Bhoothakkannadi

This is one of the finest works of Lohithadas. I call it Mammootty's Thanmathra because I don't want to watch this movie again. I saw this way back in my childhood. I saw it's available in an OTT platform and gave it a watch. Bhoothakkannadi took me back to my childhood. Those narrow paths are really nostalgic for me. The last time I walked through such a path was back in 2000. Now coming to the movie, the major theme is the crimes against children. But Lohithadas' fine writing incorporates romance into such a grim story. And we feel the romance because of the dialogues by another character. Also, it portrays mental illness, which is often not discussed in Indian cinema. Only thing lacking is crisp editing. Fews scenes could've been cut off. And there isn't much relevance to those scenes. It's a must watch.

This film is a magnified look at life. The maiden directorial venture of Lohithadas 'Bhoothakkanandi' which bagged the state award for the best film in 1997, sought to highlight an emerging social tragedy-atrocities committed against minor girls.

Moving away from the formula constraints that bind mainstream cinema, Lohithadas has displayed his prowess in conveying serious issues in light vein. His films, despite the obvious attempt at commercial compromise, have served a vital cultural need of providing insight into the psyche of Keralites. Delving deep into the life of ordinary human beings from the margins of society, who often go unrepresented in the mainstream cinema, he has penned some finely crafted scripts.

The film is powered by some exceptional performances. Lohithadas does fine job with extracting sincere performances from the entire cast especially Mammootty and Sreelakshmi.

Bhoothakkannadi (1997) : Brief Review -

A Stunning Social Classic on a devastating tale of how increasing crime rate of society can turn into a psychological disorder. Unforgettable Mammootty and outstanding Lohithadas. Bhoothakkannadi (English: Magnifying Glass) is a psychological drama but it doesn't look like one for the 80% of its runtime. Eventually those remaining 20% has defined the entire genre very effectively. The film is an eye-opener in some sense, a sense which is hard to understand and hard to digest. It may look slightly unrealistic to some people because finding such horrible cases in our Society is very difficult. However, it's not impossible. There may be some cases like this and why not? The crime rate of sexual offences against underage girls have been a major issue since long time in every part of our country so it's possible that there might be some cases like this but we don't know about it yet. Vidyadharan is in jail and while working finds a link/hole to the outside world. But his vision is distorted through the eye magnifying lens he uses to view because of his fateful past. The film runs as a family and romantic drama for 90 minutes and then shows some shocking, psychological elements in the last 20 minutes. Mammootty looks good in those first 90 minutes but then in last 20 minutes he just kills it. Only those 2-3 jail scenes of him were enough to grab Filmfare Best Actor. Not to forget Sreelakshmi who has played an unconventional role conventionally. What a memorable debut it was for Lohithadas. He already had a superb piece of writing in hands (written by himself) and then with his solid vision and skills as a director he took to next level. Deserving National Award i must say. Overall, a Shocking Film for many reasons and this shock is Must for everyone.

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest.