I am not a fan of horror films. The only few horror films that I have seen until now are because of my friends. One of the very few horror film that I voluntarily watched was ‘Bhoothakaalam’. The film was brilliant exploration of horror and mental health illness. When I heard he is collaborating with Mammootty for his next film, I was just excited.
Bramayugam is set in 17th century in South Malabar where a folk singer, Thevan (Arjun Ashokan) gets lost on his way home. He lands up in a palace, which looks deserted, but welcomed by the landlord Kodumon Potty (Mammootty). Despite being a upper caste person, he is nice and warm to Thevan, who is from lower caste. As he get into the palace, it gets eerie.
We experience the story through Thevan and Arjun Ashokan’s performance touches our heart. We too experience the shocks, surprises, sadness as the character. Siddharth Barathan as the cook was just phenomenal in the role. Throughout the film he kept on surprising me with his performance. And then there is Mammootty, who delivers very nuanced performance that keeps you hooked onto the screen. His performance just pierces into our mind.
The film’s horror isn’t in the jump scares, but how it haunts us even after hours coming out from the theatres. Not just the performances, a lot of things adds to the experience, right from the black white treatment to the amazing set design and sound design to cinematography. The film builds the world slowly and draws us into it.
Above all, the writing is layered and enriching. The way it explores power dynamics is hard hitting. The character arcs, performances are in line with the power angle. I am going to watch this film again despite not being a horror fan.
Verdict: Rahul Sadasivan has delivered a top notch film yet again.
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