Psycho-horror thriller starring Revathi and Shane Nigam, explores the dynamics of the relationship between mother and son
Overwhelmed by the success of Rahul Sadashivan past tense (past tense). Says the filmmaker over phone from his hometown Palakkad, “I had never expected so much love and appreciation for my small film.
Currently streaming on Sony Liv, the thriller tells the story of Asha (Revathi), a single mother and kindergarten teacher, and her unemployed son, Veenu (Shane Nigam). Medically depressed Asha and Veenu have a strained relationship due to various reasons. Only then do they get to see strange incidents at their rented house.
Behind its simple setting, the ghosts of the past hide past tense. Rahul admits that he has always been a fan of horror films. “I like to scare people. The genre attracted me. There are so many variations in the genre. I realized there is room for experimental work in Malayalam. There is no blood, gore or porn scenes in it.past tense, It is basically the story of a mother and son. And the scariest part of the story is that the ghosts don’t even enter the terrifying house with the characters at all times. The challenge was in expressing that sentiment. Everything depended on the performance and the atmosphere.”
strong artist
Rahul wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay with Sreekumar Shreyas. “I had Revati” Cheechi And kept Shane in mind while writing the story because I needed powerful actors. I put this idea firstCheechi, I didn’t know Revathi’s real name is Asha! She was really happy with the coincidence. As far as Shane is concerned, I like the subtlety of his acting. I also wanted to try the new mother-son duo on screen. And it worked. ,
The 35-year-old has a Masters in Animation and VFX from the University of South Wales and learned filmmaking from the London Film Academy. his first film, red rain (2013), a sci-fi thriller about the incident of the same name. “Afterwardsred rain, I took a break. I had to live with my family. Since I was away from the industry for so long, I was kind of a newcomer looking for a manufacturer past tense, It took time to get everything right. This was my second chance and I wanted to capitalize on it. It was Shane who took the project to Anwar Rashid, who came to present the film.” Shane is also the co-producer of the film.
The film was shot in and around Kochi after the first lockdown. It took a while to find the right home though. The house had to complement the story. The team needed a normal looking house, not a house with the haunted house features one would expect from horror movies. “I was particular about the position of the bedroom, the type of floor, the construction of the windows, the ceiling… other things. However, the focus was always on the two central characters.”
setting the mood
Gopi Sundar’s background score reinforced the central idea, says Rahul. “They fixed the theme music, but didn’t want to overplay it. We have moved away from the format where the music supports a scene. Instead there is silence in most of the sequences, especially in the first half. We have a new look to watch. Wanted to give the experience and we believe the experiment worked. I also had a script for the sounds, which was designed by Vicky and Kishan (Sapta).” About 80% of the movies had sync sound recordings.
The sole song of the film ‘Ra Tharame’ has been written, composed and sung by Shane.
Having Shahnad Jalal, an “experienced and thorough professional” cinematographer, was another strong point. “Most of it is visual story and for that I had to do a storyboard. I sketched everything and it was possible with their help. We choreographed the scenes and got them down on paper first so that we could shoot everything according to the storyboard. ,
Revathi and Shane Nigam in ‘Bhootkaalam’ directed by Rahul Sadashivan. photo Credit: special arrangement
He insisted that the film is not about people with clinical depression. “It is a sensitive subject and it was woven into the narrative only as an underlying factor. Even the horror element was secondary. The film is about the resolution of issues between two characters. They are scared and once they resolve to take on what is happening around them, all hell breaks loose. Ultimately the dire circumstances change the dynamic of their relationship.”
While the film is serious, Rahul says he had a lot of fun on the sets.
tell ManichitrathazuTouted as the best horror film in the world, Rahul says, “It is a classic. Everything about the film is a class apart. Maybe that’s what inspired me to handle horror as a filmmaker. ,
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