When sources of inspiration are quite hard to come by, Mahesh Narayanan limits his sources only to newspapers, and makes it his job to personify the emotions of characters revolving around the central theme. This was the case in “Take-Off” and history repeats itself in “C U Soon”; this time centered around the UAE and a group of people who are deceived into opening the Pandora’s Box.
Much like “Searching”, this found-footage-techno-drama is one format where logic needs to find a perfect place to sit within the film; and to that extent, we have Fahadh Faasil who is seated in one place for the majority of the film, being a hacker by profession. His role is not only instrumental in advancing the plot but also covers the logical loopholes set up by the storyline.
This is one such genre where cinematography allows jittery frames, as they align with the overall feel. The storyline on its own is capable of engaging its audience with minimal effort, given the mastery and command over the craft. The movie opens with the tinder account of Jimmy (Roshan Matthews), and one doesn’t even need to read his bio to understand how desperate he is to get a girl. His Tinder account lands him on Anu (Darshana Rajendran) who doesn’t even have a sim card of her own and chats only through her Google account.
The plot of the movie unravels itself like a series of knots, one after the other; and just like that 98 odd minutes slip by unnoticed. The angle of investigation often brings with it an element of spoon-feeding the story (especially in this format) to explain the premise of the movie. However, “C U Soon” nails the art of storytelling without anything of that sort and allows us to connect the dots pretty easily. In addition to the hair-raising story, the video clips and images are more than enough to trigger chills of horror of the real-life characters.
It must also be appreciated that the real-life facts are used only to aid the audience in envisioning the plight of such people, and are not tailored into just a documentary. Even when the news clips of the original cases are provided, there is always an element of mystery in the story. This ensures that the viewers are invested in the storyline, allowing them to connect with the emotional aspects of the movie.
The characters, be it Fahadh, Roshan or Dharshana, all have the next-door-neighbor look, making it all the more relatable. Take for instance, the profile of Anu - every section of her background, the photos corresponding to it and even the way she talks serve as a reflection of who she is without making it superficial.
The acting goes above and beyond one's expectations for this movie. Every single actor steals the show, even just Fahadh’s eyes, conveying subtle yet sublime expressions. Roshan Mathews has delivered a terrific performance and even in scenes of panic and rage, he ensures not to go overboard with any theatrics.
Not many actors that I have seen, are capable of delivering more than just what the scene calls for, and portraying the many layers of the scene with the subtlety that Fahadh exudes. Even complex expressions like ‘suppressed happiness’ are expressed beautifully through just his smile. The music by Gopi Sundar enhances these emotions and makes the audience feel them with as much depth.
The storyline which takes time to all fall into place ends in a fashion unlike that of a detective novel. Even the highs of the movie are portrayed inside a computer screen without many camera angle shifts, which may not appeal to everyone. But taking everything into consideration, “C U Soon” elegantly transforms an incident into a story, and ultimately provides an enjoyable experience to its audience.
