Miral is a slasher thriller directed by M Sakthivel. It begins with Rama (Vani Bhojan) having a weird nightmare in which a stranger is trying to assassinate her family. Gradually, we get to understand that there is something that disrupts the peace in their lives — that’s when Rama and her husband Hari (Bharath Srinivasan) plan to travel all the way to the former’s hometown temple. After the rituals, Hari and his family decide to travel back home that very night because of work commitments.
On their way back, a masked intruder wrecks their car and threatens to harm the family. What exactly goes on, and why Hari’s family is targeted during this terrible act forms the core of the story.
Miral had a good start with a few interesting moments. But because the story developed and several disclosures were presented in the second half, the primary impressions of this movie changed. The movie would have been a lot better, had the director been true to the slasher genre — and not included emotional aspects toward the end.
The director made a mistake by using a tried formula in the hope of appealing to a larger audience. This movie is nothing but a hit-and-miss. Although the first half’s jump scares were decent, reflecting on why they were added lessens the impact which it initially had.
If the reveal had been compelling enough, it would have met the audience’s expectations. Additionally, it appeared as if the story was being stretched at times — solely to keep the film going. And a few characters were a bit shaky, which kept us from fully engaging with the movie. But Bharath and Vani’s performances were on point. The actor who portrays Vani’s father, KS Ravikumar, also engaged the viewers till the end.
Miral isn’t technically very sound, it only partially meets the requirements. Overall, the film may appeal to some people — while for some, it may be a miss.
