Connect Review - A Compressed Version of Hollywood Classic "The Exorcist" Set In Lockdown

Ashwin Saravanan's Tamil horror thriller, Connect, starring Nayanthara, Sathyaraj, Anupam Kher and Haniya Nafis, might remind you of William Friedkin's groundbreaking horror flick, The Exorcist (1973). This isn't a remake, but what's different in both films? Literally nothing. Then why not call it a Tamil version of that classic horror flick? Anyways, I am a huge fan of The Exorcist, but tell me who isn't. That film has stunned many generations of movie buffs. Not just the box office, but also the impact of that film is unbeatable (the biggest hit ever in the horror genre), and I can't blame other filmmakers. The days of James Whale's horror classics were gone by then, and yet the film came up with a staggering concept of exorcism, and that too with a child in the centric role. There have been many exorcism flicks since The Exorcist, but all look underwhelming in comparison. Connect might please a small chunk of Tamil audiences, but the universal appeal is missing because the film lacks novelty factors. The only improvement comes from the idea of lockdown and the use of digital properties that are being used daily nowadays.The film is about a single mother, Susan (Nayanthara), and her daughter, Anna (Haniya Nafis), who test positive for COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic. The mother-daughter duo is quarantined at home, but they don't know that there is a third person with them in the same house. Anna is possessed by a demon, and the possession keeps growing each day for 14 days in a row. Susan then seeks help from a priest, Father Augustin (Anupam Kher), but he can't get out of his ghetto due to lockdown restrictions. The pastor suggests a virtual exorcism, but will it be that easy? Connect has some interesting climax there, and even if it is outright predictable, you are bound to feel the 'modern-day fear' there.Ashwin Saravanan and Kaavya Ramkumar's Connect has a direct connect to The Exorcist, with no changes in the basic script. The newness is found in digital properties, and the screenplay provides some brilliant pauses to a few breathtaking scenes. What Connect misses is unpredictability and innovative concepts. Haven't we seen all this exorcism stuff in The Conjuring Universe and many Bhatt Productions? We have. Then what's new here? The writers should answer. What worked for me was the way they used internet features to connect the same old story. Be it The Exorcist or any other film based on exorcism, none of them used features like mobiles, the internet, video calling, or lockdown. Connect surpasses the old garbage there.Nayanthara carries the entire film as the leading lady, but factually, it isn't her top performance. She has done better in the past; maybe this role wasn't enough. Haniya Nafisa has got most of the challenging scenes, which are above her maturity level. She seemed fine, to be honest. It isn't easy to mould yourself for difficult camera angles with heavy make-up. Sathyaraj fumbles; I don't know if it was a dubbing issue, but his character never looked into the character. Vinay Rai and Alex's cameos may not even stay in your memory by the time you see The End, while Anupam Kher's passionate pastor will pass the time without any interruption.Talking about the technical aspects, Connect has its own highs and lows. In highs, you can count cinematography and editing. They have done a lot of experiments with it, and all of them are fine. The sudden buffering and blackouts are well done. However, some scenes are very loose and should have been scrutinized. Don't know why, but some frames suddenly disappear with some horrible sound, and you don't even see a proper follow-up to them. These are some of the lows, including the outdated script. Ashwin Saravanan took on a risky film for a theatrical experience, and it is somewhat deserving too. It's just the story and screenplay that don't let his directing skills scream out loud. As a whole, Connect puts up an average horror show, that too because of the relatable reference of the pandemic. Watch it for those scary scenes if you are a horror cinema fan and don't care too much about the rest of the content.