13B: Fear Has a New Address

With 13B, Indian film-makers take another tiny step towards exploring new ideas on screen. Gone are the days of those silly and childish horror movies served to us a few decades back. Moving ahead in that direction, 13B can be termed as a good attempt by the director Vikram Kumar who tries to give something new and out of the box in the genre of fast paced thrillers with good suspense.

But like the recent Raaz-2, 13B is also a good thriller and not a complete horror movie as publicized in the media campaign by the producers. Yes, it takes the idea of spirits coming through a TV from THE RING, but the similarity ends here only and the movie takes a completely different path as it proceeds further. The story is about a family coming to their new house, with an address of 13B and within days they start experiencing mysterious and strange events. The women of the house, who are addicted to the afternoon TV serials, catch on to a new daily soap called "Sab Khairiyat" which has just started on a channel. Surprisingly, the happenings in the serial are exactly similar to what they are living in their real life. And as the incidents start becoming violent and bloody, there arise serious problems in the family.

The movie starts off as a cold water kept on the fire for boiling. The first half only raises the temperature to a certain limit which results in just a mild hot water. The viewer keeps waiting for something fast to happen but he is served the hot dish only after the intermission. In sharp contrast to its first half, post interval the temperature starts rising with a great speed and as you reach the climax the water is boiling hot as a red hot iron. The well written sequences unfold the secret in an impressive way, handled well by the director towards the end.

Though there are several loopholes in the script regarding the suspense but they don't strike you at once since the second half has many disclosures being made at a very brisk pace. In the first half, the writer takes too much time to come on to the main topic and that deprives the movie to be called as a complete entertainer. The Storyline has a good suspense but the spirits roaming in the house are not scary enough as expected from the promos. The movie should have been edited more severely (by at least 15-20 min) which would have resulted in a far better product for the viewers.

I still wonder about one thing in bollywood, which is regarding its passion for the songs. After so many new & fresh minds now working for the industry, why they all still stick to the idea of adding a few songs in a movie. And that too in a thriller, horror or murder mystery. Ideally these genre of movies should be strictly made as song less ventures to generate the desired impact on the viewer. But I think it will still take a long time for us to get away with this old passion of ours.

On merit basis there are three major assets of the movie. The first one is the Solid Background music and fabulous sound design. In fact in the titles only you get the feeling that some good sound effects are here on the cards. The second merit is the outstanding Camera-work which is visible in each frame and scene. The creative visuals enhance the experience of this thriller to a great extent, especially the scenes with the blind man and his dog, sequences related to the old black & white television and scenes at the mental asylum. The third worth mentioning plus point is the superb act by Madhavan, which he can easily rate as his best work till date in Hindi Cinema. He acts better in the tense scenes involving encounter with the spirits.

Among the other actors, Neetu Chandra is fine and she looks exactly like a lady next door with the right home wears. Deepak Dobriyal excels in his performance and impresses. Poonam Dhillon is wasted and so is Sachin Khedekar who doesn't suit the role he is given.

In short, 13B can be rated as good attempt by its team but it could have been much better with a lot of editing and without the unnecessary songs. Fans of thriller cum horror movies should feel about 65-75% satisfaction after watching 13B.

Horror genre over recent years has undergone a massive transformation. No longer it is a straight forward plot meant to scare the living daylights. These days one gets to witness the horror neatly blended with suspense to generate that extra twist and keep the audience in nail- biting mode. Hey, the genre manages to stay alive innit?

Clearly the director has taken inspiration from Poltergiest (ghost- directed by Steven Spielberg) and blends in Japanese horror flick formula's into it. Indeed the effort and the execution deserves a standing ovation and it wouldn't be exaggeration to state that 13B would put RGV to shame. Seriously, Phoonk seems to be child's play in comparison.

The mid-80's era is portrayed brilliantly. The settings are perfect and do take note of the Doordarshan's B&W intro. Nostalgia indeed!

Ж Madhavan:: "BOLLYWOOD!" - this guy is screaming on the top of voice and can somebody at least take notice this time around? He is a consistent and a brilliant performer. 13B has two lead actors - Madhavan and the telly, rest everyone goes out of focus.

Ж Deepak Dobriayl: Now this guy is to watch out for. Every time I see him he doesn't cease to surprise me. Be it Omkara, Shaurya, Dilli-6 or 13B - he manages to successfully pull-off a range of roles/ characters with nothing short of perfection.

Ж Neetu Chandra & Sachin Khedekar:: Neatly compliments to the plot.

Ж Poonam Dhillon:: She needed a better comeback vehicle. Her counterpart in the plot, Suhasini Mulay seemed elegant in comparison.

Ж Dritiman Chatterjee:: Why was he there? Beats me!

Ж Others do their parts as per the demands of the storyline.

What deserves a special mention, even though the telly leads the storyline by a few minutes, it still manages to create an edge-of-seat excitement. And yes, the shock value is immense. A few holes in the plot can be safely ignored.

Verdict:: Go for it!

Unfortunately watched it in 2020. So definitely couldn't relate to it as someone watched it much earlier would be able to. A good thriller. First half is slow. Movie picks up from the second half. I'd say don't switch over from the first half actually the movie starts in the second half. R Madhavan acting skills are great. He looks not only convincing but keeps you glued to the movie. Watch it if you have a taste for horror movies.

I remember watching this movie in some little parts on DD National when I was child, that one scene where R Madhvan told his friend to lock him up was still in my mind even after 10 years. Recently, i watched this movie with my family from start to end and everyone loves it. Story and Suspense in the movie was well written. Movies like this and Tumbbad are the one of the best indian horror movies ever made. Only downside of this movie is acting otherwise it's 10/10 movie.

its really good. first half is a little boring but the second half makes up for it with the scares and the thrills. the lead role is done really well with all the actors doing their part well. i went to see this movie on the first day in Dubai.

i was really excited after seeing the trailers and the hype the film had created. its a good film to watch at night and it lives up to its expectations. enjoy it for what it delivers. you wont be disappointed. it delivers thrills and some scares. could frighten children under 13. overall i loved it

9/10.