Movie: Pindam
Rating: 2.5/5
Banner: Kalaahi Media
Cast: Sriram, Kushee Ravi, Eswari Rao, Srinivas Avasarala, Ravi Varma, Manik Reddy, Baby Chaitra, Baby Leisha, Vijayalakshmi, Srilatha and others
Music: Krishna Saurabh Surampalli
DOP: Sathish Manoharan
Editor: Sirish Prasad
Production Designer: Vishnu Nair
Producer: Yeshwanth Daggumati
Written and Directed by: Saikiran Daida
Release Date: Dec 15, 2023
Among the films released this Friday, "Pindam" generated the most buzz before its release.
Let's see if the film delivers the scares that its makers promised.
Story:
Annamma (Eeswari Rao), a specialist in dealing with spirits and possessed persons, recounts a case involving Anthony's family in the 1990s that tested her. Anthony (Sriram), his wife Mary (Kushee Ravi), and their children move into a bungalow that he purchased. For several years, the house had been empty.
Mary is expecting her third child. Strange things start to happen in the place they live. Annamma discovers that they are haunted by a couple of spirits. Why have the evil spirits chosen Anthony and his family?
Artistes’ Performances:
Sriram and Kushee Ravi, the couple who were targeted by the spirits, are perfect in their roles. Sriram has successfully transitioned from lover boy to family guy. His performance is convincing. Kushee Ravi does an excellent portrayal as a pregnant mom attempting to protect her family.
Both kids are fantastic. Eeswari Rao, who plays the specialist dealing with ghosts, not only has a new look after a long time, but she also gives the film the required weight with her strong performance. Ravi Varma and Avasarala both play their brief roles well.
Technical Excellence:
Horror films are most successful when the sound design and background score are captivating. While all of the technicians, including the cameraman and art director, have done an excellent job, the music director and sound designer deserve special recognition. Their work is terrific.
Highlights:
Some scary moments
Performances of the main actors
Music and Sound design
Drawback:
Typical narration
Lack of strong elements
Difficult to watch episodes
Analysis
The makers of "Pindam" claimed that the plot is based on an actual incident that occurred in Nalgonda a few years ago. The tragedy may have motivated the new director to make this film, but the concept and narration aren't new to horror lovers.
The makers also stated that this is the scariest Telugu film ever made. True, there are some scary moments.
The film is pretty interesting at first since the eerie setting and mood were successfully produced using sounds, music, and cinematography. But they dry up after a few minutes. The same terrifying moments become monotonous, and there is a lack of a thrilling factor and the story is quite regular.
First and foremost, "Pindam" contains no novel tale other than the backstory of the spirits haunting the mansion. The film follows the narrative style of numerous ghost stories.
Many films have featured the premise of a family moving into a new house and encountering a ghostly presence. Even the character of Annamma and her ghostbusting skills are reminiscent of Hollywood films such as "Conjuring."
Of course, we shouldn't expect to see anything new in such horror films, but a riveting story is required for moviegoers to sit through it. Exactly here, the director falters.
Annamma's whole tantric arts episode is tiresome. The discovery of the underlying cause of the spirits' possession of the house is critical to this film. This episode is difficult to watch. It is hard to watch them without closing eyes.
The flashback sequences and climax have more brutality and gore than riveting storytelling.
While the new director has succeeded in providing scary moments and creating the mood, he has failed to sustain it.
Overall, "Pindam" is a standard horror thriller with some genuine scary moments and surprises, but the storyline dries out quickly as the film proceeds and ends up being a generic horror drama.
Bottom line: Typical Horror