OTT Review: Mansion 24

Anchor-turned-director Ormkar, who is known for his horror films, has come up with a horror series titled Mansion 24. The series stars Varalakshmi Sarathkumar, Rao Ramesh, Sathya Raj, Avika Goh and others. It is currently streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar. Let’s see how it goes.

Story:

Amruta (Varalakshmi Sarathkumar) is an investigative journalist. Her father Kalidas (Satya Raj) is an archaeologist but goes missing after an excavation. Archaeologists and police believe that Kalidas escaped with some valuable artifacts. The media branded Kalidas a traitor, which affected the health of Kalidas’ wife (Tulsi). Amrutha decides to unravel the mystery behind her father’s disappearance. She learns that Kalidas had visited the old mansion before going missing. She tells everyone to Amrutha that those who went to that mansion did not come back and warns her not to go there. But Amrutha risks her life and visits her mansion. What did she observe there? What happened to her father? Did Amrutha pursue the mystery? This is what this series is about.

Plus points:

This series is a collection of several short stories. The story featuring her KGF fame Archana Jois and Nandu is fascinating. The story may not be new, but it was presented in an engaging way. Archana Jois, Nandu and Bindu Madhavi gave good performances.

What’s even more impressive about Mansion 24 is its exquisite production design. His art director Ashok Kumar has done a great job creating the right atmosphere for his horror series. The production design is nicely complemented by stunning visuals. Varalakshmi Sarathkumar is decent in her role. Abhinaya, Avika Goh and Rajeev Kanakala did well in their limited roles.

Minus points:

The first three subplots are unengaging and fail to provide any thrills. The storytelling pattern is similar to Dharna Mana Hai and Dharna Zaroori Hai, but the story ultimately lacks punch. The story with Avika Goh as the main character is fine on paper, but things move smoothly without any chilling moments or scary scenes, and here the execution is ruined.

As far as the main characters are concerned, there isn’t much effort in writing them. Sathya Raj, Rao Ramesh, Jaya Prakash and Tulsi are fine actors but the weak script is a letdown. The poorly designed characters and lack of emotional depth weigh heavily against the show. The climax can be seen from miles away. It’s very mundane and sadly it’s expressed in a pale way.

The way the show ended was really bad. I understand that the creators wanted to keep the show accurate, but the character growth needs to be strong to keep you hooked on the show. Horror movie clichés and tropes are very common in Mansion 24. They have become commonplace now, and it would be better if producers let go of these clichés. Excessive use can cause fatigue.

Technical aspects:

Vikas Badisa’s background score and music are great, but the poor writing makes it watered down. Rajasekhar’s cinematography is amazing. The series looks rich and the production values ​​are good. The VFX work could have been a little better. Editing is done according to the director’s vision.

As for director Ohmkar, his work on Mansion 24 was below average. As mentioned earlier, there are several short stories in this series, but only two of his are appealing. Other stories have no effect. Omkar’s horror film is a blend of comedy and horror elements. In Mansion 24, the director chose to focus solely on the horror aspect, and that’s perfectly fine. However, the way the story is presented is not very good and the ending is predictable. The horror elements are monotonous.

verdict:

Overall, Mansion 24 is a horror thriller that mainly relies on the usual horror elements. Some subplots are memorable, others are not. The main plot is not very well written and the actors don’t have much room to act. The big plot twist is easy to predict and the show ends as usual. Mansion 24 primarily benefits from good technical values ​​such as impressive sound design, rich visuals, and a good background score. However, the overall experience is not satisfactory.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.5/5

Review by 123telugu team

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