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Vichitram Review: A Sincere Family Drama Disguised As An Unusually Sombre Horror Film

Director: Achu Vijayan

Writers: Vineeth Jose, Nikhil Ravindran

Cast: Lal , Shine Tom Chacko , Kani Kusruti

Of all the films that may come to mind while sitting down to watch a horror film like Vichithram , you’d never have expected Kumbalangi Nights to the be one that keeps coming back. Like the 2019 drama, Vichithram too is about a broken house filled with broken residents. With the father having passed away in both houses, different boys take up different roles to keep things running, even if it’s not entirely in running condition. In Kumbalangi , if it’s the youngest boy who takes up the role of caregiver, it’s the middle one, who takes up this role, doubling up as the disciplinarian, apart from being the secondary breadwinner. The fact that the boys still have a loving mother in Jasmine (a lovely Jolly Chiriyath) brings a certain order, love and coherence to them even if this family is just one late payment away from being homeless.

And like Kumbalangi , Vichithram too is about the outsiders that enter this family, either voluntarily or otherwise, to bring about a new order and strengthen breaking threads. But the treatment couldn’t be any different even if their journeys appear to be the same. Disguised cleverly under the mask of a haunted house thriller, Vichithram quickly moulds itself into the story of two families and two houses, with one entering another to heal wounds and to regroup as one larger, singular unit.

On a plot level, this metamorphosis is brought about by two incidents that happen around the same time. In one case, we see a loner living alone in a huge mansion passing away without anyone to care for him. In the other, we find five boys and their mother Jasmine, struggling to live with their limited income and even more limited space. With no money for rent and a firecracker accident that makes it worse, the empty house finds new residents, bringing their own issues and doubts into this space. The film spends a lot of time establishing the dynamics of both families and what happened in the past to bring us here. This is where we also learn that Jasmine was once a resident of this mansion and how it was love that led her away, and all the privileges that came along with it.

Yet the production design is such that we never feel this family’s newfound comfort as they move into this big sprawling mansion. With its grey walls, locked rooms and props reminiscent of lost prosperity, this shift to the mansion creates an emotional disturbance that leaves you longing for their old house. Instead of a mere convenience, there’s something mythical about about Jasmine and her family coming back into a house that she had left behind.

This is also where the film becomes a lot more than your regular haunted house thriller. As Jasmine moves back in, we’re forced to draw parallels between her and her niece Martha (Kani) who seems to have gone through a similar sequence of events. They are both people who were ostracised from the same home for falling in love with an ‘outsider’. Through Martha, we see the life Jasmine may have lived had she not fought her way out. Conversely, we also see both women living in the memory of the lover they lost, as though we’re witnessing the aftereffects of intolerance that exists in this house.

Which is why the best scene in Vichithram is hardly a perfectly executed jump scare or an eery closeup that is meant to shock you. Instead of shock value, it’s the gentle surprises that suggest that the film was always intended to first be a drama about lost love rather than one about a spirit’s revenge. One such surprise comes later in the second half when Martha appears to be out seeking for revenge, but the effect is hardly to scare. Even when a character believes he’s witnessing the rage of a ghost, there’s a surprising familiarity in the way Jasmine looks at Martha. There’s no shock, and nor is there any fear. For her, Martha is someone she sees as clearly as the deceased husband for whom she always sets aside a cup of tea.

THIS is the kind of surprise Vichithram was always going for instead of the aforementioned cheap thrills. How else would you describe a film that uses a series of motifs that are the farthest from those you’d find in a scary movie. Instead of vultures or ravens, we get the cutest rabbits that keep coming back. Instead of giant banyan trees that appear like giants, the film places bonsai trees at its heart to perhaps hint at the stunted nature of the relationships of its residents. Eventually, Vichitram is as much a story about tolerance as it is about the ghosts of the past — ones that you have to live with, rather than run away from.

Despite initial pacing issues and an overall predictability when approached simply as a thrill-per-minute horror movie, Vichithram remains a strange film where the point itself is to remain living in the haunted house rather than to escape it. How can you let go anyway when the ghosts that live there is…family?

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Vichitram Review: A horror thriller which loses the plot

A mother, her five sons and a haunted mansion set the eerie premise for horror thriller 'Vichitram', which cannot be tagged a complete horror movie.

