''Bramayugam'' () is a 2024 Indian
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
-language
period
Period may refer to:
Common uses
* Period (punctuation)
* Era, a length or span of time
*Menstruation, commonly referred to as a "period"
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Period (music), a concept in musical composition
* Periodic sentence (o ...
folk horror
Folk horror is a subgenre of horror film and horror fiction that uses elements of folklore to invoke fear and foreboding. Typical elements include a rural setting, isolation, and themes of superstition, folk religion, paganism, Human sacrifice, sa ...
thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...
written and directed by
Rahul Sadasivan and jointly produced by
YNOT Studios and
Night Shift Studios. The film stars
Mammootty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, ...
,
Arjun Ashokan
Arjun Ashokan (24 August 1993) is an Indian actor working in the Malayalam film industry. He is the son of the actor Harisree Ashokan. He played supporting roles in his career with notable performances in '' Parava, B. Tech, June,'' '' Vara ...
and
Sidharth Bharathan
Sidharth Bharathan (born 26 May 1983) is an Indian actor, screenwriter and film director who prominently works in Malayalam films. He hade his acting debut in '' Nammal'' (2002) and directional debut in '' Nidra'' (2012). . It contains elements of
sacred mystery
Sacred mysteries are the areas of supernatural phenomena associated with a divinity or a religious belief and praxis. Sacred mysteries may be either:
# Religious beliefs, rituals or practices which are kept secret from the uninitiated.
# Belief ...
,
myth
Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...
and
folklore
Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
of
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
.
''Bramayugam'' was released on 15 February 2024 in
black-and-white
Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings.
Media
The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...
format. It received positive reviews from critics with praise for the cast performances, cinematography, music and production design.
The film was a box office success, grossing over 85 crore and became one of the
highest grossing Malayalam films of 2024.
Plot
In 17th century
Malabar, Thevan and Koran arrive at an unfamiliar, forested area and camp there for the night. During the night, Koran is seduced and killed by a ''
yakshi
Yakshinis or Yakshis (, , Prakrit: ) are a class of female nature spirits in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious mythologies that are different from Devas and Asuras and Gandharvas or Apsaras. Yakshinis and their male counterparts, the Yaks ...
''. Thevan runs away, discovering a ramshackle ''
mana
Mana may refer to:
Religion and mythology
* Mana (Oceanian cultures), the spiritual life force energy or healing power that permeates the universe in Melanesian and Polynesian mythology
* Mana (food), archaic name for manna, an edible substance m ...
'' in the morning. While trying to crack open a coconut to stave off starvation, he is found by the house's cook. He is brought before the lord of the ''mana'', Kodumon Potti, who asks his whereabouts and upon learning he is a ''paanan'' (folk singer), requests him to sing for him.
Potti compliments Thevan on the song and insists that he stay in the ''mana'' for the rest of his life, despite his desire to leave. The cook, while showing Thevan his room, discourages him from asking questions about the house or investigating any areas that are off-limits. Over the next few days, he discovers from the cook that the Potti is a descendant of the sorcerer Chudala Potti, who was gifted a mystical goblin helper, a ''
chathan
Kuttichathan is a goblin-like being in Malabari Hindu folklore, often depicted as a portly adolescent boy, sometimes described as having a '' kutumi''. Kuttichathan's tricks (such as setting his victims clothing on fire, throwing rocks at his vi ...
'', by the goddess
Varahi
Varahi (, IAST:) is one of the Matrikas, a group of seven mother goddesses in the Hindu religion who bears the head of a sow. In Nepal, she is called Barahi. In Rajasthan and Gujarat, she is venerated as Dandini.
Varahi is more commonly v ...
. His constant torture of the ''chathan'' turned it vengeful, and it went on to kill Chudala Potti and his family. Kodumon Potti, a strong sorcerer in his own right eventually defeated the Chathan and chained him in the mansion's attic.
One day, Thevan sees the cook digging a grave in the backyard, presumably for himself. Terrified, he tries to leave, but is unable to. He then realizes that he has lost his memory, unable to recall even his own name or when he arrived at the mansion. The cook tells Thevan that the grave is not meant for him, but for the real Potti. The Potti downstairs is in fact the ''chathan'' in disguise, who imprisoned the real Potti in the attic and drove him insane, leading to his eventual death. The only way that the cook and Thevan could escape the manor is by defeating the ''chathan'' by extinguishing an
ever-burning lamp located in a secret chamber in the granary, and then trapping it in a special chest.
