''Ezra'' is a 2017 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

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

horror

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 Jay K. The film stars

Prithviraj Sukumaran Prithviraj Sukumaran (Help:IPA/Malayalam, /pr̩t̪ʰʋiɾaːd͡ʒ/; born 16 October 1982) is an Indian actor, producer, director, and playback singer who primarily works in Malayalam cinema, in addition to Tamil cinema, Tamil, Bollywood, Hin ...

Priya Anand Priya Anand (born 17 September 1986) is an Indian actress and model who predominantly appears in Tamil language, Tamil films. She has also appeared in a few Telugu language, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam films. After pursuing higher s ...

(in her Malayalam debut),

Tovino Thomas Tovino Thomas (born 21 January 1989) is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He made his debut in 2012 with the film ''Prabhuvinte Makkal''. His breakthrough roles were in the films '' ...

, Sujith Shankar, Vijayaraghavan and

Sudev Nair Sudev Nair (born 14 April 1985) is an Indian actor and model who predominantly works in Malayalam films along with few Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada and English films. He is best known for his performance in '' My Life Partner'' (2014), for ...

in the leading roles. Principal photography began in late-June 2016. Major filming locations were

Fort Cochin Fort Kochi ( , ; Cochin Portuguese: ''Cochim de Baixo'', , Tamil: ''Koçhé Kōtàì''), formerly also known as Fort Cochin or British Cochin or Old Kochi, is a region of Kochi city in Kerala, India. Fort Kochi takes its name from the For ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. The movie grossed 50

crore Crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes the quantity ten million (107) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. In many international contexts, the decimal quantity is formatted as 10,000,000, but when used in the context of the India ...

at the box-office. It was remade in Hindi in 2021 as ''

Dybbuk In Jewish mythology, a (; , from the Hebrew verb , meaning 'adhere' or 'cling') is a malicious possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person. It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, some ...

''. The film was inspired by

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

horror film ''

The Possession ''The Possession'' is a 2012 American supernatural horror film directed by Ole Bornedal, written by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White, and produced by Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, and J. R. Young. It stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Natash ...

'' (2012; based on the 2004 ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' article "A Jinx in a Box?" by Leslie Gornstein about the allegedly haunted dybbuk box).

Plot

After the death of the last Malabar Jew in

Cochin Kochi ( , ), formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernaku ...

, an antique seller steals from his house. Among the looted item is a strange box with Jewish inscriptions. At night, an unseen force from the box mauls and kills a worker in the shop. ACP Shafeer Ahammed (

) is assigned the case but has no lead. Ranjan Mathew (

), a nuclear waste management specialist based in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

, is transferred to

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 ...

with his wife Priya Raghuram (

). Being both a

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

and a

Malayali The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, occupying its south ...

, Priya finds it hard to adjust to the shift of environment. On a

retail therapy Retail therapy or shopping therapy is shopping with the primary purpose of improving the buyer's mood or disposition. It occurs either due to people taking pleasure in shopping or during periods of depression or stress. Items purchased during p ...

, Priya buys the strange box from the antique shop. After she opens it, paranormal experiences begin. After settling in, Ranjan invites Father Samuel ( Vijayaraghavan), who looked after him as an orphan, to his house. Seeing the box, Samuel informs Ranjan that it is a

box. Ranjan consults

Rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

David Benyamin (

Babu Antony Babu Antony (born 22 February) is an Indian-American actor and martial artist, who works primarily in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in several Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Sinhalese, Hindi and English films. He started his career doing anta ...

) in Mumbai. Rabbi Benyamin tells Ranjan that the Dybbuk only possesses people with

mental instability A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

or children under 3 years, and whoever exorcises the Dybbuk becomes its worst enemy. The next day, Rabbi Benyamin dies. Ranjan learns that Priya is pregnant and realizes his child will be possessed by the dybbuk. Ranjan requests Rabbi Benyamin's son, Marques ( Sujith Shankar) for help. Marques arrives in Kochi and learns the Dybbuk's name is Abraham Ezra, which is written on the box in Hebrew. Ranjan and Marques contacts Joshua Yehudi, a former friend of Rabbi Benyamin. He gives them a book detailing the story of Abraham Ezra in 1941 in Thiru-Kochi. In a flashback, during his visits to Thiru Kochi, a rich

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

boy named Abraham Ezra (

) and a poor

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

girl Rosy (Ann Sheetal) fall in love. Rosy becomes pregnant with his son, but hides it from everyone. Ezra's father Yakoob Ezra refuses to let him marry Rosy because of their difference in statuses and beliefs. Months later, a depressed Ezra reluctantly writes to Rosy telling her to end the relationship. Rosy commits suicide in heartbreak. Finding Ezra's letter, Rosy's father along with the villagers confronts the father-son duo. In the ensuing scrimmage, Rosy's father is killed and Ezra is declared brain-dead by the doctors. An enraged Yakoob decides to take revenge on the town using

black magic Black magic (Middle English: ''nigromancy''), sometimes dark magic, traditionally refers to the use of Magic (paranormal), magic or supernatural powers for evil and selfish purposes. The links and interaction between black magic and religi ...