The horror elements are flitting in and out of an ordinary household atmosphere.

With no zombies, vampires or disfigured visages to establish a ghastly predicament, the movie diverts from the usual method of telling a story that characterises this genre. But Vichitram failed to capitalise on a highly potential platform.

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Giving some hints of what's in store for the second half, the movie, written by Nikhil Ravindran and directed by Achu Vijayan, the plot sets the stage ready for a suspense thriller at the outset.

Alexander is an old man living alone in a mansion. His sister Jasmine, a widow, is having a meagre existence in a rented house in some corner of the city with her sons - Jackson, Justin, Joyner, Steffan and Savio. Jackson has no job in particular and is neck-deep in debt. There is no earning member in the family other than Jasmine who works at a baker's. When Alexander passes away Jasmine's brother-in-law Prachi (James Alia) compels her to move to the mansion.

However, all is not well after the family shifts to the mansion. The unveiling of Alexander's past or rather that of his daughter Martha, a prolific painter, and her partner Sanghamitra intertwined with art and suspense.

The realistic backdrop, characters and their nuances grip the viewers. However, the drama slips out of hand and goes overboard as it progresses towards the denouement.

Two layers of the plot run parallelly in the movie, with one centred on Jackson (Shine Tom Chacko), his mother Jasmine (Jolly Chirayath) and the four brothers on one side and Martha (Kani Kusruthi), her father Alexander (Lal) and Sanghamitra (Ketaki Narayan) on the other.

While Jackson's world basks in dynamic and vibrant shades, Martha is placed in a dark setting.

The scheme was to merge the two to pull off a mesmerising thriller, But it culminates in a cacophony of insane shrieks for lack of thought in the writing and artistry in its making.

Arjun Balakrishnan's camera follows the action and hue of the story. The cast led by Shine Tom Chacko offers outstanding performances. Balu Varghese as Joyner also was convincing, but the script did play out a bit nonsensical vis-a-vis the character. Shine Tom Chacko has once again proved his mettle as a fine actor through the character of Jackson. What has been so striking is the way he made Jackson different from his other characters in terms of disposition and style.

Perhaps this could be the only prod to watch the movie. 

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'Vichithram' movie review: Intriguing haunted house mystery with a poignant twist

After coming out of the screening of Vichithram , I started thinking about the last Malayalam film with horror elements that made a striking impact on me. I counted two—Bhoothakalam and Rorschach. Another thing that hit me while reflecting on these films is what they have in common, the most notable being a well-written mother character and her conflict-stricken relationship with her children. There is a mother in Vichithram , too—with five sons, all of varying qualities and temperaments, to deal with. Interestingly, the last two are twins. There could be a Mahabharata reference here.

While on twins, the imagery becomes a recurring thing throughout the film—in different ways, a factor that lends richness to the visual aesthetic of Vichithram , which makes sense considering the presence of a sapphic love story at its core. The film opens with a man putting a stray rabbit back in the cage with its mate. The analogy becomes increasingly evident later, after a particularly unpleasant incident. The ‘twins’ are also two little birds in a nest sheltered in a relatively much safer space, unlike the rabbits’ cage.

But not everything that’s trapped subscribes to the dual symbology. There is a butterfly trapped inside a glass case, and it gets its freedom at a crucial juncture in the film. Again, this is another beautiful demonstration of visual parallels.

I went into Vichithram without knowing anything about it beforehand. I didn’t even watch the trailer—a choice that’s not always possible when you are a film journalist. So I wasn’t prepared for what was about to unravel before my eyes. For a while there, I thought it was a family drama because it begins like one.

And it takes enough time to establish, with much clarity, the trials and tribulations of Jasmine (Jolly Chirayath) and her family—which comprises her and her five adult sons—who are going through a rough patch. I liked how the screenplay also clearly tracked her connection with an ageing, reclusive patriarch Alexander (Lal), holed up in a large mansion that bears all the characteristics of a haunted house. Long story short, the mother and children become forced into a situation where they have to move to this place after the unexplained demise of Alexander.

