Synopsis
In this period drama, Thevan arrives at the dilapidated mana of Koduman Potti and is given succor there, but he is shocked at the horrors that unfolda.
Review:
Mammootty seems to have thrown a challenge to Malayalam filmmakers to give him roles that push him and audiences out of their comfort zones. And for his part, he goes all out to create characters that surprise, fascinate and leave us awestruck. Rahul Sadasivan directorial Bramayugom, which he co-wrote with TD Ramakrishnan, is a period horror drama with elements of local fantasy. Mammootty plays Koduman Potti, who is the only surviving member of a crumbling, dilapidated mana, at which Siddharth is the help. Arjun Ashokan, a low-caste singer named Thevan, trying to escape slavery, ends up in the mana, which is surrounded by forests. Koduman Potti takes a fascination for Thevan’s singing and kindly offers him food and lodging, much to the irritation of Siddharth’s character. But when Thevan explores the sprawling house and goes out into the overgrown grounds, he realises that the house harbours dark secrets. Siddharth tells him that a chathan (demon) had killed generations of the Potti family, till Koduman finally arrived to lock him away. But perhaps, he has not been successful. The second half of the film is about how the duo join hands to try and free the house of the curve of the chathan, but will they be successful.
The script, the direction and the art direction by Jothish Shankar brilliantly cultivates the eerieness and makes the film scary. Shehnad Jalal's camera work is complemented perfectly by Shafique Mohamed Ali's editing, particularly in the bits where Thevan and the help are caught up in almost hallucinatory horrors, while trying to capture the demon. Christo Xavier’s music is also fantastic and there is a moment when Thevan remembers his home and the music changes to a melodic tenderness, which is lovely. But having said that, the story, with bits of class politics and religious philosophy, sometimes lacks a flow and does not make things very clear. That takes away from the storytelling. Mammootty keeps the viewers spellbound throughout, with the way he looks, his resounding laugh and the horrors he conveys. Siddharth plays down his character and you feel, at the start, that he could have taken it up a notch, but even with his even voice and demeanour, he is striking when the tempo of the story rises. He has done a great job with the overall look of his character. Arjun Ashokan is also good. Apart from doing a great job of causing delightfully scary chills, Bramayugam also has the nostalgic appeal of a grandmother’s tales.