Araf Karsh Hamid

No Spoilers - My perspective on Bramayugam... An Iconic Movie... "Bramayugam - The Age of Madness" stands as a remarkable cinematic achievement, written and directed by Rahul Sadasivan. The period-appropriate dialogues, skillfully penned by T.D. Ramakrishnan seamlessly transports viewers to the 17th century. Director Rahul Sadasivan deserves praise for crafting this cinematic gem in captivating black and white. Shehnad Jalal's cinematography and Christo Xavier's music seamlessly blend into the narrative, immersing viewers in the historical landscape from the first five minutes of the film. The art and costume design further enrich the visual experience, particularly in their manipulation of light and shadow to enhance the black-and-white aesthetic. At the heart of the story are three central characters (99% of the time): 1. The Feudal Landlord, portrayed by Mammootty. 2. The Cook, played by Sidharth Bharathan. 3. The Folk Singer/Slave, depicted by Arjun Ashokan. Sidharth Bharathan and Arjun Ashokan deliver standout performances, fully embodying their characters' complexities. Bharathan's portrayal of the Cook's disdain for the Feudal Lord and Ashokan's gradual transformation from a meek slave to a courageous individual is particularly noteworthy. And then there's Mammootty, delivering a career-defining performance as the Feudal Landlord. His portrayal of Kudamon Potti surpasses even his acclaimed roles in films like "Vidheyan - Bhaskar Patel," "Palerimanickam - Ahmad Haaji," "Amaram - Achooty," "Mathilukal - Basheer," "Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha - Chandu," and "In & As Ambedkar." Witnessing Mammootty's character transformation as Kudamon Potti is an experience that transcends words – it must be seen to be truly appreciated. Certainly, the movie explores the concept of a loop, albeit in a distinct dimension. The final scene unequivocally solidifies the presence of a time loop within the narrative.

LJP’s Malaikottai Vaalibhan - fantastic metaphor… ‘കൺകണ്ടത് പൊയ്, കാണ പോകുന്നത് നിജം’ Visually Stunning with a fantastic background score, excellent editing, and well-written, it is a brilliant film by LJP. It’s very unfortunate that there are many bad reviews about the movie on social media. The reason is that most people didn’t understand the story, especially the climax. LJP is known for intellectual movies… This is another master class from LJP. Must theatre watch... If you haven't watched the movie, then stop here. *** Spoiler Alert ********************* Stage 1 (1st Fight - Arrogance) In a small village with innocent people, Arrogant Fighter is defeated. Stage 2 (2nd Fight - Cheating) In larger villages, Cheating is considered a virtue. The fighter is defeated even after trying to cheat the Protagonist. Stage 3 (3rd Fight - Slavery, Power, Greed) Slavery is considered normal. Power and Greedy rule the world. Stage 4 (Fight within - Jealousy, Suspicion, Murder) Jealousy and suspicion become normal. People started to put on masks to hide their true colours from others. They (people) don't understand each other anymore. The protagonist is falsely accused and has to bear the sins of others. Does this remind you of something? You will see that as society grows, more evil in society and innocence is lost forever. These stages clearly show a pattern of something we all know, we all learned in our childhood. Stage 5 - Revelation The origin of the protagonist. He is the Son of God! Now Check Stage 4, what happened to the protagonist.