Film: Vikrant Rona 

Cast: Kichcha Sudeepa, Nirup Bhandari, Neetha Ashok and Jacqueline Fernandez

Director: Anup Bhandari

Rating: 2 Moons

Mystery-thrillers are not new in the Indian film industry. Makers have been presenting intriguing stories in the form of this genre for a long time now. A much not needed addition to it is Anup Bhandari’s Vikrant Rona starring Kichcha Sudeepa. The film, which also stars Jacqueline Fernandez, Neetha Ashok and Nirup Bhandari, is as unbearable as it gets. Based on a remote village in the middle of tropical rainforest in South India in the 20th century, the film takes us through the lives of the villagers as they start witnessing a series of unexplainable events which they attribute to the supernatural. 

The 2-hour 15 minutes long film begins with a little girl being kidnapped in the midst of a jungle. No further details are shown about the incident and the story soon moves to back-to-back mysterious murders in a South Indian village. Soon, a new inspector Vikrant Rona (Kichcha Sudeepa) is appointed to solve the murder cases. However, Vikrant, who is a pro at handling criminals and solving mysteries, has a secret of his own. With the help of Panna (Neetha Ashok), Sanju (Nirup Bhandari) and Rakamma (Jacqueline Fernandez), Vikrant catches hold of some of the most dangerous goons but all at a cost to pay. 

Recommended Read: The intention behind casting Jacqueline Fernandez was not to market 'Vikrant Rona' in Bollywood but because she fitted the bill: Kichcha Sudeepa

What happens next is just a series of extremely confusing events that make this murder-mystery painful to watch. The storyline of Vikrant Rona is as perplexed as it gets. There are too many back stories involved with no treatment given to the plot. The way the story is presented will leave you unengaged and bored at all times. It seems like the makers were confused about the genre of the film themselves. In the beginning, you feel it is a horror film, then it takes a turn to become a thriller but in the end, what we are left with is a dissatisfying mystery thriller. 

A talented star like Kichcha Sudeepa is wasted in Vikrant Rona. Even his star power and flawless action could not save the day for this half-baked story. Jacqueline Fernandez has nothing to offer on the acting front, she just impresses with a dance number in her special appearance. Nirup Bhandari and Neetha Ashok lend decent support to the story in terms of acting. 

Anup Bhandari’s direction fails to make an impact and his writing is disappointing. Cinematographer William David captures the action aptly and gives it a powerful aspect but Ashik Kusugolli’s editing fails to make an impact. The music by B Ajaneesh Loknath is actually extremely disturbing and is anything but a treat to one's ears!

Watch Vikrant Rona at your own risk!

PeepingMoon gives Vikrant Rona 2 Moons!