The film is not in a rush—another quality that impressed me. Just like it did with the family’s previous home, the film takes its time to introduce us to every nook and cranny of the second one. There is also space for some humour, courtesy of Balu Varghese playing an “Instagram celebrity” who creates cringe-inducing content. The character is incredibly annoying, but deliberately so. Whenever Balu appeared terrified, I remembered Innocent from Manichithrathazhu. The funniest scene—where the brothers end up sleeping in the same room—precedes one of the film’s darkest sequences.

If you ask me if the horror elements outweigh the family moments, I would say it achieves a nice balance between the two. But, if you, like me, come away feeling like you have just witnessed a story about people who understood the true meaning of ‘home’ after they broke out of the one they were born in, then I would say you should run with it. Like the fantastic Bhoothakalam, the film steers clear of most of the usual ghost movie cliches. Moreover, Vichithram shares with that film the belief in achieving a lot with very little—for instance, employing shadows to induce scares. Although some splendidly staged scenes gave me the chills, I eventually realised that the ‘ghosts’ in Vichithram are not ones to be scared of but with whom we are supposed to empathise.

I mentioned earlier the analogous imagery of trapped rabbits and butterflies. Like the exotic butterfly set free in the poignant story of two lovers (Kani Kusruti and Ketaki Narayan), the unique narrative treatment of Vichithram liberates it from any preconceived notions that usually accompany most Indian horror stories. And as in Rorschach, the film ends with an ambiguous image open to different interpretations.

Film: Vichitram Director: Achu Vijayan Cast: Shine Tom Chacko, Balu Varghese, Jolly Chirayath, Kani Kusruti Rating: 4/5

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Directed by Achu Vijayan

Jasmine returns to her childhood home on her brother's death. Is the house now haunted by spirits or by living beings trapped by emotional bonds?

Shine Tom Chacko Kani Kusruti Balu Varghese Lal Jolly Chirayath Ketaki Narayan Kulkarni Shiyan Shihan James Eliya

Director Director

Achu Vijayan

Producers Producers

Achu Vijayan Dr. Ajith Joy

Writers Writers

Nikhil Ravindran Vineeth Jose

Editor Editor

Cinematography cinematography.

Arjun Balakrishnan

Production Design Production Design

Raza Hyder Anas Rashad

Art Direction Art Direction

Subhash Karun

Stunts Stunts

Composers composers.

Jubair Muhammed Street Academics

Sound Sound

Vishnu Govind Sree Sankar

Costume Design Costume Design

Makeup makeup.

Suresh Plachimada

Alternative Title

Mystery Thriller Crime

Releases by Date

14 oct 2022, releases by country.

138 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by ShadowMan ★★ 2

If you want something to be scary then don’t fucking reveal it from the beginning. Or were they even trying to be scary?  It’s this weird movie that is in between everything. It feels more like a one-line of a movie rather than a movie or a shortfilm that was stretched. 

The only thing interesting was the bunny aesthetics, that too was just there to make the movie look different from 100 other movies that are alike.

Review by Ritwiq BS ★½

Shine annante quirkyness kanan vendi chilapo sequal kandenirikum 🤪

Review by Deepak Chazhoor ★★★★

A cleverly conceived horror/mystery thriller with ample comedy and drama. Speaking for myself, I really, really enjoyed Vichithram , and the credit goes mainly to the wonderfully written characters. I’ve a soft spot for stories centred around dysfunctional siblings. Balu Varghese is the star of the show, when it comes to the performances. Give this a try if you could.

HorrOctober '22

Review by ash ★★½

Slow paced movie with horror elements. Comedy was bland and cringeworthy. But the opening have away the movie, athyavishyam padam okke kaanunna aalkarku can just catch onto it. It should've been avoided.

Oru vibe okke ind, if the story was a bit more gripping it would've been a worthy watch.

Review by V ★★★½

Vichithram (2022) by Achu Vijayan is not your average run of the mill haunted house horror, which also acts mostly as a front for telling a compelling dysfunctional family drama with some ample dose of fun as well. Loved the whole mood building in its latter hour.

Review by Pathiknaveen ★★★

the mystery continues , why ? tbh vichithram was good in written characters and music but it lacks the core thing. evideyo entho miss ayath pole.

