Tag: Tumbbad

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2024 the domination of horror: An overview into how the likes of Shaitaan, Munjya and Stree 2 have successfully spooked the audiences bringing in solid numbers

Shaitaan movie image

Munjya movie image

Stree 2 movie image

Unlike 2023 predominantly dominated by action movies with larger-than-life heroes this year has seen the horror genre ruling the roost. Horror stories of different kinds have entertained the viewers proving to be very profitable for the producers. The genre of horror isn’t something new. The banner of Vishesh films at their prime had made movies involving ghosts, the cast always used to be relatively new. Case in point being the first Raaz featuring Bipasha Basu. Noted filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma too has made impactful horror movies like Urmila Matondkar’s Bhoot. Bhoot is rightly considered to be one of Urmila’s most impactful performances till date. The movie even now sends a chill down the viewers spine.

Bhoot is rightly considered to be one of Urmila’s best performances till date

The likes of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and Golmaal Again too have elements of spookiness particularly the first one directed by Anees Bazmee. However, the spooky elements here are mixed with slapstick or situational humor. Then you have Rahi Anil Barve’s gripping psychological horror thriller Tumbbad. The horror in this movie comes more from the director’s portrayal of human greed rather than the supernatural entity.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 directed by Anees Bazmee

The horror in Tumbbad comes more from the director’s portrayal of human greed rather than the supernatural entity

Coming to this year’s horror films the first one Shaitaan uses elements of a home invasion thriller where the protagonists in this case the father and mother have to save the children from a highly dangerous tormentor. R Madhavan in a delightfully deranged performance is the expert hypnotist with knowledge of black magic. The daughter Jahnavi played a brilliant Janki Bodiwala is under absolute control, doing everything he says. The storyline of Shaitaan is paper thin but the way Vikas Bahl build an effective atmosphere of dread engrossed the audiences thoroughly. Amit Trivedi’s background music coupled with Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti’s cinematography also made the movie gripping. Unlike most horror movies here thankfully the typical cliches of creaking doors are absent, instead the terror comes from R Madhavan’s sinister plans of wanting to control young women.

R Madhavan in a delightfully deranged performance

Next in the list are Munjya and Stree 2 both from the same production house Maddock. Both these movies feature grotesque demons. In the case of Stree 2 you have a headless creature whose target are young girls with modern outlook. In the case of Munjya the antagonist is a young Brahmin boy, he resorts to black magic to win over a girl named Munni. He also tries to sacrifice the life of his sister, but this only results in self-destruction. He becomes a restless spirit haunting the tree. Both movies have a folklore touch apart from impactful social commentary. Stree 2 like the first one is also set in the small town of Chanderi. Munjya on the other hand is set in the backdrop of a Konkan folklore.

Both Munjya and Stree 2 feature grotesque demons

A strong aspect of Munjya was the characterization of the leading man Bittu played by Abhay Varma. Bittu starts off as someone who is majorly underconfident and definitely not the type who would defeat the evil Munjya. However, we slowly seen him overcoming the inner fears. The profession of Bittu being a hairdresser also added an interesting layer. Sharvari Wagh played Bittu’s friend Bella. Bittu deeply loves Bella, but he never confesses. She is already in a relationship with an English man but isn’t very sure on marrying him. She has major career aspirations regarding Zumba dance.

Bittu starts off as someone who is majorly underconfident and definitely not the type who would defeat the evil Munjya

The interesting aspect here is that though Munjya and Bittu come from the same lineage their attitudes are as different as chalk and cheese. Bittu respects Bella’s career aspirations and never tries to force himself on her in spite of having a close proximity. This particular aspect stood out in the movie. The humor in this movie apart from the interactions between Bittu and Munjya also comes from Baahubali actor S. Sathyaraj he played a baba, but it isn’t the usual intense one. There is a whacky nature to the role which the actor pulled off successfully.

Finally, there is the mega hit Stree 2 which has broken quite a lot of records. Squeals are always a very tricky territory but Aamir Kaushik’s Stree 2 more than lived up to its prerelease buzz. It was a rollicking sequel generating both laughs and scares in equal measure. The movie also had a good blend of social commentary through the characterization of the headless Sarkate. He represents your every sexist leader who are uncomfortable with the thought process of a modern woman.

