Chase…In the Dark review: Radhika Narayan excels in edgy whodunit thriller

3.5/5

Story: Two different cases – one of a murdered woman who’s been chopped to pieces and another of an accident that has a visually-challenged ‘witness’ – have something in common. Piecing it together, though, comes at immense personal cost for the investigating officer, CCB Inspector Avinash (Avinash Divakar) and the witness, Nidhi (Radhika Narayan). Can they get to the bottom of it after all?

Review: Last year’s Golden Star Ganesh starrer Sakath was about a visually-challenged person ‘witnessing’ a crime and then having to prove the same without the faculty of vision. In the Suni directorial, of course, Ganesh was only pretending to be visually challenged, and had to keep up his charade to solve the case.

Director Vilok Shetty’s Chase… In the Dark has a faintly similar track, in the sense that the protagonist cannot see, which, in turn, has sharpened her other senses, and yet is witness to a crime. Here, Nidhi (Radhika Narayan) is actually visually challenged, having lost her sight as the result of an accident and has, therefore, been working extra hard to hone her remaining senses to a higher level of perception.

Vilok’s handling of Radhika’s character is one of the major highlights of the film – perhaps one of the best representations of a visually-challenged person, including the reliance on tactile surfaces to move around, body language, etc. Radhika makes the most of the meaty role she’s been given and sinks her teeth firmly in it. The actress even gets to be a part of some action sequences, which she pulls off really well; don't be deceived by her slender frame - she can pack in a mean punch. 

Avinash Divakar’s investigating officer is a no-nonsense cop who goes about his work diligently and has nothing larger-than-life about him. The actor, who also fills in as art director on the film, is at his best in his interactions with colleagues, Nidhi, etc., as part of the investigation, but that level of comfort appears to be lacking in the romantic scenes and song. In fact, the same can be said about Sheethal Shetty. Avinash and Sheethal do not make a great romantic pair, but he as a cop and she as a doctor in a ‘corporate hospital, have some of their best scenes in their professional spheres.

The film has a decent list of supporting characters, like Rajesh Nataranga, Shwetha Sanjeevulu, Sudha Belawadi and Arjun Yogi, among others, each delivering what is required of them and making Chase a good one-time watch.

Verdict: The final twist in the tale may not come as a big surprise if you’ve watched enough whodunit thrillers. And yet Vilok delivers a film that is edgy and keeps you glued to your seat. The film is just under two-and-a-half-hours long and could have been even more crisp if the comedy scenes with Tulu/Kannada comedian Aravind Bolar had been avoided. They don’t have any value add to the overall narrative. Chase…In the Dark is not the most ingenious thriller on the block, but it is interesting, no doubt. If you’ve been wondering what to watch in cinemas this week, this could be it.