O Movie Review: Raises the horror bar…a bit

Among the innumerable commercial potboilers that come in Sandalwood, once in a while, we get a film that hits us out of nowhere and makes her hearts pound. Debutant filmmaker Mahesha C Ammalidoddy’s O is one such film, which was waiting for a release for four years now, and finally found its way this Friday.

Director: Mahesha C Ammalidoddy

Cast: Milana Nagaraj, Amrutha Iyengar, and Siddhu Moolimani  

O revolves around a beautiful triangular love story of step-sisters Nikitha (Milana Nagaraj) and Nisha (Amrutha Iyengar), who are both in love with their college mate, Chetu (Siddu Moolimani). This triangle love story gets even more convoluted when Nisha, who is addicted to reading horror novels manages to get her hand on an occult book. A series of horrific events ensue, and the work of a wicked mind puts the characters through suffering till the final act which culminates in the promise of a potential sequel.

The way O unfolds, it is no wonder that romance and horror make for a perfect mix, and, in turn, become a quality cinematic watch. Although the narrative has the potential to eat away logic, O induces horror in the right dosage and under the right circumstances.

Banker-turned-filmmaker Mahesha Ammalidoddy visits familiar territories that we expect from this genre, but his style of filmmaking stands out, as he uses very minimal characters to give us a film with adequate twists and turns. He manages to keep the audience engaged with his narration, without giving up the suspense. While O deals into a concept that has a deep history, certain episodes make one wonder if such evil and spiritual practices still exist.

Both Milana and Amrutha get to experiment with fresh characterisations and give strong performances. Siddu Moolimani, Suchendra Prasad, Vinay Krishnaswamy, Sangeetha and child artist Alaap add strength to the film. The visual effects by Nagesh and background music by Sathish Babu boost the film’s aesthetics.

O is a novel attempt that does leave a few aspects unanswered, but if you are a fan of the horror and suspense genre, this one is perfect for you.