Highway review: A realistic, well-made psycho-thriller that works despite its sluggish pacing

3/5

Story:

Tulasi, a young, innocent girl barely past her teens, is forced to flee her home on the advice of her mother. She boards a bus to reach her father’s home in Mangalore but is left stranded on a highway under mysterious circumstances. Meanwhile, a photographer Vishnu is on his way to Bengaluru with a friend for work. Another cop Asha in the vicinity is on the lookout for a serial killer D. How do their paths cross?

Review:

Scenic locations, small-town ambience and nature always make for handsome backdrops for thrillers. They are in stark contrast to the wilderness in the setup and serve as mute witnesses amidst chaos and bloodshed. Cinematographer-turned-director KV Guhan, who made 118 and WWW earlier, is quite aware of the peculiarities of an unnerving psycho-thriller. In his latest release Highway, the characters are always on the move, amidst dense forests, rocks and are stuck on the road, with danger lurking around the corner.

With Highway, the filmmaker is not merely chasing thrills and seeks a restrained, measured tone and realism in the treatment. Thriller-enthusiasts, who expect a twist-a-minute narrative, may be slightly disappointed though the payoff in the end with this approach is equally rewarding. This is a rare modern-day thriller opting for a linear narrative and doesn’t try to over-justify the behaviour of the psychopath. The protagonists are vulnerable always; there are no larger-than-life saviours.

Highway takes its own sweet time to establish the premise and demands patience from its viewers initially but the wait is worth it. In Vishnu’s life, it’s relieving to see the women in the house coming together for Instagram reels, having fun and not merely cutting vegetables or offering bed coffee to the ‘pampered’ son. Tulasi, the victim in the story, is helpless while fleeing her home and has no worldly wisdom. The psychopath is unpredictable and the cop is very precise and talks only when necessary.

While the story is fairly straightforward, KV Guhan places his central character Tulasi in tricky situations where there’s no hope in sight and she trusts everyone blindly. Even when she meets Vishnu on the move, the filmmaker doesn’t thrust the romantic angle upon the viewers and only suggests that they may like one another. The advantage of Highway is its relatability. Vishnu is no superhero and just a regular youngster who reacts to a crisis smartly and fights for the safety of a girl.

The situations in the second-hour force Vishnu to take charge of the situation even as the cops are in pursuit of the criminal. KV Guhan never lets Vishnu become the overpowering saviour and makes the character behave more like a common man. The captor-captive relationship between D and Tulasi is intriguing and takes an interesting turn when the latter even rescues him from a near-death situation. Does the captor’s approach change as a result? The silences in the film create enough tension.

In the climax, when you expect the obvious, Guhan weaves in a terrific poetic/spiritual twist that makes you look at the entire situation in a new light (doing my best to avoid a spoiler!). Unlike most thrillers made in Telugu cinema, the film isn’t very ‘talky’. With good sound design and the focus on the atmospherics, it may have even made for captivating viewing in a theatre. Simon King’s background score does the job well though the songs don’t make an impact at all.

Abhishek Banerjee, in a universe less deadly than his pathbreaking show Paatal Lok, makes for an unusual serial killer. He has very minimal dialogue and that contributes to his unpredictability. Anand Deverakonda fits the bill in a boy-next-door role and Saiyami Kher has the perfect body language to play a cop. Manasa Radhakrishnan, in her Telugu debut, is apt in a ‘damsel in distress’ character. John Vijay makes his presence felt in a brief yet crucial role, while Surekha Vani and Satya perform well within their limitations.

The thriller could’ve done with a more eventful narrative even while keeping the realism in check. The technical appeal of the film feels compromised on a few occasions owing to budgetary limitations. The film truly gains its momentum in the second hour and sustains its focus henceforth.

Verdict:

Highway is a thriller worthy of your time. It’s sluggish to take off but picks up momentum well. Anand Deverakonda yet again shows his desire to be part of meaningful cinema, respecting the creator’s vision and doesn’t strive to be the regular mainstream hero. Abhishek Banerjee enacts the part of a psychopath like a walk in the park. However, it’s Saiyami Kher who’s the surprise package with a focused, assured performance. Manasa Radhakrishnan has a good start to her Telugu career. Director KV Guhan, in his comfort zone, delivers what’s expected of him.