I have never been a fan of scary films - for the simple reason that they do not scare. At best, they turn out to be cheap thrillers. But 13B stands ahead of movies of its genre. No, it doesn't scare, but it’s definitely more than 'some cheap thriller'.
13B tells a story of a joint family of 8 that moves in to a new apartment, where inexplicable things happen to them. These things seem to duplicate a new TV show which the women in the family are hooked to.
It has an interesting premise. In fact, first half is engaging as the events are mostly those that can happen to anyone, the paranormal connection being the exact resemblance with the T.V serial. Of course, it’s our hero Madhavan who discovers the connection, rest of the family being dumb fools. There are other instances too, such as a dog too scared to enter the house, or a Nokia phone that insists on taking his weird photos whenever used in the apartment, or an elevator that simply refuses to work whenever Madhavan is in it. But as things begin get more fatal, he sets out to solve the mystery.
It’s the explanation that’s quite disappointing. It’s usual run-of-the-mill stuff. As second half comprises of explaining stuffs in a roundabout manner, it becomes tedious after a while. Moreover, the mystery and the explanation do not have a well-reasoned connection.
On performances- Madhavan does a fine job. Rest of the cast has hardly anything to do.
Thankfully the movie is devoid of the usual bollywood formulas (you know, like an age old abandoned mansion, or tantric mumbo jumbo) It treads a slightly different innovative path, which manages to hold your interest in parts.13B is a good movie, not great. My favourite part in the movie – the elevator. Believe me; it has a superb sense of humour.
