Bramayugam is a Malayalam film which was released on February 15 and has been making waves ever since. It stars Mammootty, Arjun Ashokan and Sidharth Bharathan and is a black-and-white period horror thriller set in the 17th century. The setting is intriguing (gives a déjà vu of Kantara) and the manner in which the story gets unravelled makes for a gripping watch. Writer-director Rahul Sadasivan completely succeeds in creating the eerie atmosphere. The twists in the second half are unpredictable and the film ends on a solid note. On the flipside, it is a bit too lengthy and secondly, due to the black-and-white colour and unusual narrative style, it takes a while for the audience to get involved in the tale. A few developments also raise questions. Mammootty, however, is out of the world and enhances the impact with his performance. Arjun Ashokan is apt as the vulnerable low-caste singer and the arc of his character seems convincing. Sidharth Bharathan shines, especially in the second half. Amalda Liz is apt for the part. All in all, Bramayugam is a marvellous effort and worth watching on the big screen. It’s running successfully with packed houses in urban cities across India and hence, will continue to be in cinemas for a few weeks.

My rating - *** ½ out of 5!