Review by Ananth ★★½

Vichitram is a decent debut from Achu Vijayan that tries to combine the dysfunctional family trope with a horror/mystery thriller. While it works neatly when the focus is seperately on these parts, it fails to be effective when the genres blend. Most of the time it gives you the feeling of watching two disjointed tracks that's struggling to come together to make an impression. Also, even when the scenes are enjoyable, the individual tracks feel a tad undercooked. The family equations don't change much and it doesn't really contribute anything significant to the mystery angle. On the other hand, the whole ghost track gets played out way too conveniently, and there's also a lot that's revealed within the initial…

Review by viswa ★★

first half was sooooo laggy omg

Review by sophiya ½

യെന്ത് തീട്ടമെടേയ്

Review by Sourav Sat ★★½

It’s pretty rare we get horror movies like this in Malayalam. It’s got that whole A24 movie vibe to it. Bhoothakalam still holds the best horror Malayalam movie ever. Vichithram on the other hand is a slow paced horror drama movie which explores a mother and her five children. How much broken the family is what drives the movie forward. With a twist which can be understood early in the second half, the whole experience of the movie was pretty good. It was moody and dull throughout. Kudos to the director for bringing in experimental work to the industry. Anyways I would suggest this movie to those who loves movies like Hereditary, Bhoothakalam. Also everyone who acted did their part well tho I felt the character of Kani kusurti was miscast cause she looked old for the age of the character.

Review by Pranav Gangadharan ★★

It could've been the Haunted House version of Kumbalangi Nights, but even at just over 2 hours, the movie seems too long, there's uneven balancing of the characters, as some of them disappear for long stretches of time, plus the over reliance on jumpscares was disappointing. I liked the performances, the music and the visuals. The ending was nice too.

Review by Popcorn Reviewss ★★★★

#Vichithram is niche and may not be everyone's cup of tea. Yet, its unconventional approach to the horror-comedy genre makes for an engrossing watch.

Full Review Link : popcornreviewss.com/vichithram-2022-movie-review/

For Many Other Reviews Visit : popcornreviewss.com

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Home » Review » Vichithram movie review: A potent slow-burner about a broken family in a haunted house »

Vichithram movie review: A potent slow-burner about a broken family in a haunted house

The standout factor about the supernatural elements in Vichithram, starring Shine Tom Chacko, Kani Kusruti and Balu Varghese, is that the team has tried to subvert the usual stereotypes as if to empathise with the 'ghosts' in the film

• Sanjith Sidhardhan

Last Updated: 10.52 AM, Oct 15, 2022

Story: Life has been tough for Jasmine and her five sons ever since her husband passed away. However, after the death of her estranged brother, they take up the offer to live in his house - the same place she had to leave to marry her husband. The elder sons accept the offer, eyeing their selfish interests. But more than opportunities, the house holds secrets and ghosts from the past that would have a bearing on the broken family too.

Review : Malayalam cinema, of late, has found a way of breaking down the relationships of fractured and dysfunctional families and presenting them as riveting stories. Be it Kumbalangi Nights or Joji, the movies essentially revolved around families and how the problems eventually seep in to corrode these relationships or strengthen them. In debutant Achu Vijayan's Vichithram, the film touches both these themes through the two families in focus and against the backdrop of a house that is believed to be haunted.

Much like recent films such as Veyil and Bhoothakaalam, the movie takes its own time to explore the dynamics between each member of the family that consists of the matriarch Jasmine (Jolly Chirayath) and her five sons. While Jackson (Shine Tom Chacko) is the one out to make quickly money, Joy (Balu Varghese) is the indolent brother and Justin is the responsible one, who follows his mother's dream to see them become like their father. The twins - Savio and Stefan - lend the innocence to the group that is almost always quarrelling when they are together. As the movie evolves, you would understand why scriptwriter Nikhil Ravindran took his time to tell the story; in fact towards the end you would even know which rooms lead to where in a huge mansion that the family chooses to reside.

The standout factor about the supernatural elements in the film is that the team has tried to subvert the usual stereotypes - be it the jumpscares or tropes - as if to empathise with the 'ghosts' in the film. Some of the best sequences come towards the riveting end of the film - be it when Joy decides to sleep beside his mother, Jackson asks for her forgiveness or when Jasmine 'sees' Martha. The impact of these scenes are heightened due to the details that the team has packed, leading up to them.