All these elements came across in a satisfying manner making it a monstrous hit. The trio of Rajkummar Rao, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee and Pankaj Tripathi were in splendid form shouldering the acting department with utmost ease. One of the most hilarious scenes in Stree 2 is the one involving Varun Dhawan’s Bhediya and Abhishek Banerjee as Bhediya aka Bhaskar’s cousin. Varun’s character gets attracted to Shraddha and asks Abhishek how to impress her. In response Abhishek says that you are a Bhediya remain like that and don’t become an animal.

This list is by no means complete as the genre of horror will continue to be explored with different backgrounds. This Diwali there is Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 which will further explore the journey of Kartik Aryan’s Rooh Baba/ Ruhaan Randhawa. Tumbbad 2 has also been announced by Sohum Shah who was both the leading man and also producer for the first part.

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Revisiting the gripping psychological horror thriller Tumbbad

Some of my thoughts on what makes Tumbbad special upon its re- release

Much before the Maddock horror universe (Stree 1 &2 along with Munjya) there was Rahi Anil Barve’s Tumbbad, the movie was a gripping morality tale under the guise of a horror/thriller. What made Tumbbad stand out was the director’s portrayal of human greed, the movie portrayed how greed can turn ordinary human beings into monsters. Through this film Rahi Anil Barve showed how these types of men are more dangerous than a cursed supernatural entity.

The movie begins off with a CGI generated sequences giving an insight into the destruction that greed can cause. Tumbbad is an actual village in Maharashtra. The cursed village forms the fabric of this horror tale. The movie is set in the latter half of British Raj adding an interesting layer. In the first ten minutes we are introduced to a woman who looks more like a zombie than a living human being. We see this woman tied up in a remote house. She is mostly seen sleeping and has to be fed period periodically otherwise the situation will become dangerous. One night the duty of feeding falls upon a young boy Vinayak Rao (An excellent Sohum Shah plays the older version). The mother has taken the injured younger brother to a hospital. That particular night becomes an extremely dangerous rite of passage. That very night the younger brother dies. The mother along with Vinayak Rao leave the place, she takes a promise from him that he would never come back to Tumbbad. But Vinayak Rao has made up his mind on hunting for the ancestral treasure. This treasure is guarded by the first-born son of earth goddess and obviously he isn’t going to part with the treasure so easily. This is the story in brief.

There is a famous quote of Mahatma Gandhi on how the world has enough for everyone’s need but not enough for everyone’s greed. This quote perfectly the storyline of Tumbbad. A strong aspect of Tumbbad is the characterization of Vinayak Rao. Vinyak Rao’s obsession of unearthing the ancient treasure is not just about getting the gold but it is also about establishing his manhood. This later also seeps into the son played by Mohmaad Samad. Vinayak Rao is very much aware of his frailties but cannot overcome it. Through his character the director has also covered Brahmin patriarchy, the oppression of women along with greed.

One of the recurring motifs in Tumbbad is use of wheat. When Vinayak Rao first learns of his family secret he is completely covered with wheat flour. Later he uses a wheat flour to tempt a god, the wife is seen running a flour mill in his absence and even in the end the flour leads to the final deciding chapter. One way of interpreting this is that hunger makes human beings do things that they don’t normally do.

The movie is divided into three chapters spanning around thirty years. Rahi Anil Barve along with the story writer Narayan Dharap gave an insight into how upper-class Indian Men paved the way for feudalism and imperialism to thrive. The movie ends with the beginning of capitalism. It subtly hints on how the same social structure continues but with fresh intermediaries. All this makes Tumbbad relevant even now.

Of course, Tumbbad does have its share of flaws too. The middle portions do drag somewhat, also the track of Vinayak Rao and the mistress doesn’t organically jell, the mixture of Marathi and Hindi is also hard to follow but still there so much to like. Sohum Shah who is also one of the movie’s producers was truly brilliant in showcasing the various nuances of Vinayak Rao. He played the cold-blooded opportunist in a fantastic manner. Particularly admirable was his use of body language. Complementing him perfectly is the technical department. Pankaj Kumar captured the wide landscape of Tumbbad admirably sucking the viewers in, Nithin Zihani Choudhary and Rakesh Yadav’s production design also made the movie an immersive experience.