9 to 12 - Movie Review

Ashok Patil has directed two Kannada movies like Joke Falls and Shaapa in the past. Now, the NRI director is back with movie 9 to 12. His third directorial venture is made with Hollywood standards, but the movie could have been more convincing if lengthy and unnecessary scenes were chopped properly.

The film 9 to 12 is a good suspense thriller and Kishore Kumar's excellent acting is the major attraction of the film. Niranjan Babu's camera work, Sai Karthik's music and sentimental scenes are the other highlights. The weaknesses of the film are wrong placement of songs and lengthy sequences.

Besides good direction, Ashok Patil has also penned wonderful story, screenplay and dialogues. He has got good grip over the narration of the film. In the first half, wrong placement of songs and a few dragging sequences may bore the viewers, but the film keeps the audience engaged in the second half. The director has mixed the sentimental scenes between mother-son and father-daughter with thriller elements very well.

Munna is an angry young man and he takes a loan to buy a car after he is sacked by his employer. Meanwhile, his mother is admitted to a hospital and the doctors demand Rs.300,000 for her operation. Munna seeks help from an underworld chap, who agrees to give him money with a condition that he asks him to transport a box in his ambassador car from Ramanagara to Devanahalli Railway junction between 9 to 12. What is there in the box? Whether he transports it or not? if he does, how does he do it? What happens in the end? All these questions are answered in the climax, which is fun to watch on the screen.

As Munna, Kishore has delivered wonderful performance in the movie 9 to 12. His dialogue delivery is excellent and he wins the heart of viewers in both serious and sentimental sequences. Nivedita a.k.a. Smitha is not good match for the role and she does not much scope in the film. BC Patil, BV Radha and Sanketh Kashi have also delivered convincing act.

In technical front, Niranjan Babu's cinematography stands on top and there are no complaint about his work. Sai Karthik's score is also good, but placement of a few songs could have been done in a better way. Make up, costumes and other technical stuffs are okay. Overall, it can be said that 9 to 12 is a wonderful movie and a little scissor work could have bettered its effects even more.

Producer: Nandish Dhananjay, Shivamurthy Kilara, Mahesh Balekundri, Karunakar Gurram, Sharath Kalpakoti

Director: Ashok Patil

Cast: Kishore Kumar, Nivedita, BC Patil, BV Radha, Mandeep Rai and Jayarama

Musician: Sai Karthik