spirit for supernatural energy to drive away the British for India’s Independence, corporate employees turning criminals, and creation of a parallel world to the human world, defy logic. None of the scenes are scary. Aana in a superhero’s attire vanishes at the end, which is the sole justification of the movie being a female superhero movie.

Suneel Puranik in the role of a father is convincing. Aditi miserably fails as Aana. Performance of the other actors is average.

Ritvik Muralidhar’ background music elevates the mood. Flashback techniques effectively build up suspense. Despite flaws, the flick manages to keep the audience glued to seats. Absence of humour and songs is the biggest relief.

‘Aana’ drives home a message: Repentance is the biggest punishment, not death.