During an argument with impersonator Potti, the cook steals the key to the chamber from Potti's waist. He opens the chamber and blows out the lamp, weakening the ''chathan''. Thevan and the cook then fight the chathan. The cook, now revealed to be Potti's illicit son, grabs the ring and sets the ''chathan'' on fire, causing the creature inside to emerge. As the rightful heir to the ring, the cook attempts to put it on, which would legitimize his ownership over the ''chathan'', but is stopped by Thevan, who believes that the ring's power will corrupt him. The two start fighting while the fire destroys the ''mana'', causing it to collapse over them.
Thevan is shown walking away from the ruins of the ''mana'' but is attacked by the cook. During the struggle the cook realizes that he is not the real Thevan, but the ''chathan'' in disguise. The real Thevan is then shown to have presumably died from the collapse of the mana. Terrified, the cook runs away into the forest and comes across an
imperial Portuguese soldier while crossing the river. He tries to attack the soldier but gets gunned down. A platoon of Portuguese soldiers emerge from the forest, cross the river, and march towards the mana's direction, while the ''chathan'' in Thevan's body is seen leaving the area, wearing the ring.
Cast
*
Mammootty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, ...
as Kodumon Potti
*
Arjun Ashokan
Arjun Ashokan (24 August 1993) is an Indian actor working in the Malayalam film industry. He is the son of the actor Harisree Ashokan. He played supporting roles in his career with notable performances in '' Parava, B. Tech, June,'' '' Vara ...
as Thevan, a ''paanan'' (folk singer)
*
Sidharth Bharathan
Sidharth Bharathan (born 26 May 1983) is an Indian actor, screenwriter and film director who prominently works in Malayalam films. He hade his acting debut in '' Nammal'' (2002) and directional debut in '' Nidra'' (2012). as Potti's cook
*
Amalda Liz
Amalda Liz is an Indian film actress, who works in Malayalam films.
Career
Amalda Liz started her career in 2016 with the film ''Kammatipaadam'' and later appeared in movies like '' C U Soon'', '' Ottu'' and Sulaikha Manzil. She became known f ...
as
Yakshi
Yakshinis or Yakshis (, , Prakrit: ) are a class of female nature spirits in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious mythologies that are different from Devas and Asuras and Gandharvas or Apsaras. Yakshinis and their male counterparts, the Yaks ...
*
Manikandan R. Achari as Koran, Thevan's friend
Production
Development
In August 2023, it was reported that
Mammootty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, ...
and
Arjun Ashokan
Arjun Ashokan (24 August 1993) is an Indian actor working in the Malayalam film industry. He is the son of the actor Harisree Ashokan. He played supporting roles in his career with notable performances in '' Parava, B. Tech, June,'' '' Vara ...
were collaborating for the first time for a horror thriller film. The film is directed by
Rahul Sadasivan. On 17 August 2023, Mammootty shared a poster featuring a haunted mansion and revealed that the shooting for the film had begun.
Titled ''Bramayugam,'' the film was launched on the occasion of
Chingam 1.
Chakravarthy Ramachandra
Chakravarthy Ramachandra is an Indian film producer who has worked on Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam-language films. After beginning his career as an independent producer, he joined YNOT Studios as its CEO.
Career Early career
He continued ...
launched a production house exclusively for horror films,
Night Shift Studios, debuting with ''Bramayugam''. The film was scripted by Rahul Sadasivan and novelist
T. D. Ramakrishnan penned the dialogues. At the launch of the film, Sadasivan noted that the story is "rooted in the dark ages of
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
".
Shehnad Jalal was announced as the cinematographer and Christo Xavier as the music director, while Jothish Shankar worked on the film as a production designer.
Sadasivan revealed that he wrote ''Bramayugam'' before ''Bhoothakalam'' during the
COVID lockdown, and it took him eight months to complete it. T. D. Ramakrishnan helped him develop the script and make the dialogue nuanced to fit the period the story is set in. As the film is set in the 17th century and being a period film, he conceived it in black-and-white format.
Casting
Cast members announced during the film's launch included
Arjun Ashokan
Arjun Ashokan (24 August 1993) is an Indian actor working in the Malayalam film industry. He is the son of the actor Harisree Ashokan. He played supporting roles in his career with notable performances in '' Parava, B. Tech, June,'' '' Vara ...