Also read: Exclusive! Vichithram is a crime mystery thriller that will also provide a horror experience: Achu Vijayan  

But that's not to say it's entirely a gripping watch. The first half will test the audience as this is more of a slow-burn family drama that shows the struggles this family has to endure. While the sons have their own arcs, it's Jasmine's story that holds the movie together and Jolly Chirayath is brilliant in the role. A particular sequence where she snaps a photo after her son returns with her late husband's motorcycle, speaks volumes about the kind of relationship she had with her husband Paul and what the life with him and his death meant to her.

Shine Tom Chacko is once again in his element, essaying Jackson who gets to go through an array of emotions as he falls prey to temptation. Balu Varghese lends the humour to the film, which also has James Eliya in a powerful role. The artistes who played the other three brothers, especially Justin, also stand out. Lal, Ketaki Narayan and Kani Kusruti also play their parts well in this film, where the sound and art department gets brownie points for creating an atmosphere that isn't quite malevolent but still has the vibe of a horror movie.

Also read: Varaal movie review: Anoop Menon's loud take on Kerala politics is about honey traps and betrayals  

Verdict: If you are a fan of slow-burn dramas about dysfunctional families, then the details and performances in Vichithram make it a good watch.

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Vichitram Movie Review (2022)

Achu vijayan's vichitram, with shine tom chacko and kani kusruti, is a lovely ghost story filled with lovelier human drama.

Vichitram Movie Cast & Crew

Achu Vijayan's Vichitram is built on a supernatural framework, and right from the first frame, there's an otherworldly quality to the images. We see swaying arms. We see the tip of a paintbrush pressed on a canvas and we hear the squishy sound of paint. And then, we see a gentle smile. We hear about a big house that has a big history. It's just the kind of creaky old mansion you'd find in a horror movie. Only, Vichitram is not a "horror movie". It's a ghost story – or rather, it is a story about ghosts. Look at the way Jasmine (Jolly Chirayath) prepares two cups of tea. She drinks one, and leaves the other for Paul, her husband, whose picture hangs on a wall. Habits are ghosts, too. They stay with us long after people are gone. Some of us slowly forget the dead. Jasmine remembers Paul every day. We make ritual offerings to the dead. Why not a casual cup of tea?

Almost until interval point, this is a film about a family. Jasmine has five sons, the oldest being Jackson, played by Shine Tom Chacko. He is a no-gooder, who is always looking for the next get-rich-quick scheme. Shine underplays this character nicely, so we see not just the external cockiness that Jackson projects but also his internal desperation and vulnerability. Similarly, we get to know the other four sons through very specific traits (Nikhil Ravindran is the writer), and we also get to know a seventh character that hangs over the family like a ghost. It's money. The family owes a lot of people a lot of money and they are constantly reminded about it: by a moneylender, by their landlord, by Jasmine's brother who wants her to move to her ancestral home. Jasmine laments that she has to work in a bakery to support the family, despite her five sons. At least if one of them had been a daughter, Jasmine could have shared her sorrows with her.

There is, actually, a daughter in this story – played by Kani Kusruti. Along with Jasmine, this character, named Martha, results in the film's two best performances. If Jasmine is filled with strength, Martha is like a delicate flower. If Jasmine is outspoken, perhaps the result of having to raise five sons, Martha hardly opens her mouth. She lives inside her head, inside her imagination. If Jasmine is a working woman, Martha has the luxury of being an artist. If Jasmine boldly walked out of her house with the man she wished to marry, Martha is unable to find a solution to her romantic problem. Jolly Chirayath and Kani Kusruti bring to life two exquisitely written women who are a study in contrast: one rough and practical, the other obedient and dreamy.

This is the reason Vichitram works so well. As much as the supernatural elements, the human elements are given so much importance. This is not the kind of movie where a family moves into a haunted house and starts experiencing jump scares from SCENE 5. This is – first and foremost – about a family haunted by various issues, and my favourite scene is the one where Jackson mellows down a bit and apologises to his mother. The lead-up to this scene and the way it ends – that is, the "in" to the scene, and the "out" of the scene – are brilliantly written, mixing both the fear of ghosts and the remorse of human behaviour , along with elemental feelings like thirst. As Jackson leaves the scene, we see his brother behind him, sleeping on a sofa – this brother is out of focus, like a ghost. The occasional "jump cuts" in the screenplay – where we are suddenly pushed to the next scene – add to our disorientation.

