Film: Matinee
Producer: Parvathi S Gowda
Director: Manohar Kampalli
Starring: Sathish Ninasam, Rachita Ram, Aditi Prabhudeva, Nagabhushan, Shivaraj K R Pete and others
Off late, many horror comedies have been releasing in Kannada and all the actors are trying their luck in this genre. Sathish Ninasam starrer ‘Matinee’ is another film in this genre, but sadly the fails to be either a horror film or a comedy.
The film starts off with a woman going to a police station to report about her missing daughter. Meanwhile, three friends head to meet their best friend Aruna (Sathish Ninasam) to force him sell his mansion, so that they get a hefty commission. As they walk into the house, they understand that the house is haunted and there is a spirit inside the house. What happens next forms the crux of the film.
Like all the horror films, this film also centres around a haunted house. But this house is not as spooky as the rest of the other films. Not only the house, as told earlier the film is neither a horror film or a comedy. There is nothing great which makes the audience either laugh or fear in this film.
The film has nothing great of a story to boast off. Apart from the regular thrills, there are a few flashbacks and a love story which makes the film even slower. With the exception of a few sequences, ‘Matinee’ lacks any unexpected features. The narrative falters as soon as the ghost is revealed.
The film looks rich, thanks to Sudhakar Raj’s cinematography. Poornachandra Tejaswi’s music and background music is also another highlight of the film. However, the film fails due to bad performances. Sathish Ninasam and Rachita Ram looks jaded on screen. Even the fans of the actors feel letdown by their performances. Aditi Prabhudeva, Shivaraj K R Pete, Nagabhushan have done their bit. The comedy sequences featuring Tabla Nani are irritating.
Last but not the least, one does wonder why the movie is titled as ‘Matinee’. The film is nowhere connected to the title and the film might have been titled as ‘Matinee’ just because it is catchy.
