ZEE5 Original THE FINAL CALL movie review is here. Starring Arjun Rampal, Sakshi Tanwar, Neeraj Kabi, Javed Jaffrey, Anupriya Goenka and others, the thriller web series is directed by Vijay Lalvani. With original web series in the race to make the maximum hay in the current digital sunshine, let’s find out in THE FINAL CALL review what ZEE5 has to offer in this thriller which has a promising assemble of some fine actors.
Most unique feature of THE FINAL CALL
The adaptation of Priya Kumar’s bestseller I WILL GO WITH YOU: THE FLIGHT OF LIFETIME by Vijay Lalvani is a rare phenomenon in thrills. It’s an intoxication that rightly takes its time only to ensure that the viewer gets comfortable with the characters before hinging on the cat and mouse chase, desired shocks with a psychological and philosophical twist that cuddles our mind and soul.
The story of THE FINAL CALL
A disturbed pilot of Skyline flight 502 Captain Karan Sachdev (Arjun Rampal), decides to give up on board. The packed flight has 300 passengers which include an astrologer Krishnamurthy (Neeraj Kabi), a business tycoon Siddharth Singhania (Javed Jaffrey), a budding writer Sarah (Paula McGlynn), a gorgeous flight attendant Giselle (Lydia Backhouse) and a dedicated Indian flight attendant Parineeta (Anupriya Goenka). In the mid air, the cockpit fails to respond and communication is lost. Mysteriously, reserve pilot Joe ( R. Bhakti Klein) is also not responding and is locked in his cabin. Airline officer Kiran Mirza (Sakshi Tanwar), along with the ATS officer Kale (Vipin Sharma) come into action to save the passengers. Karan Sachdev wants to negotiate with the lady airline officer and what happens next forms the crux of this nifty thriller.
Direction of Vijay Lalvani in THE FINAL CALL
Have seen the four episodes and Vijay Lalvani narration is intriguing to the hilt. Slowly and surely engulfing the audience with its mystery and the thoughts of the characters they see. Be it the vulnerable pilot Karan, the firm airline officer Kiran, the duty bound Parinneeta, the business tycoon who knows all, and the astrologer who can predict the future. Knowing that the flight is ill fated, the audience wants to be in the journey and that’s the biggest achievement of Vijay Lalvani and the writers. The fourth episodes ends on a perfect hook, still I don,t know who is right and wrong and I want to understand the thought process of every character more thoroughly in coming episodes. If constructing a thriller is like building your dream home, then direction of Vijay Lalvani is a very fine piece of architecture, that is soundly structured which uses every space to great effect, every character that gets an opportunity to appear and/or speak makes an impact. Even the props/materials like photographs, stones etc.
Performance
Arjun Rampal shows remarkable strength in his composure as the disturbed pilot who is fighting his inner demons and has taken the life of around 300 individuals into ransom.
The actor gives his character the required vulnerability, aghast, fear, pain and guilt with a restrained finesse that maintains the impact throughout.
The fantastic Javed Jaffery is so effortless as the business tycoon and plays it with such ease. Neeraj Kabi as the astrologer gives the movie the rare philosophical turn and gives a marvelous performance. Sakshi Tanwar comes strong as the airline officer who knows how to deal with criminals and is just terrific. Paula McGlynn as the writer leaves an impression. Lydia Backhouse looks pretty and does fine. Anupriya Goenka is competent and am sure she has much more in coming episodes to surprise us. Vipin Sharma and R. Bhakti Klein chip in with valuable support.
Technical Analysis
Shot like a feature with rich production values, THE FINAL CALL is technically polished with Yiannis Manolopoulos’s brilliant cinematography both indoors and outdoors. Nitesh Bhatia’s assured editing and Sameer Sawant’s apt production designing gives the movie the authentic feel. Special mention for Sujoy Dazz and Amber Das for the superb background score that keeps the momentum going uninterrupted.
Flaws
THE FINAL CALL is not a regular run of the mill thriller. It has its spiritual and psychological tones and it’s an interesting inter play of characters in different situations. At times it demands an insight which is not possible for each and every audience and it does takes it time and follows the time travel –to and fro format of storytelling.
Final words
THE FINAL CALL is not the run of the mill, it’s a rare special moment of thrills that cunningly plays on the expected lines of mystery but it remarkably plays the psychological mind-games at will and infuses some soul stirring psychology. Adding a unique sophistication to digital web series/movie genre, the movie ensures that there are genuine edge-of-the-seat tensions as well. The earnest display of professionalism in acting, writing and direction seen in the first four episodes makes it a cut above.