As for the explicitly ghostly aspects of the film, there are rumours of a man who keeps talking to a dead woman. There's a mysterious necklace. There's the appearance of fire and water, both in the past and the present. There are identical twins, two female rabbits that keep trying to escape their cage, and a lovely image of two women in a mirror. Then there's Lal, a broken man who grows bonsai plants and prunes them carefully – they may be a metaphor for how he likes to control those who live with him. The cleverest aspect of Vichitram is how the supernatural events are explained away so simply and so movingly, by the end. A song contains these lyrics: Enikilla varnangal nee tharumo . (Translation: Will you give me the colours that are missing in my life?) As many of us know, yearning is a kind of ghost, too. 

About Author

Baradwaj Rangan

National Award-winning film critic Baradwaj Rangan, former deputy editor of The Hindu and senior editor of Film Companion, has carved a niche for himself over the years as a powerful voice in cinema, especially the Tamil film industry, with his reviews of films. While he was pursuing his chemical engineering degree, he was fascinated with the writing and analysis of world cinema by American critics. Baradwaj completed his Master’s degree in Advertising and Public Relations through scholarship. His first review was for the Hindi film Dum, published on January 30, 2003, in the Madras Plus supplement of The Economic Times. He then started critiquing Tamil films in 2014 and did a review on the film Subramaniapuram, while also debuting as a writer in the unreleased rom-com Kadhal 2 Kalyanam. Furthermore, Baradwaj has authored two books - Conversations with Mani Ratnam, 2012, and A Journey Through Indian Cinema, 2014. In 2017, he joined Film Companion South and continued to show his prowess in critiquing for the next five years garnering a wide viewership and a fan following of his own before announcing to be a part of Galatta Media in March 2022.

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Vichitram review: A well-made horror film with a compelling plot and standout performances

Debut director Achu Vijayan convincingly and successfully blends different genres to bring out an entertaining watch.

Published:Oct 14, 2022

'Vichitram' marks the directorial debut of Achu Vijayan in Mollywood. (Supplied)

Like the title, strange developments drive the flick forward!

Vichitram (Malayalam)

• Cast: Shine Tom Chacko, Balu Varghese, Kani Kusruti, Lal, Jolly Chirayath and Ketaki Narayan
• Director: Achu Vijayan
• Producers: Ajith Joy and Achu Vijayan
• Music: Jubair Muhammed
• Runtime: 2 hours 18 minutes
• Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Emraan Hashmi, and Revathy
• Director: Maneesh Sharma
• Producer: Aditya Chopra
• Music: Pritam Chakraborty
• Runtime: 2 hours 35 minutes

Jasmine and her five grownup sons shift their stay to her brother’s house. People in the surrounding area are not pleased with their transfer. They say that the house is haunted after the death of her brother and his daughter. What is waiting for Jasmine and her sons is the plot of Vichitram .

While the first half of the movie is all about the problems between the mother and her children, things gradually change in the second half.

The mother and their kids are troubled by several personal problems which we are shown before entering the major part. Similar to Boothakalam , the realistic and human portions work well in this horror flick, which makes the horror part hit hard.

Vichitram starts like a simple family drama and slowly swifts to the horror genre. It moves unhurriedly and shocks the viewer at regular intervals.

The plot is the same as the name Vichitram , which means ‘strange’. Strange developments drive the flick forward.

Amazing performances

It is technically quite good. Be it Arjun Balakrishnan’s visuals, Vishnu Govind’s sound design or Jubair Muhammed’s background score, they are all perfect for such a blended genre.

Jolly Chirayath as the mother is the best performer of all. Kani Kusruti as the daughter (Martha) is wonderful. They were terrific. Jackson, the oldest son, is brilliantly portrayed by Shine Tom Chacko. His is in top form.

Director Achu Vijayan did a fabulous job constructing the imagery of the film. He seamlessly blended thriller, drama and horror.

