Samantha’s U-Turn: What Works, What Doesn’t

Impressed by the Kannada sleeper hit U-Turn (2016), Samantha collaborates with director Pawan Kumar to remake the film in Tamil and Telugu. Their version is a faithful remake and does fair justice to the source material.

Plot: Samantha plays Rachana, a young and inquisitive intern reporter at The Times of India. Through her sources, she goes after repeat cases of public driving offences on a flyover in Velachery, Chennai; the title of the film is nicely justified. In the process, she gets dragged into a murder mystery and now has to extricate herself from a complex situation. She is aided in her cause by a cop named Naik (Aadhi). U-Turn also has a strong emotional quotient.

What Works

• After appearing in numerous hero-driven films as a mere showpiece, it's refreshing to see Samantha in a meaty role again, after Mahanati. She's been styled in trendy outfits to fit the part of a young journalist. She drives the film with her spunky energy and vulnerability.
• Aadhi turns in a competent performance as a cop. 
• Director Pawan delivers a no-frills movie without any songs. The moody background score by Poorna Chandra Tejaswi, the attention-grabbing long shots by DoP Niketh Bommireddy and the ideal pace and footage length set by editor Suresh Arumugam serve the film well.

What Doesn't

• Telugu seems to be the primary language in which the film was shot. Though the important conversation scenes have been re-shot in Tamil, some of the scenes have been overlooked and one can actually notice the Telugu lines behind the Tamil dubbing. The minor feeling of seeing a dubbed film does crop up.

Final Word: U-Turn should work well for its intended target audience in the urban centres. Since the Kannada original hasn't penetrated into a majority of the market here, the film will find new takers. It's a murder mystery with sound technical values. The subtle message about not violating basic road rules is an eye-opener.