Chola movie review highlights: A study of power equations and fear

You get exactly what you expect in Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's

Chola

.

A first half centred around three people, a young 'couple' and an fearsome older man, it instills an uneasy feeling with its atmospheric locales, music and cinematography. Nimisha Sajayan is excellent as the schoolgirl who decides to sneak away with her boyfriend for a day trip to the city, only to regret it from the get go.

Akhil Viswanath holds his own as the boyfriend out for a good time. Joju George is a scary presence whose intentions are unclear and seemingly unpleasant. With the youngsters trapped in a bad situation, you are left hanging with tension at the halfway break of this 116 minute movie.