125. Bakasuran; movie review

 

BAKASURAN

Cert 15

155 mins

BBFC advice: Contains  sexual violence, strong violence, threat

Crikey, Bakasuran is well outside of the comfort zone of Indian cinema and no surprise, therefore, that it has created a social media furore.

But those who are claiming that it attacks any particular caste or suggests that women bring sexual assault upon themselves clearly haven't watched the movie.

This is a gritty and violent thriller aimed at the men who exploit innocent girls through cyber blackmail.

The initial recordings are very mild (in one case a kiss) but the girls are are so fearful of home reaction that they become slaves for the unscrupulous.

Mohan G's film stars Natarajan Subramaniam as a former army major who now documents real-life crime on YouTube.

By tragic coincidence, he finds his own family at the heart of the aforementioned exploitation when his niece commits suicide over blackmail.

His investigation leads him to a prostitution ring which the establishment seems powerless or unwilling to break.

Meanwhile, a strange religious gypsy (Selvaraghavan) is wandering the country and begins a murderous rampage.

Selvaraghavan is an intriguing lead - on the face of it a grotesque killer but with more than a hint that there could be justification to his slayings.

Meanwhile, Subramaniam is effectively the film's narrator, holding the story together as horror emerges around him.

As said, there has been much debate about Bakasuran but, by western standards the violence is moderate and it is important in highlighting the ghastly trend of girls and young women being exposed on the internet.

It does the latter with great potency and keeps tension high throughout although, at nearly two and half hours, it is too long.

Reasons to watch: Unusually griity subject matter for an Indian film

Reasons to avoid: Unnecessarily stretched

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know?  In 2021, the eastern state of Assam in India had the highest number of cyber blackmailing offences compared to approximately 359 cases registered with the authorities in the rest of the country.

The final word. Mohan G: "After the Covid-19 lockdown, I met a friend who was using an app where girls used to do anything they were told to do, for a mere sum of 200-400 rupees. They were being exploited to the limit, and the girls who were involved in this were in the age group of 18-25. Bakasuran speaks about these incidents and the measures that need to be taken at this time.” Only Kollywood

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