Stale Script, Shoddy Writing Washes Flick on to Shores of Boredom

Stale Script, Shoddy Writing Washes Flick on to Shores of Boredom

A remote beach house becomes a place of intrigue in Karaioram. A trilingual, it’s Kannada version, Alone released about a month back. The director has  attempted to craft a suspense- mystery thriller. But while the film has some stunning visuals and a picturesque location, the screenplay lacks punch and fritz to excite audiences.

You’d have to be blind to not see the twists and turns from a mile away! It’s leisurely pace is another downer. What could have been exciting is Nikesha Patel’s sizzling screen presence. Essaying Priya who comes to the beach house to get over a personal tragedy, Nikesha plays the glamour girl to the hilt. The actor heats up the screen with her uninhibited display with the camera only reluctantly moving away from her. If only her face had registered some of the emotions, the trauma and the confusion, that the character was going through!

The plot takes inspiration from the Demi Moore-starrer Half Light (2006). Priya to get over the death of her near ones, moves to a remote beach house belonging to her friend Ramya (Iniya). Attracted to John, the lighthouse keeper (Vasisht from the Kannada screen), Priya gets into a relationship with him. But when she learns from the locals that John had been killed a decade back, she is shocked. As she wonders whether John was real or just her imagination, events that follow take her by surprise.

Nikesha or rather her oomph factor, seems to be the only focus all the way through. Apart from its slow pace, too many songs interrupt the storytelling, which doesn’t make it any better. There is a half-hearted attempt at comedy, where Singampuli and Manobala as cops, make a futile attempt to tickle the funny bones.

The screenplay meanders into the ‘yawn’ territory but picks up momentum towards the end. It’s where Simran enters the plot. Though it’s a cameo, she makes a mark as the cop who unravels the mystery and gives a hard punch to the wrongdoers. Karaioram has a great look. If only the screenplay was more exciting and performances convincing!

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