The actors showcase a range of emotions portrayed like fear, grief, joy, perplexity, and humour; and each of the emotions is a complement to the others.

Questions our preconceived notions

We saw two classic blends in Malayalam recently – Boothakalam and Rorschach . And Vichitram is certainly on par with them.

‘Vichitram’ is a beautiful blend of horror, drama and thriller. (Supplied)

Even while the plot is compelling on its own, the writer and the director make it stand out by questioning our preconceived notions. This is not the greatest but a wonderful debut by Achu Vijayan.

The plot is quite entertaining, though, at times, you may wonder where it is going.

On the downside, Vichitram is sometimes predictable. There are a few suspenseful and eerie moments in this movie, but there could have been more of them.

It has a few cliched stuff like that we see in usual ghost movies. But what works here is that it blends another genre and is also well-made.

The purpose of this movie is more than just trying to scare the audience. That makes it worth your time. Overall, it is a unique idea with standout performances. Vichitram is one of the better films released this year!

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Malayalam film ‘Vichitram’ is a blend of mystery and comedy, says its debutant director Achu Vijayan

The film stars kani kusruti, shine tom chacko and balu varghese in lead roles.

Published - October 14, 2022 05:16 pm IST

Achu Vijayan

The ‘strange’ goings on at a palatial, old bungalow when a woman and her five sons move in is the basis of the plot of Achu Vijayan’s directorial debut — Vichitram . He says the film, which includes stars such as Kani Kusruti, Lal, Shine Tom Chacko, Balu Varghese, and Jolly Chirayath, is a mix of horror, comedy and suspense.  

“ Writer Nikhil Raveendran, a friend, called up and asked me if I would like to direct the film for which he had the script ready. I liked what I read and knew that this would be a film that would get people to theatres,” says Achu. They had worked together on Nidra , Swantanthram Ardharaathriyil , and Djinn . Vineeth Jose co-wrote the script. 

By the time Achu came on board, Shine Tom Chacko was already part of the project. “ Nikhil was adamant that Shine and Kani should be part of the cast. The script came with both, so to speak,” he says. 

The film, located in Thrissur, is about Jasmine (Jolly Chirayath) and her five sons. “Her family disinherits her for marrying a football player of humble means. She returns to the family bungalow with her sons, after her brother’s death . The rest of the action is about what happens once they move in and the strange things that happen when they reach there.” Her five sons — Jackson, Joyner, Justin and twins, Stephan and Savio — are essayed by Shine Tom Chacko, Balu Varghese, Vishnu, and real-life twins Shihan and Shiyan respectively. 

“Each of the sons has a distinct personality — Jackson wants to make a quick buck, while Joyner aspires to be an Instagram star, the only person who plays football is the third son, Justin, a goalie. The mother, since she married a footballer, wants her boys to be a ‘5s team’.” It is a delicate balance of horror, with a dash of situational comedy. 

Achu began his career as a spot editor on Second Show (2012). He always wanted to direct films, and he sees the years that passed as preparation to don the director’s cap. Meanwhile, besides editing, he was also making medical videos for a medical diagnostic laboratory. He was chasing a ‘big project’ when Vichithram happened. 

No spoilers, he says. Except “you may think you are alone at home, what if you are not?”

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‘Vichitram’ Twitter review: Check out what netizens are saying about the Shine Tom Chacko starrer

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Vichithram Movie Review: Intriguing haunted house mystery with a poignant twist

Rating: ( 4 / 5).

After coming out of the screening of Vichithram , I started thinking about the last Malayalam film with horror elements that made a striking impact on me. I counted two -- Bhoothakalam and Rorschach . Another thing that hit me while reflecting on these films is what they have in common, the most notable being a well-written mother character and her conflict-stricken relationship with her children. There is a mother in Vichithram , too -- with five sons, all of varying qualities and temperaments, to deal with. Interestingly, the last two are twins. There could be a Mahabharata reference here.