. He euthanizes and puts his Ezra's soul into a Dybbuk box. A wooden

mannequin A mannequin (sometimes spelled as manikin and also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off dif ...

is buried in Ezra's place, while his real body is dumped into the sea by Yakoob. The Dybbuk box eventually finds its way to Ranjan. Marques and Samuel take Shafeer into confidence. After digging up Ezra's grave and finding the mannequin, they believe Abraham Ezra's story is true. Later, it is revealed that it is not Priya, but Ranjan who has now been possessed by the spirit. Ranjan, as an orphan, had mental problems, and is vulnerable to the Dybbuk. The spirit, the group surmises, understands the meaning of Ranjan job of handling nuclear waste, and plans to control him to destroy the city. Marques, using Jewish exorcism rituals to exorcise Ranjan, sends the dybbuk back into the box. Marques and Shafeer throw the box into the ocean, like Ezra's body years ago. Priya gives birth to a healthy baby and she and Ranjan share the news with Marques. In a mid-credit scene, the box is found by two young men along the seashore. They carry it away, planning to open it.

Cast

Production

In February 2016, Jay K, who was an associate director to

Rajeev Ravi Rajeev Ravi is an Indian cinematographer, director, and producer from Kochi, Kerala. He's best known for his work in Hindi and Malayalam films. After graduating from Film and Television Institute of India, Pune in 1997, he started his caree ...

, announced that he will make his directorial debut through a film called Ezra. It was announced that the film will be a horror thriller involving a love story and will explore the history of

Jewish culture Jewish culture is the culture of the Jewish people, from its formation in ancient times until the current age. Judaism itself is not simply a faith-based religion, but an orthopraxy and Ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligion, pertaining to deed, ...

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 ...

. Jay K said that the film is not made to frighten the spectators, but has a strong plot. He also confirmed that the film will be dubbed in

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 ...

and

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 ...

languages. Mukesh R. Mehta, C. V. Sarathy and A. V. Anoop produce the film under the banner of E4 Entertainment and AVA Productions. Rahul Raj and

Tirru S. Thirunavukarasu (born 21 July 1966), better known mononymously as Tirru, is an Indian cinematographer and screenwriter who has worked in multiple languages across India. Born in Mullukuruchi village, Tirru became interested in photography ...

were roped in for the music and cinematography respectively. But both of them left the project for reasons unknown. While Tirru left in the early stage of production, Rahul Raj left after giving the song ''Lailakame''. The international distribution of ''Ezra'' was overseen by Josemon Simon.

Box office

The film grossed 1.6 crore in the opening day and 2.5 crore on second day from Kerala box office. It grossed 15.02 crore in its first week from Kerala . The film grossed around 40

from Kerala box office. It grossed 50

from worldwide box office.

Reception

Critical reception

K R Rajeesh of nowrunning has given a 3.5/5 and praised it for the extensive paranormal research and visuals. Indian Express rated it at 3/5. Ezra not only tries to frighten the audience but it has got an extraordinary storyline, too. It also tells the history of the Jews who once lived in Kerala. The remarkable flashback stays as a feeling of sorrow in the audience. It describes how the caste system and discrimination of the society spoils the relationships between people.

Music

Rahul Raj was signed as the composer of the film. He composed the song ''Lailakame'' and left the project for reasons unknown. Sushin Shyam, who had worked in ''Sapthmashree Thaskaraha'' was then selected to compose the background score in addition to two songs ("Thambiran" & "Irul Neelum"). The song ''Lailakame'' became a smash hit, prompting several cover versions, including one by Rahul Raj himself. An album containing the

background score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

for the film was released separately by

Muzik247 Muzik 247 based out of Chennai, acquires music rights for South Indian Cinema films, mainly Tamil, Malayalam and Tulu. The company was founded in 2012 by Naveen Bhandari, and has achieved a large market share of the Malayalam film music. About ...

in 2017. Ezra (Original Background Score)

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

Remake

In April 2019, it was officially confirmed that the

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 ...

remake of the film ''Ezra'' has been commissioned by the production company

Panorama Studios Panorama Studios (formerly Big Screen Entertainment & Wide Frame Pictures) is an Indian film production and distribution company founded by Kumar Mangat Pathak. Filmography Production Films distributed * ''Gabbar Is Back'' (2015) * '' Ma ...

and has signed

Emraan Hashmi Syed Emraan Anwar Hashmi (; born 24 March 1979) is an Indian film actor, who appears in Hindi films. Initially known for performing bold scenes, Hashmi has since portrayed strong roles in films. One of the most unconventional actors of India, H ...

to star in the lead role. Jay K. was signed to direct the remake as well. The film started shooting in

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

on 18 July 2019. The film titled as ''

'' premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 29 October 2021.

References

External links

Ezra Movie Audience Responses, Critics Review
* * {{IMDb title, 5892746
''Ezra'' at AllMovie
2010s Malayalam-language films 2010s monster movies 2010s supernatural horror films 2010s supernatural thriller films 2017 films 2017 horror films 2017 horror thriller films Cochin Jews Demons in film Dybbuks in film Films about Christianity Films about Jews and Judaism Films about exorcism Films about nuclear technology Films about spirit possession Films based on newspaper and magazine articles Films scored by Rahul Raj Films scored by Sushin Shyam Films set in Kerala Films set in Mumbai Films shot in Kochi Films shot in Mumbai Films shot in Sri Lanka Indian Jews Indian horror thriller films Indian monster movies Indian pregnancy films Indian supernatural horror films Indian supernatural thriller films Jews and Judaism in India Jews and Judaism in Mumbai Judaism in Kerala Malayalam films remade in other languages indian religious horror films