Movie review ‘Pisasu’: Different from usual horror films

CAST: Naga, Prayaga, Radha Ravi

DIRECTION: Mysshkin

RATING **1/2

Mysshkin, known for his offbeat subjects tries his hand for the first time at a horror thriller genre. Pisasu (Ghost) which has the signature style of Mysshkin has been produced by director Bala’s home banner B Studios. It may not scare you to death, but has interesting elements in it to keep you entertained.

The movie opens up when Siddharth (Naga), an upcoming violinist stumbles on an accident where a young girl Bhavani (Prayaga) is lying in a pool of blood. He rushes her to a hospital in a bid to save but she passes away holding his hand. Traumatized by the whole episode, Siddharth comes home with one of her slippers. From that day onwards strange things start happening at Siddharth’s house. He begins to feel a supernatural presence at his house and it is actually the ghost of Bhavani who holds on to Sid and chooses to stay and haunt him. He employs ghost-buster to exorcise the ghost but it vain. His mother comes to visit him but she meets with a freak accident at the bathroom. Assuming that it could be the work of the ghost, a frustrated Sid goes in search of Bhavani’s father (Radha Ravi) and pleads him to eliminate the ghost from his house. When his mother recovers, Sid realizes that it was actually the ghost who has saved her life. The ghost neither seeks revenge nor love, but why does it stay in Siddharth’s house forms the rest of the story.

Newcomer Naga as the lead protagonist (though in a weird hairstyle) has given good performance. Prayaga appears for a single scene as a human being, but we feel her presence throughout in the form of a ghost. Her handling of the awkward makeup and hanging from the roof most part of it warrants mention. Radha Ravi as usual delivers. It’s not a typical ghost movie with blood and gore, but what makes it stand out is Mysshkin’s treatment. There’s an inbuilt humor in Pisasu and one cannot but notice some of the typical (clichéd) characters that are associated with a Mysskin film in Pisasu as well. Ravi Roy’s cinematography is exceptional. Debutant composer Arrol Corelli’s BGM enhances the proceedings and he is talent to watch out for. The running time with less than two hours also goes in favour of the film. It is a different conceptualization of ghost and can be watched once for its novel experience.