LIFT (2021)
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| Critic No. 243 |
Director: Vineeth Varaprasad
Written by: Vineeth Varaprasad
Produced by: Ekka Entertainment
Casts: Kavin, Amritha Aiyer, Kiran Konda, Gayathri Reddy
Music: Britto Michael
Language: Tamil
Genre: Horror, Thriller
SYNOPSIS:
A usual working day turns unusual for Guru (Kavin) and Harini (Amritha Aiyer) when they get trapped in their haunted office. A patterned game unlocks a mystery and a lift is their only way out.
REVIEW:
From the word go, Vineeth doesn’t waste the time much time and he quickly introduces the tone of the film with realistic scenes in the office with a slow subtext about corporate culture and gradually introduces his supernatural angle that anchors his intention to reinvent the horror tropes we see in Indian films in a claustrophobic setting.
The film begins with Guru (Kavin), an IT professional, who is transferred to a branch in Chennai. He meets Harini (Amritha Aiyer), an HR professional, with whom he shares an unpleasant past. Guru, known for his dedication towards work, stays overtime to complete a project summary for a client. However, he is shocked by a series of paranormal events, that don’t allow him to leave the office premises. After a couple of strange events, he bumps into Harini, who is also stuck on the same floor in one of the rooms.
Vineeth keeps us glued to the screen with interestingly crafted horror set pieces and clever ideas like “Penrose stairs.” The employees can run up and down forever but they can never rise above their allotted levels. No matter what number Guru or Harini press on the lift, it is the almighty lift (read company) that decides, which level they should go. Guru and Harini have no choice but to obey. The subtext to illustrate the toxic work culture that the film tries to address is relevant and commendable. Watch out for the heart-racing scene where Kavin’s hand gets possessed and tries to kill both of them.
The problem kicks in when the film unveils its hurried flashback. The matter that is discussed is interesting and relevant to the current fast-paced society but the choices that the characters make don’t really look believable. The Vice President of the company (played by Balaji Venugopal) is crafted as an one-dimensional villain to an extent that he doesn’t react to any big events that happen around him. The weakly written flash kind of pulls down the whole experience, ripping the believability that the film had created thus far. The set-pieces also start to get repeated at one point in time. A trimming of 15 to 20 minutes in the second half would have helped to make the film even more focused.
Vineeth’s expertly crafted horror sequences are very well enhanced by cinematographer Yuva, music composer Britto and sound designers. Technically, the film looks rich and even though it happens in one building, the team has worked really hard to make each shot freshly mysterious.
Kavin gets a great platform to showcase his wide degree of acting skills in the film and has embraced it with a heartful performance. Amritha whose character is thinly written does a decent job to project the intensity of the situations. Kiran and Gayathri though appear briefly, leave a strong mark.
That said, director Vineeth is definitely a talent to watch out for who I hope has more tricks in his sleeve to entertain the audience with his fresh visual sense and writing.
VERDICT:
‘Lift’ is a tight, solid horror that throws in some refreshing horror tropes to keep the audience’s pulse rising from scene to scene with an interestingly knitted social commentary about the toxic corporate work culture in India.
CELLULOID METER- 3.5/5:
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