Apart from the obvious countdown, the film involves 5 main characters, 4 lifestyles, 3 murders, two hours (of both reel and real time) and 1 revenge saga. A psychological thriller, its knot had the potential to turn into a riveting edge-of-the-seat thriller. Debutant director Prasad has tried to be different but the result is far from satisfactory.
Vikram (Shabeer) enters a bungalow and takes hostage its occupant Vinod, his wife Anjali (Arvin, Pavithra) and a little girl. He threatens to kill Anjali if Vinod doesn’t follow his orders. And that would be to kill the little girl. Soon Vinod’s father (Raghavendra) is brought in for further emotional blackmail. A tense situation prevails, with the mentally imbalanced killer terrorises his hostages.
Sloppy screenplay with moments that test one’s sensibility and intelligence, amateurish story-telling and jerky narration ensures that what may have seemed interesting on paper never really gets translated satisfactorily onto screen.
The suspense as to the identity and motive of the killer is broken in the early moment itself, the narration shifting to the back stories of each character involved.
Frequent cuts to the clock, to depict the passage of time and freezing the time when the narration deviates to back stories, is a smart touch. The Vinod-Anjali romance has a cute track. But the episode that peps up the narration is that of the burglar (Jayakumar) who sneaks into the house and is forced to go into hiding when the drama unfolds.
The OCD syndrome (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) related to Vikram is neither explained, nor does it seem to have any relevance to the guy’s abnormal acts.
54321 is opportunity lost! Shabeer (of Nerungi Va Muthamidathe) is adequate in his part as Vikram. Arvin (of Rummy) could have put in more expressions, while debutante Pavithra seems not that bothered even when her finger is cut off! Seasoned actors Rohini and Ravi Raghavendra provide adequate support.