Film: Vichitram Director: Achu Vijayan Cast: Shine Tom Chacko, Balu Varghese, Jolly Chirayath, Kani Kusruti While on twins, the imagery becomes a recurring thing throughout the film -- in different ways, a factor that lends richness to the visual aesthetic of Vichithram , which makes sense considering the presence of a sapphic love story at its core. The film opens with a man putting a stray rabbit back in the cage with its mate. The analogy becomes increasingly evident later, after a particularly unpleasant incident. The 'twins' are also two little birds in a nest sheltered in a relatively much safer space, unlike the rabbits' cage. But not everything that's trapped subscribes to the dual symbology. There is a butterfly trapped inside a glass case, and it gets its freedom at a crucial juncture in the film. Again, this is another beautiful demonstration of visual parallels. I went into Vichithram without knowing anything about it beforehand. I didn't even watch the trailer -- a choice that's not always possible when you are a film journalist. So I wasn't prepared for what was about to unravel before my eyes. For a while there, I thought it was a family drama because it begins like one. And it takes enough time to establish, with much clarity, the trials and tribulations of Jasmine (Jolly Chirayath) and her family -- which comprises her and her five adult sons -- who are going through a rough patch. I liked how the screenplay also clearly tracked her connection with an ageing, reclusive patriarch Alexander (Lal), holed up in a large mansion that bears all the characteristics of a haunted house. Long story short, the mother and children become forced into a situation where they have to move to this place after the unexplained demise of Alexander. The film is not in a rush -- another quality that impressed me. Just like it did with the family's previous home, the film takes its time to introduce us to every nook and cranny of the second one. There is also space for some humour, courtesy of Balu Varghese playing an "Instagram celebrity" who creates cringe-inducing content. The character is incredibly annoying, but deliberately so. Whenever Balu appeared terrified, I remembered Innocent from Manichithrathazhu . The funniest scene -- where the brothers end up sleeping in the same room -- precedes one of the film's darkest sequences. If you ask me if the horror elements outweigh the family moments, I would say it achieves a nice balance between the two. But, if you, like me, come away feeling like you have just witnessed a story about people who understood the true meaning of 'home' after they broke out of the one they were born in, then I would say you should run with it. Like the fantastic Bhoothakalam , the film steers clear of most of the usual ghost movie cliches. Moreover, Vichithram shares with that film the belief in achieving a lot with very little -- for instance, employing shadows to induce scares. Although some splendidly staged scenes gave me the chills, I eventually realised that the 'ghosts' in Vichitram are not ones to be scared of but with whom we are supposed to empathise. I mentioned earlier the analogous imagery of trapped rabbits and butterflies. Like the exotic butterfly set free in the poignant story of two lovers (Kani Kusruti and Ketaki Narayan), the unique narrative treatment of Vichithram liberates it from any preconceived notions that usually accompany most Indian horror stories. And as in Rorschach , the film ends with an ambiguous image open to different interpretations.

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In this Vichithram film, Shine Tom Chacko , Kani Kusruti played the primary leads.

The Vichithram was released in theaters on 14 Oct 2022.

The Vichithram was directed by Achu Vijayan

Movies like Paalum Pazhavum , Haal , Bharathanatyam and others in a similar vein had the same genre but quite different stories.

The soundtracks and background music were composed by midhun Mukundan for the movie Vichithram.

The cinematography for Vichithram was shot by Arjun Balakrishnan .

You can watch the Vichithram movie on ,.

On 10 May 2023 Vichithram was released on the , platform.

The movie Vichithram belonged to the Drama, genre.

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Vichithram Malayalam Movie

Vichithram is a 2022 Indian movie directed by Achu Vijayan starring Shine Tom Chacko, Balu Varghese, Lal and Kani Kusruthi. The feature film is produced by Dr.Ajith Joy and Achu Vijayan and the music composed by Midhun Mukundan.

Story of a mother and her five son's who experience bizarre occurances in their Ancestral house which in turn unfolds the truth behind an incident which happened six years before in that house. A thrilling, family mystery unfolds to finally reveal a hidden crime.

Director: Achu Vijayan Producers: Dr.Ajith Joy, Achu Vijayan Production Company: Joy movie productions Music Director: Midhun Mukundan Sound Designer: Vishnu Govind Cinematographer: Arjun Balakrishnan Editor: Achu Vijayan Art Designer: Subash Karun Original Story Writer: Nikhil Ravindran Action Choregrapher: Run Ravi

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