U-Turn movie review: Alaya F's film is the weakest remake of a done-to-death story

Cast: Alaya F, Aashim Gulati, Priyanshu Painyuli, Manu Rishi, Rajesh Sharma

Director: Arif Khan

Language: Hindi

I’ve only seen the Samantha Ruth Prabhu U-Turn, there are many other versions of the story in many languages. So how could Hindi stay behind? It’s now time for Alaya F to step into the role of a journalist investigating the accidents that happen on a flyover due to a bunch of rule breakers. These are the nuisances that remove the divider blocks on the road to take an U-Turn that cause major accidents and deaths. Incessant traffic can always get on people’s nerves, and haste can make them do things that are illegal and unethical. There’s an interesting idea for a thriller and social commentary there, which Pawan Kumar’s 2018 film achieved with the right amount of tension.

In that film, when we first meet our protagonist, she’s having an intense yet amusing conversation with her mother. Out-of-the-blue, the topic on her office colleague she has a crush on pops up. Here, in the Hindi version, the chatter happens about cigarettes, alcohol, and condoms. Because what is a modern girl in Hindi cinema today if she isn’t unapologetic about her debauchery in the name of independence. Even with her office colleague Aditya, played by Aashim Gulati (He has a crush on her in this case by the way), the discussions happen around flings and finding true love. Alaya is more keen towards the former. The film is only 98 minutes long, and surprisingly, it’s a flaw.

The Tamil one allowed us to immerse ourselves into Samantha’s world, and her blooming romance with her crush. And once we had seen that story set, we were prepared to see the thriller in store for us later. Here, everything happens too quickly, before we can even give a damn about these people. And even when the thriller begins, the central character communicates exactly how she does with her mother and office friend. Alaya F is too stern in the initial portions; look at her scenes in the police station during the interrogation. It becomes hard to decide who’s interrogating whom the way she approaches her character, or the way the writing makes her play her character. It doesn’t help that writer Parvez Sheikh and Radhika Anand & director Arif Khan make a complete mockery of the police department.

There’s Manu Rishi for comic relief and so is a hammy Rajesh Sharma, once again going overboard after the recent Mrs Undercover. Even though the makers have kept the essence of the original intact, they tweak the end for effect. There’s a twist you won’t see coming, but by that time, the remake has missed the bus. It fails to reach its destination; maybe it took that very U-Turn that made the makers make this film.

U Turn is now streaming on Zee5

Rating 2 (out of 5 stars)

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