127. Bramayugam; movie review

 

BRAMAYUGAM

Cert 15

140 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, bloody images

Oh, this is good. A black and white thriller that will leave audiences needing to sleep with the lights on.

Bramayugam is set in the 17th century and centres on Thevan (Arjun Ashokan), an escapee from the Portuguese slave trade.

He runs through a thick forest when he falls upon a mansion and hopes for respite, shelter, and food.

He is met by the master (Mammootty), who is eating heartily and asks him to be his guest in return for a Malayalam song.

At first, it appears that he is just an arrogant old man who is especially harsh towards his cook (Sidharth Bharathan), but gradually, he becomes much more sinister.

Rahul Sadasivan's film barely moves from the mansion, and the trio are the only players in the movie for all but five minutes.

Thus, it has the feel of compelling theatre combined with some very creative cinematic techniques.

Ashokan is brilliant as the low-caste escapee who finds himself under the master's spell on several levels.

Bharathan equals him as the more weary-worn and cynical cook who knows the story behind the creepy set-up.

But Mammooty is the stand-out. Drawing from his vast experience, he acts his socks off, his maniacal laugh accompanying some terrifying moments.

I loved Bramayugan because its scares are mainly left to the imagination.

There are moments of violence, but the intensity is created by the darkness and the cook's tales of the hideous past.

Reasons to watch: Intense and thrilling

Reasons to avoid: The nasty eating habits

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 9/10

Did you know? Art Director Jothish Shankar and his team sourced around 3000 grow bags of grass for the mansion's exterior design. It was grown over four months to reach the desired length.

The final word. Raul Sadasivan: "Since I wanted to tell a period drama, I knew that it had to be told in black and white. Mammootty was my only choice for the central character. I knew that only he could bring the power and enigma of that aged character on screen." The Hindu

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