Grabbing the attention of audience, especially when you are shooting a remake, is a tough job. But Naganna’s Gimmick, which stars Ganesh, manages to score in the horror comedy genre, a first for the versatile actor.
The movie is ‘inspired’ by Tamil flick Dhillukku Dhuddu and largely sticks to the plot. It starts with the flashback of a haunted bungalow and delves into the love story of Gani (Ganesh) and Rani (Ronica Singh). The duo’s affair is not accepted by the girl’s father (Guru Dutt), who plays along till the time he comes up with a solution.
The father then offers Supari killer (Shobraj) money to get Gani out of the way. They come up with the idea of taking him to the haunted bungalow.
Unfortunately for them, at the house, Rani is protected by a spirit. The crux of Gimmick is Gani having a face- off with ghosts and winning his love over. The first half of the move sets the plot through conversation, family bonding and love while the latter half keeps the audience engaged with several comic scenes.
Naganna has not strayed far from the original and manages to strike the right balance of edge-of-the-seat scares as well as comedy. Ganesh, who is given the task of coming face to face with ghosts, carries his role with ease. Ronica fits into the bubbly heroine role while Gurudutt is the villain. Most of the comic relief is provided by Shobraj, Ravi Shankar Gowda and Sundar Raj.
Sticking to the horror theme, music director Ajrun Janya’s compositions lift up the mood of the film. So does cinematography by Vignesh Vasu. In company of ghosts, the horror film with comical twists makes for a one-time-watch.