,
Sidharth Bharathan
Sidharth Bharathan (born 26 May 1983) is an Indian actor, screenwriter and film director who prominently works in Malayalam films. He hade his acting debut in '' Nammal'' (2002) and directional debut in '' Nidra'' (2012). and
Amalda Liz
Amalda Liz is an Indian film actress, who works in Malayalam films.
Career
Amalda Liz started her career in 2016 with the film ''Kammatipaadam'' and later appeared in movies like '' C U Soon'', '' Ottu'' and Sulaikha Manzil. She became known f ...
.
Reportedly, Mammootty takes on the role of the antagonist, who allocated 30 days to the film, while Arjun Ashokan portrays the protagonist with 60 days allocated for the film. In September 2023, Makers revealed a special first look poster of Mammootty on his birthday and as per reports he will be playing a character who practices black magic in the film.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
for the project began on 17 August 2023, coinciding with the first day of the
Kerala New Year.
The shoot started at
Kochi
Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...
's MJI Studios with a customary
pooja ceremony. The film was shot across various cities in Kerala including
Ottapalam
Ottapalam (also spelled Ottappalam) is a town, taluk, and municipality in the Palakkad District of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Ottapalam taluk and is located approximately 34 km (21 mi) from the Palakkad (district ...
,
Athirapally and
Kochi
Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...
. Mammootty finished shooting his portions by 16 September. The filming wrapped on 18 October 2023.
Music
The music for the film was composed by Christo Xavier. Din Nath Puthenchery, Ammu, and Maria Alex have penned the lyrics.
Marketing
The first look of
Mammootty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, ...
from ''Bramayugam'' was released on the actor's birthday, featuring a sinister monochrome image. The trailer of the film was released on 10 February 2024, at a grand event held in
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
.
Release
Theatrical
The film theatrically released on 15 February 2024 in
Black and White
Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings.
Media
The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...
format.
The dubbed versions of the film in
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
,
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
,
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India
** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language.
* Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...
, and
Kannada
Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
was released on 23 February 2024.
Home media
The film premiered on
SonyLIV
Sony LIV is an Indian subscription video-on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Culver Max Entertainment. Sony LIV was introduced in 2013 as the first OTT service in India. As a streaming service, it provides live sports, origina ...
from 15 March 2024. The satellite rights of the film are acquired by
Asianet Asianet may refer to:
JioStar channels
* JioStar, is an Indian media conglomerate wholly owned by Disney India.
** Asianet, a Malayalam language general entertainment channel
** Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general entertainment channel
** As ...
and premiered on 30 March 2025.
Reception
Critical response
''Bramayugam'' received positive reviews from critics especially for the cast, production design, background score, sound design and cinematography.
Akshay P R of ''
DT Next
''DT Next'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by Daily Thanthi Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was launched on 1 November 2015 in Chennai, with Ninan Thariyan as CEO. On 30 June 2021, Thariyan resigned, and th ...
'' rated 4 out of 5 and wrote, "Director Rahul Sadasivan is yet again exploring the haunted mansion theme but is quite different from his previous film 'Bhoothakalam' as it was more of dealing with our own past, but Bramayugam (The Age of Madness) is more of a black and white film, in the horror-thriller genre to explore the power pattern in history." Nikhil Sebastian of ''
Pinkvilla
Pinkvilla is an Indian entertainment and lifestyle platform. As of June 2022, Pinkvilla has over 50,000,000 visitors on its website and app.
Overview
Pinkvilla covers entertainment and lifestyle stories. Its coverage extends to Hindi cinema, ...
'' rated 4 out of 5 and verdicted, "Bramayugam stands out as a cinematic gem that transcends the typical horror genre. With a captivating blend of mystery, drama, and the rich mythical folklore of Kerala, it offers a compelling narrative that captivates audiences". Sanjith Sidhardhan of ''
OTTplay
HT Media is an Indian mass media company based in Delhi. It has holdings in print, electronic and digital media. HT Media's flagship newspaper is the ''Hindustan Times'', the second most widely read English newspaper in India after ''The Times of ...
'' rated 3.5 out of 5 and reviewed, "Mammootty's Bramayugam benefits richly from its engaging screenplay, cinematography and performances, which makes the viewer forget that it's a black-and-white film and lets you enjoy the magic of cinema."
