18 Pages Movie Review: Nikhil, who had a smash hit with Karthikeya 2, is back with a different love story called 18 Pages. Because of the success of Karthikeya 2, 18 Pages has been making headlines for a few days. It has an intriguing plot and an all-star cast, and one of the main reasons for raising expectations is that Sukumar wrote the story and carried the enormous expectations the film has released. Let’s find out if the movie is worth seeing or not.
Story
The protagonist of the movie is Nandini (Anupama Parameswaran), who avoids technology by not using a phone, Facebook, or Whatsapp. Sidharth falls in love with Nandini as a result, but as events unfold, he learns that she has a rare ailment that causes memory loss. When she learns she would lose her memories in a few days, she starts keeping a diary by recording her everyday activities. On the 18th page of her diary, a twist occurs when she is kidnapped and also loses her memory. The rest of the narrative is revealed when Sidhharth discovers her using her diary.
Cast & Crew
The movie, which also stars Nikhil Siddhartha and Anupama Parameswaran, was written by Sukumar, directed by Palnati Surya Pratap, produced by Bunny Vasu, and featured music by Gopi Sundar and cinematography by A Vasanth. Navin Nooli edited the work, which was produced by GA2 Pictures and Sukumar Writings.
| Movie Name | 18 Pages |
|---|---|
| Director | Palnati Surya Pratap |
| Music Director | Gopi Sundar |
| Producer | GA2 Pictures & Sukumar Writings |
| Genre | Love, Thriller |
| Cast | Nikhil Siddhartha & Anupama Parameswaran, Sarayu |
| Cinematography | A Vasanth |
Movie Verdict
It begins intriguingly by setting up the worlds of the main characters, and this is where we can see the Sukumar mark of introductions. The novel then moves into its true setting, where two opposing brains eventually collide, and the gripping drama maintains our interest. Although the first half had some loose ends, it does become engaging due to the tale and the interesting people. The first half’s love story was also nicely written, and the intermission turns were satisfying enough to pique our interest in watching the second half.
The second is a complete contrast to the first, which began with a lighthearted love story and some well-written dialogue. However, after Nandini is abducted, the second completely turns into a thriller, and from that point on, the racy screenplay and Siddharth’s discovery of her using her diary draw the audience into the narrative and make them feel like a part of it. Your mind will be blown by the twists during the pre-climax and climax, for sure. Overall, the first half drags, while the second half keeps the audience’s interest.
Speaking of the performances, Anupama as Nandini does a good job as her character necessitates a performance in both halves, which she pulls off with ease, and the rest of the cast did well. Nikhil‘s performance as Sidhaharth is partially good because it appears unnatural in some scenes, though he shone in others.
Technically, 18 pages is sufficient, but there was room for much more improvement. The first half of A Vasanth’s film features excellent cinematography, but when the second half of the tale switches to a thriller, the visuals fall short. Good work has been done by Gopi Sundar. There were a few good tracks. A strong background score is needed for the second half if the first half’s suspense and thrills are to be sustained.
The 18 Pages writing is fine, but Palnanti Surya Pratap only partially succeeded in telling the story in an engrossing manner, failing to maintain the suspense and tension in the latter half. Sukumar Writings has a separate fan base that believes Sukumar writes unique love stories that no one has ever told before, and 18 Pages is also a unique love story, but after Kumari 21 F he came up with a blend of love story and thriller that makes the film unique.
Overall, 18 Pages is an original love story with a hint of suspense that will appeal to all audiences.
Plus Points:
- Story
- Screenplay
- Twists
Minus Points:
- Lack of emotion
Rating: 3/5
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