Psycho - Review

Psycho matches the feeling of awe and horror that its name invokes. A journey into the deep dark world of a mentally-disturbed youngster, it will leave the audience petrified about the unknown world that lies inside everyone.

Interestingly, none of the film's stills were released before its release because the director wanted the audience to find the suspense and thrill at the theatre only the songs were used for publicity. So you go to the theatre knowing virtually nothing about the film apart from the fact that Psycho is inspired by the original English film of the same name directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

The Psycho in this film is a disturbed young man played by newcomer Dhanush. He has an abusive father who tortures him and his mother is dead. Hating his father, he isolates himself in a dark room. He is very fond of a girl, Pavani (Anitha), following her everywhere and helping in her every need without her knowledge. They communicate through phone and Pavani is unaware of his whereabouts. Soon he falls madly in love with Pavani.

When Pavani's father is hospitalized, the Psycho gives her money for his treatment. When Pavani comes to return the money, she finds that the bank account number that he gave actually belongs to an orphanage. Pavani starts believing that the person she is in touch with is a nice man. But to her horror, her doctor friend hears a poem that the Psycho narrates to Pavani over phone and while checking the past records, finds the truth that he is a dangerous psychopath. An angry Pavani screams at the Psycho without realizing the consequences that may follow. You have to watch the film to know the rest of the story.

Newcomer Dhanush is perfect for the role and has a good future in Sandalwood. His physique and expressions are apt for the role. Anitha as Pavani has performed well and is surely here to stay. Padmaja Rao and Balu have done full justice to their roles as the supporting cast.

The screenplay has been written very well but director Devadutt seemed to have lost the pace of narration in some scenes. One of the highlights is the music composed by Raghu Dixit. The songs are good and Sabhakumar has handled the camera well for a suspense movie.

Psycho does not offer a pleasant narration but for a film belonging to the generation of thrillers, it is definitely worth watching.

Director: Devadutt
Producer: Gurudutt
Music: Raghu Dixit
Camera: Sabhakumar
Cast: Dhanush, Anitha, Padmaja Rao, T.N. Srinivasamurthy (Balu)