Eleven, starring Naveen Chandra and others, was released in theatres today. In this section, we are going to review the latest box-office release.
Plot:
IPS officer Aravind (Naveen Chandra) is aghast to learn that a series of brutal charrings to death of men and women in their 30s has lately been rocking Vizag. Since the identities of the victims remain untraceable, Aravind finds it all the harder to zero in on the probable identity of the killer. When he discovers some accidental clues, he is led to a once-famous school. Who is the killer? What is his or her motive? That's what the film is all about.
Post-Mortem:
Eleven mostly unfolds as a whodunit, with the final stretches dedicated to the unravelling of the serial killer. There is also an overlong flashback that never tires of explaining and verbalizing every single emotional beat. For the rest of the film, the police department escalates its incompetence to unprecedented levels.
A gang has been robbing gold finance companies in the city. Aravind, supposedly the smartest cop in the solar system, cracks the case by attaching a GPS to a gold stash. Whenever he does such elementary things, he behaves as though he is a maverick genius. And everyone around him tends to agree with his self-conceit.
After he takes on the high-profile serial murders case, he delivers unintentionally hilarious punches. "The killer is so smart. He is burning the dead bodies of his victims to such an extent that they are unrecognizable," he declares. When his intellectually stilted and emotionally bland subordinate (Dileepan) asks him why, the Sherlock Holmes of Vizag, with a razor-sharp expression, says, "Because the bloody killer doesn't want us to guess who he might be." In another scene, he declares with great intellectual clarity that they must check with the mechanic shops in the locality to know about a scooty that a victim had given for servicing. That's the advantage of having a super-smart investigator like Aravind on a case. The regular cops waste their precious time by first checking with super-speciality hospitals, followed by the Alekhya Pickles ladies, before realizing that they must reach out to mechanic shops.
By and by, it dawns upon the viewer that Eleven is among the dumbest investigative whodunit stories that one can ever conceive. Yes, there is some justification to why things unfold the way they do, but even so, the rank inefficiency of the police department shows. None of the conversations Aravind and other cops hold sound remotely realistic.
Reyaa Hari plays a smitten girl in whose presence the hero behaves as though he is a statue born to be a voluntarily celibate. Aadukalam Naren plays a City Commissioner and in our movies, City Commissioners have only one job to do: shout at their stiff subordinates about the constant media and political pressure. Ravi Varma and Abirami play school correspondents. Kireeti Damaraju, who was never supposed to do serious roles, is back to doing what he was never supposed to do. This is Naveen Chandra's weakest performance in years. His assistant cop gives him a run for his money by literally going deadpan.
Closing Remarks:
Eleven stumbles as a poorly conceived investigative thriller, weighed down by illogical plot points, unintentionally hilarious dialogue, and a shockingly inept portrayal of the police force.
