'6ne Maili' movie review: No thrill, no chill

In 6ne Maili (6th Mile), director Seeni fails miserably in creating a spark only because he hasn’t been able to see the story from the eyes of the audience.
A still from '6ne Maili'.
A still from '6ne Maili'.

Film: 6ne Maili
Cast: Sanchari Vijay, RJ Nethra, RJ Sudesh, Jhavi Jyoti
Director: Seeni
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Filmmaking can be a bitter-sweet job. Often the end-product turns out vastly different from the filmmaker’s vision. And, new-age audience, in particular can be quite a judgemental lot. In 6ne Maili (6th Mile), director Seeni fails miserably in creating a spark only because he hasn’t been able to see the story from the eyes of the audience. Supposed to be suspense-thriller, the film comes across as an amateur effort, more like one that is desperately trying to portray real -life incidents.

The story takes us through the journey of a group of four on a trekking expedition. Once they reach Ujjire at night, they hire a private cab to Dhavalagiri. Travelling the lonely stretch, the four go missing when they reach the 6th Mile. The story then goes back to a similar incident when an RJ, his girl friend and a dentist disappear. With a Naxalite angle, police involvement (the only episode with some suspense), and the solving of the case-- are all shown in an extremely disoriented fashion.

Seeni’s film could have clicked only if he had spiced up his project with the right ingredients required to make a suspense -thriller. A simple story, correct characterisation, suspense, a certain degree of humour, appropriate music, love, and, above all, a steady narrative would have ensured a box office hit. 
Clearly, he seems to have taken the wrong route. Lengthy episodes that stretched to over an hour, could have been tightly edited and cut down. The trip is far from exciting with the audience feeling the monotony. While they are said to be inspired from real-life incidents, the shoot locations for them differ, thereby not giving it an authentic touch. 

Considering that 6ne Maili was his debut, the audience would have expected better. Seeni will really have go the extra mile if he has plans on a second film. While Sanchari Vijay manages to get into the skin of the character,  RJ Sudesh, RJ Nethra, Jhanvi Jyothi are decent. The solo song in the film which is death metal, does not thrill. Even as cinematographer Paramesh manages a good job, the background score by Sai Kiran is annoying. The destination to 6ne Maili is beautiful, however, the journey with few twists and turns is quite unsettling.

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