It isn't too hard to figure out what or who is the reason behind the whole whodunnit angle in this film.
Gangadhar Salimath's directorial 'Grey Games'. (Supplied)
Starring Jai Gopinath and Vijay Raghavendra in the lead, Grey Games follows the life of Abhi, a young college goer whose life revolves around gaming and his girlfriend Julie.
When his girlfriend is found dead, he deals with mental issues.
When an astute psychologist takes over his case, he realises there’s more to why Abhi has become a recluse. What really happened to Julie? — form the crux of the film.
There has been a lot of curiosity about Grey Games, as the film did get a premiere at IFFI last year. Also, the makers have promoted it as a thriller set in the metaverse.
Only a few films deal with these newer concepts in this generation of alpha male action dramas. This was another reason why this movie generated interest among audiences who look for content-driven cinema.
Grey Games does have some elements of gaming and metaverse, but the makers have packed in many more ideas towards the second half, making it derail from what it ought to have been.
And for those who follow their dose of thrillers, it isn’t too hard to figure out what or who is the reason behind the whole whodunnit angle in this film either.
This is where Grey Games ends up being underwhelming. What could have been edgy or fresh ends up being caught in a conundrum that is self-created.
Some cliches are visited in terms of the plot round-ups in the pretext of being clever with the twists. Eventually, this doesn’t land right.
Vijay Raghavendra and Bhavvana Rao played the lead in ‘Grey Games’. (X)
While the two male protagonists, Abhi and Dr Ram (played by Jai and Vijay Raghavendra respectively), are well etched out in terms of their complexities and shadows, the women characters don’t seem to have as many layers in the writing.
These women — a concerned mother, a dead girlfriend, an honest cop and a troubled actor — are all quite essential to the plot. But the treatment of their characters, when being fleshed out, seems hackneyed.
The makers have left breadcrumbs for a trail for some of their clever plot points throughout the story, but these could have had a little more solid foundation.
However, when it comes to the performances of the lead actors, Vijay Raghavendra and newcomer Jai are both good in their roles.
Bhavvana Rao and Shruti Prakash seem a perfect fit for their roles. Ishita Singh has a complex role and tries to do her best.
As far as the gaming addiction and metaverse aspects go, the former is only seen in a unidimensional way (read ill-habit) for most of the narrative. The metaverse aspect just makes for some decent graphics-led visuals for certain parts of the film.
The actual problem related to the crime thriller and the drama is far removed from this gaming circuit and could have been placed with any other cool urban backdrop.
The other Achilles’ heel for this plot is some of the casting of the bad guys, who don’t show terror but evoke laughs at inopportune moments.
Grey Games had the potential to be something new and different in the cinemascope, given it deals with cyber crimes that aren’t often spoken about on screen.
But the old-school treatment of the plot does not work. But, some of the performances of the lead actors make it a tolerable watch.
(Views expressed here are personal.)
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