Reviewing for ''
The News Minute
''The News Minute'' is an Indian digital news platform based in Bangalore, Karnataka. It was founded by Vignesh Vellore who is also the current CEO in 2014. Apart from Karnataka, it also has bureaus in the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, ...
'', Sukanya Shaji stated, "The heart of this monochrome horror thriller is, of course, Mammootty. Even as Potti makes your stomach churn in disgust, Mammootty makes you want to clap for his versatility as a performer. Arjun Asokan and Sidharth Bharathan perhaps have more screen time than Mammootty, and make good use of it, though some scenes make you think that the characters could have benefitted from the experienced craft of more seasoned actors." ''
The New Indian Express
''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naidu ...
Vignesh Madhu rated 3.5/5 and reviewed, "While Bhoothakaalam saw Rahul expertly handling psychology and supernatural elements, he blends folklore and horror in Bramayugam to create a terrifying atmosphere where almost every moment is an event. Nirmal Jovial from ''
The Week
''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's edi ...
'' rated 4 out of 5 and verdicted, "Bramayugam has a major reliance on visual storytelling, but its memorability isn't derived from visual gimmicks or jump scares. Instead, it's the intricate world-building orchestrated by Sadasivan, with significant support from Ramakrishnan, within a confined yet evocative setting, that truly captivated this reviewer."
''
Firstpost
Firstpost is an Indian news website owned by Network18 Group, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC TV18. It has posted misinformation on multiple occasions.
The Network 18 group was originally owned by Raghav Bahl. In January 2012, the gro ...
'' rated 3/5 and reviewed, "What really drives the film home is the performance by the lead actors. Mammootty is going all out with his out of box choices because this is probably the most sinister, and terrifying character that I have seen him portray. Everything about this film is experiential. Starting from the dark insides of the theaters to the sound and music in the film. It is ethereal how the beautifully all aspects of the film come together to achieve this feat. Janani K of ''
India Today
''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media, Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' laun ...
'' rated the film 3/5 and said, "‘Bramayugam’, with an intriguing story, gifts you an immersive experience. And Mammootty strikes yet again". ''
Deccan Herald
''Deccan Herald'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published from the Indian state of Karnataka. It was founded by businessman K. N. Guruswamy and launched on 17 June 1948. It is published by The Printers Mysore, a privately hel ...
s Arun Antony rated 4/5 and reviewed, "Arjun Ashokan surprises as the paanan but Siddharth Bharathan stands out as the cook. Overall ‘Bramayugam’ makes a lasting impression and anyone who is a fan of ‘
Tumbbad
''Tumbbad'' is a 2018 Hindi-language period film, period Folk horror, folk horror film directed by Rahi Anil Barve. Additionally, Anand Gandhi served as the creative director, and Adesh Prasad served as the co-director. Written by Mitesh Sha ...
’ should watch it". Anna Mathews of ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'' rated 3.5/5 and wrote, "The script, the direction and art direction cultivates the eerieness and makes the film scary. But the story with bits of class politics and religious philosophy sometimes lacks a flow and does not make things very clear." Reviewing for ''
Onmanorama'', Swathi P Ajith wrote, "The film seamlessly merges horror, thriller, and folktale elements, with horror subtly woven into the shadows and sounds. Rather than relying on jump scares, the movie crafts a claustrophobic atmosphere, gradually building a sense of terror." Analysing the film for ''Onmanorama'', Sajesh Mohan wrote about the power politics depicted in the movie, "Rahul's 'Bramayugam' and Jijo's 'My Dear Kuttichathan' depict the manipulation tactics of power-hungry people who ensnare gods and demigods like Chathan, Karinkali, Yakshi, etc., exploiting their vulnerabilities to instil fear and exert control over fellow beings."
Box office
The film collected 3 crore in
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
on its opening day and grossed over globally in the first weekend.
In the next three days crossed at the box office. On eleventh day, the film entered the club. ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'' reported that the worldwide collection is and overseas collection is stands at in fifteen days.
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, tt27431598
International Film Festival of Kerala
Indian drama films
2020s Malayalam-language films
Films set in Kerala
Indian black-and-white films
2024 films
2024 horror thriller films
2024 psychological thriller films
Indian supernatural horror films
Folk horror films
Mystery films
History of Kerala on film
Films set in the 17th century
Films shot in Kochi
Films shot in Ottapalam
Films shot in Chalakudy
Indian religious horror films
Indian psychological horror films
Indian psychological thriller films