Miral movie review: Bharath, Vani Bhojan's thriller boasts of compelling ideas, but lacks solid punch

2.5/5

Story: A couple, who is worried about the spate of unfortunate incidents in their lives, decides to please a powerful deity in one of their ancestral villages. They travel to the small town along with their child pinning high hopes on their future. But the village which was supposed to solve their endless miseries poses a huge threat to their lives, thanks to various mysteries surrounding the place. The couple gets attacked by unknown people and evil spirits at an isolated place, leaving them horrified. Can they escape the terrifying clutches of unsolved puzzles in the village? 

Review: M Sakthivel's Miral deals with an intriguing plot which resorts to a narration which relies on multiple genres. The director has attempted to cleverly shift its genres at crucial junctures and focuses completely on deceiving the audience with twists. 

The film begins with an arresting sequence that involves a three-member family. The manner in which the scene has been staged gives you chills. But when we get hooked to the proceedings, we are deceived by showcasing that it was a dream one of the characters in the film had. The movie offers more of such misleading moments to keep viewers entertained. 

Hari (Bharathi) and Rema (Vani Bhojan), a Chennai-based couple who are distressed over frequent inauspicious events in their life, are clueless over their future. Upon an advice from the latter's mother (Meera Krishnan), the two of them visit their village deity along with their child at the latter's ancestral home.

Rema's father (KS Ravikumar), who still holds grudge over the couple for getting hitched without his approval, forgets his differences with them and helps them with all auspicious ceremonies. Hari and Rema, who are hopeful of a new beginning, go back to Chennai with a fulfilled heart. However, little did they know that an unexpected attack from an unknown person and a couple of evil spirits would turn their life topsy-turvy.  

Miral, which is touted as a slasher film, begins as a horror flick. The plot is organically developed with the help of a few interesting moments. The emotional scenes involving the couple and Rema's family members do not dilute the movie's pace and curious factor. 

The pre-interval sequence stands out with terrific visuals from Suresh Bala which is complemented by Prasad's background music. The performances from Bharath and Vani lend adequate support to the staging in the scene. In fact, their chemistry is one of the convincing aspects of the movie. 

However, the screenplay turns tepid after a point and the proceedings start testing patience because of the repetitive moments. The character of the unknown attacker has been presented in a riveting manner; his unpredictable actions lift the film at certain junctures. But the inclusion of a couple of more characters spoil the mood, thus turning the whole set up into superficial ambience.

Danger Mani's stunt choreography is neat, though the plot offers more scope for action. The crucial twist that appears in the pre-climax portion and a backstory related to it turns out to be underwhelming. The director's repeated attempts to deceive the audience with smart twists fizzle out after a point. 

Verdict: With a promising plot and convincing chemistry between a few characters, Miral offers a few intriguing moments. But the flimsy twists and turns in the latter half end up disappointing viewers.