Niranj Maniyanpilla in ‘Gu’
| Picture Credit score: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
A picturesque rural setting, a gaggle of youngsters, a sprawling conventional home (tharavad), a land wealthy in people lores and beliefs, and a bunch of nice actors. All these ought to have been sufficient for a gripping movie within the fingers of an skilled director or scenarist. Gu, filmmaker Manu Radhakrishnan’s debut characteristic, tries to offer the chills and thrills anticipated in a movie that offers with spirits and the supernatural.
Gu (Malayalam)
Director: Manu Radhakrishnan
Forged: Saiju Kurup, Maniyanpillai Raju, Niranj Maniyanpilla, Aswathy Manoharan, Devananda
Runtime: 127 minutes
Storyline: Members of a household collect at their ancestral home for a ritual to take care of sure supernatural incidents. Sai arrives along with his household and get entangled within the spooky happenings there
Gu begins with a teenage woman who’s believed to be possessed by the spirit of a younger woman who had met with an unnatural loss of life on the premises of the household residence. To assist her mother and father, the prolonged household comes again their roots to carry out rituals to exorcise the spirt and take care of the spell of unhealthy luck that appears to have affected completely different remembers of the household.
The plot hinges on the parable and perception of Gulikan and tries to provide it a brand new interpretation by depicting him as a pleasant supernatural being that appears out for kids. Cinematographer Chandrakanth Madhavan’s frames captures the verdant greenery and provides a touch of the spookiness that even essentially the most blandest of environment can evoke.
Sai (a splendid Saiju Kurup), Nimisha and their daughter Minna (Deva Nandha) arrive from Bengaluru along with his household. Maniyanpillai Raju, Sai’s maternal uncle, arrives along with his differently-abled son and so forth. Sai’s scientific mood rebels in opposition to the superstitions and beliefs of his kinfolk. Mithran, enacted delightfully by Niranj Maniyanpilla Raju, is a cousin who enjoys spending time with the children within the household.
The humour is supplied by Mithran’s antics as he tries to cowl his worry with some bravado and tall tales. He performs a pupil of Ayurveda who’s serious about studying extra in regards to the medicinal values of herbs and vegetation.
The thread of the story expands because the director spends time displaying the kids bonding with one another and with Mithran. Youngster actor Deva Nanda is her ordinary assured self. The one to look out is the teenager referred to as Appu.
After the preliminary scenes of {the teenager} being possessed by a spirit, the director takes his time to relate the story of a household attempting to maneuver ahead within the 125-plus-minute film.
Manu, who has additionally written the script of the movie, can’t make up his thoughts whether or not it’s a horror film rooted in folklore or a psychological thriller.. The folklore half is explored in the direction of the top of the film with a Theyyam representing the Gulikan and its perception among the many native residents.
A scene during which the ladies of the household get possessed by the spirit might have been dealt with extra subtly. Some scenes of a scarecrow (reminding one of many Marvel comedian anti-hero Sandman) coming to life, courtesy the spirit, added a touch of thrill and horror.
What Manu will get proper is the way in which youngsters bond and frolicked collectively. Sure scenes evoke nostalgia because the city-bred youngsters uncover the fun and enjoyable in a rural atmosphere within the firm of Appu.
If you wish to watch a household drama with some supernatural folklore, then that is the movie for you.
Gu is at the moment working in theatres
