The sheer talent in the Shane Nigam, the much-maligned bad boy of Malayalam cinema has never been in doubt ever since he captivated us in Parava (2017), Kumbalangi Nights (2019) and Ishq (2019). He ventures into new territory with Bhoothakaalam donning the producer's cap along with the lead role in a film that beautifully merges the psychological with the supernatural, to devastating effect.
Shane stars as a quintessential just-out-of-college youngster, struggling to find work in his hometown so that he can take care of his clinically depressed mother. It is hilarious that he chose to embrace rather than shun the image the media has painted of him to enhance his character arc here, with alcoholism and addiction to cigarettes and drugs depicted convincingly to give us more insight into the character's mental and physical breakdown.
The first half of the movie is definitely a drag, but one gets the feeling that it was by design by director Rahul Sadasivan, to let the audience feel how mundane, depressing and repetitive the lives of this consistently down-on-their-luck family has become. It is into these psychological scars and mental anguish that the director then deftly throws in a supernatural element, to catch the characters and more importantly, us, the audience completely off-guard.
I personally loved the use of minimalistic sound design and lighting, especially shadows to generate genuine scares and spine-tingling suspense. Revathi delivers an absolute tour-de-force performance as the protective but often overbearing mother, who struggles to let her son spread his wings and become independent. Shane Nigam plays an able foil to the veteran actress, with his mannerisms and demeanour deftly changing to suit the diverse circumstances his character goes through.
Bhoothakaalam is a cerebral amalgamation of the horror and psychological thriller genres and despite pacing issues, is rendered an absolute must-watch due to the performances of its two leads and an absolutely chilling final act that will leave you stunned.
Highly recommended!
