PremiumKalasa Review - The Bhanu Sree horror thriller gets going only in its second act
Kalasa stars Bigg Boss fame Bhanu Sree in a lead role. The horror thriller is directed by Konda Ram Babu. Vijay Kurakula is the music composer
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Last Updated: 08.17 PM, Dec 15, 2023
Story
Tanvi (Bhanu Sree) is an aspiring writer who writes thrillers. She finds a producer and gets the project okayed. But as he asks for a few changes in the climax, Tanvi heads to her friend Kalasa's (Sonakshi Varma's) house for further discussion. But as she does not find Kalasa there, Tanvi decides to wait for her. This is the moment she starts facing weird situations in the house. At first, Tanvi thinks that Kalasa and her sister Anshu (Roshini) are pulling her leg. The next day, Tanvi gets the shock of her life when she learns that both Kalasa and her sister had passed away a month earlier. What happened to the sisters? Is the house haunted? And how Tanvi found out the truth is the basic story of the film.
Review
Kalasa is a psychological thriller that has a familiar backdrop but the presentation is new. Director Konda Ram Babu chooses an interesting line but unleashes it only in the second half. He has used the entire first half to reveal the characters and create a horror comedy. This is where the film goes for a toss. The entire story of the film kicks off with a very interesting interval bang. Until then, Kalasa has silly comedy that is over the top.
There are a few thrills that create a scary factor in the narrative but time and again, these thrills are sidelined by the silly comedy scenes and lack of seriousness in the narration. But once the second half starts, Kalasa starts making sense. The twists in the tale are narrated interestingly.
The best part of the film is the scenes that showcase the mysterious deaths of the two sisters. Their backstory, how they fall into trouble, and how they get killed are showcased interestingly. The twists and turns that the story takes during this time are executed neatly. The climax is a bit different, though, as the director has given the film a new ending that is different from regular films.
When it comes to performances, Bigg Boss' Bhanu Sree gets a lead role after a long time and she impresses big time. She makes full use of the opportunity and makes sure that she gets noticed as Tanvi. Sonakshi Verma played the titular role and she was good with her looks and acting prowess.
As mentioned earlier, the comedy scenes in the film do not create much of an impact and dilute the story. Racha Ravi's comedy with Bhanu Sri is not that great. Roshini, who plays Anshu, does her role quite well. Ravi Varma, who plays the cop, was neat in his role.
Kalasa has decent music by Vijay Kurakula but his BGM should have been impressive in a few horror scenes. The camerawork showcasing the haunted is quite good. The production design and artwork are neat. The editing is not up to par, as so many scenes in the first half should have been trimmed for better viewing.
Kasla has a unique backdrop and the story looks very interesting on paper. If the makers had reduced the comedy quotient, brought in the key twists in the first half, and worked on the emotions, the output would have been a lot better. But still, the film holds your attention in the second half.
Verdict
On the whole, Kalasa is a horror thriller that clicks in the second half. To enjoy the thrills and impressive twists, one needs to sit through the lethargic first half. Once you do that, Kalasa has passable thrills that are executed neatly.