Besides Hollywood, Korean cinema has mastered the art of making Serial killer movies. Scores of serial killer thrillers from Korea won global fame. Cinematographer turned director KV Guhan of “118” fame explored the same genre in “Highway”, premiering on Aha Video on August 19.
Starring Anand Deverakonda, newcomer Manasa Radhakrishnan and ‘Paatal Lok’ fame Abhishek Bannerjee as the lead actors, “Highway” deals with the theme of a serial killer on the prowl.
Vishnu (Anand Deverakonda), a photographer in Vizag, agrees to film a pre-wedding shoot in Bengaluru. He meets Tulasi (Manasa Radhakrishnan), an innocent young girl who is on her way to Mangalore to meet her father. Falling in love at first sight with her, Vishnu agrees to drop her at the Kalyan Durga bus stand.
At the same time, Hyderabad police, headed by officer Asha (Saiyami Kher), are hunting a serial killer named D (Abhishek Banerjee). The police get a clue that he is on the Bengaluru highway. Will Tulasi become D’s next target on the highway?
The film begins with a line that people meet for a reason and meetings can change the course of one’s life. The thriller has a decent premise. But the narration runs on a beaten track. Neither the serial killer’s story nor Tulasi-Vishnu’s story is engaging enough. The climax involving a wild animal is silly.
Despite having a short running time of 2 hours, director Guhan has presented the film with less thrilling elements. Anand Deverakonda who impressed us with “Middle-Class Melodies” has played an unimportant main lead. Newcomer Manasa Radhakrishnan fits the bill as an innocent village girl. Saiyami Kher as a police officer and Abhishek Banerjee as a serial killer do the routine job.
The film is mostly set on the highway. The Aerial shots are impressive.
‘Highway’, in a nutshell, doesn’t provide a thrill. Watch it only if you have time to kill.
Streaming On: Aha Video