Nikhil and Anupama Parameswaran, who had a pan-India hit with "Karthikeya 2" earlier this year, are back with a love story in "18 Pages." Director Sukumar has written the story, and the film is produced by Allu Aravind.
Due to the big names associated with the project, the film is carrying quite a buzz among the audience. Will the film live up to the hype? Let's find out.
A young guy discovers a woman's journal after experiencing heartbreak; he quickly becomes engrossed in the book and harbours affections for the author.
Story
But when he does eventually meet her, he learns a startling fact about her. What makes this twist? The remainder of the narrative explains how it relates to the young man's life.
Despite a stale narrative, the filmmaker has succeeded in keeping the audience entertained with humorous scripting.
A popcorn worth film
Although the film's producers have marketed it as a love tale, it turns out to be a thriller after the interval. The audience is interested and is kept hooked to their seats by the twists and turns.
Is it really a love story?
Since it appears like the first half is lagging and the second half moves rapidly with twists and turns, the filmmaker was unable to maintain the proper balance between the two halves.
The balance
The viewers' tolerance will be put to the test by a few repetitive and illogical sequences.
The film benefits greatly from Sukumar's narrative, and both the suspenseful scenes and the humour serve their purposes. But in carrying out the narrative, the filmmaker stumbles in certain places. Overall, he performed admirably.
Writing and direction
The production values and cinematography deserve attention. The background music and the soundtrack also made an impression.
Technical Aspects
All the star cast including the lead pair Nikhil and Anupama did complete justice to their roles.