18 Pages Movie Review: Slow in parts but engaging

The romantic love drama 18 Pages, starring Nikhil Siddhartha and Anupama Parameswaran, had a worldwide theatrical release today. Let's check it out.

Plot

Siddharth (Nikhil), an app developer by profession, discovers a diary by the side of the road inebriated. He later opens it and begins reading it, discovering that a girl named Nandini (Anupama Parameswaran) had written the journal two years before, in 2019. Siddhu falls in love with Nandini while reading and begins looking for her in the real world. Will Siddhu discover Nandini's location? What part does Dr. Sandeep (Arjun Kalyan) play in the entire setup? The backstory of Nandini forms the crucial crux.

Performances

Nikhil is ok with portraying himself as a man looking for his soul mate. His performance during the events of the second half gives the story dimension. Anupama Parameswaran, the romantic lead, is the star of this love story. Her transformation into an innocent girl is admirable and provides her with easy acting in the role she had the opportunity to play.

In his capacity as a physician, Arjun Kalyan does ok. Several important situations are more impactful by his dialogue scenes with Anupama's character. As the hero's best friend, Sarayu of Bigg Boss fame gets a substantial role. Her job is appropriately justified. The other actors, like Goparaju Ramana, are fine in their limited roles.

Technical Aspects

The music of Gopi Sundar is good. Gopi Sundar produced high-caliber work for the movie, whether it was the songs or the background music. Vasanth's photography is of the highest calibre. His work can be seen on the screen. The film's texture is brilliantly displayed, and the editing is fine.

Analysis

This film has a unique concept that relates to two different time zones. Despite a wonderful concept, the first half drags rather slowly and uses some forced emotions. The cinematic freedom employed at this point will undoubtedly change the audience's mood. The movie lacks any real coherence until the intermission.

However, unexpectedly, the movie's pace picks up in the second half when the hero begins an earnest quest for the heroine. The emotional scenes that appear at this point are skillfully performed. In a nutshell, 18 Pages is a soulful romantic love tale. Despite several clichés in the story, it will be a watchable film overall.

Final Verdict: Slow in parts but engaging