‘Chaturam’ movie review: An unimaginative thriller that brings to life an old racy novel

almost everything that one would expect to be in chaturam It actually happens in the movie after watching the trailer, except for a few minor twists here and there. This says a lot about the lack of imagination that is at its heart. Anyone who has become familiar with the racy novels that used to flood markets decades ago, written with the intention of providing cheap thrills and equal measure, can easily grasp the similar vibe and see where the narrative goes. is going.

But the script written by director Siddharth Bharatan and Vinoy Thomas is an attempt to make chaturam More intelligent than he really is. Aldho (Alencier Le López), a wealthy man, marries Selena (Swasika Vijay), a woman much younger than him, who sets the tone in the neighbourhood. As they descend into Eldho’s house located in the middle of a vast estate, he inflicts brutal violence on her. Perhaps because of the helplessness of her situation, Selena takes it for granted and acts as if nothing serious has happened. For example, in the morning after a violent attack, she invites him to a game of chess.

When Aldho has a major fall, and is lying on the bed, the equations change. The arrival of Balthazar (Roshan Mathew) further complicates matters, but of course we clearly know where this is all heading. Still, it’s not the film’s fatal flaw. It is in the lens through which the film views its central character, Selena, the quintessential female fatale. Although the script is intended to be of her mind and is portrayed as manipulative enough to bring everyone under her control, it is only for the most part obsessed with her body, except for a few scenes such as She hires a lawyer in her place. , Maybe that’s why they forgot to talk much about her past, which could have given us a better idea of ​​why she does what she does.

The camera behaves almost like most of the men in the film who approach her, doing so with sensual eyes. It seems convenient to label the film as an “erotic thriller” for this purpose. His inner world, and the conflicts within him, thus remain unknown to us. The only interesting aspect that is explored a bit in the script is the conflict that Balthazar faces when Selena asks him to do something for their bright future. Balthazar is no victim here, as he is second only to Selena in coming up with devious plans to get what he wants, yet he is incapable of evil beyond certain limits.

But these few promising deviations don’t end there save a film that doesn’t deviate too much from older sources, which is unfortunate given some of the brilliant novels best known to co-writer Vinoy Thomas.

Chhathuram is currently running in theaters