Director D. Rajavel's debut film "House Mates" takes the familiar supernatural horror route but manages to deliver some genuine surprises along the way.
The story follows Darshan, who loses his parents and marries his girlfriend Arsha Chandini Baiju despite the opposition from her family. The couple moves into a second-hand apartment in Velachery, but their peaceful life turns chaotic when paranormal activities begin. Arsha experiences these strange events first, but Darshan doesn't believe her until he faces them himself. Their search for answers behind these supernatural occurrences drives the plot forward.
Darshan handles romance and anger well, but struggles with deeper emotions, especially before the climax. Kaali Venkat carries the film's emotional weight and delivers the strongest performance. His final scene truly brings the story to life. Vinodhini Vaidyanathan adds good comedy and emotion to the film, though she occasionally goes overboard with her acting. Arsha Chandni Baiju does her job adequately without making much impact. Master Kenrick brings natural charm to his role, while Abdul Lee and K.P.Y. Dheena appear effectively in smaller parts.
The technical team does solid work. Cinematographer MS Sathish and editor Nisar Sharef handle the different time periods smoothly, keeping things interesting without showing off. Art director NK Rahul skillfully shows the same house across different eras with subtle changes. Rajesh Murugesan's music works well, especially the song "Akkalu Pakkalu," and his background score supports both funny and emotional scenes perfectly.
The film starts with typical horror movie elements... young love facing opposition, marriage against odds, the usual duet song, paranormal incidents affecting the heroine first while the hero stays doubtful. These familiar scenes initially feel tiresome and predictable. But halfway through the first half, when the supernatural backstory unfolds, the film finds its groove. The twist ignites real interest, and from there to intermission, comedy and surprises keep things engaging. The cast and crew clearly put effort into making these twist scenes work well.
The second half begins with comedy before shifting to emotional territory. The balance between humor and emotion keeps viewers engaged. Scenes involving MS Dhoni's World Cup-winning six and Chennai's 2012 events, plus a boy's birthday celebration, work particularly well and earn applause.
However, the emotional connection between Darshan and Arsha doesn't match the impact of Kaali Venkat's storyline, creating an uneven balance. As the film moves toward its ending, it tries to avoid predictable twists and offers some surprises with good pacing, but lacks clarity and creates minor confusion. Some logical gaps also appear within the supernatural world conceived by the Director. Despite these issues, Kaali Venkat's emotional climax performance hits hard and makes the journey worthwhile.
"House Mates" successfully combines twists, emotion, and comedy into an engaging supernatural experience. While not perfect, it makes viewers feel at home in its haunted world.