Malayalam cinema just got its first-ever musical comedy with Karakkam. With a quirky, unusual plot, an ensemble cast and a dash of musical, this horror-comedy helmed by Subhash Lalitha Subrahmanian, stars Sreenath Bhasi, Praveen T. J., Femina George, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Shaun Romy, Manikandan R. Achari, Sidharth Bharathan and others in pivotal roles. But does it land where it intends to?
Karakkam plot
After a drunken lodge fight on New Year’s Eve, a broke dancer named Dhanush (Sreenath Bhasi) and his friend Khaja (Praveen T. J.) escape to a nearby cemetery in Kochi for a ‘peaceful sleep.’ In their intoxicated state, they end up recklessly pulling brass crosses from five graves, only to summon the five restless spirits.
Fleeing the cemetery in the middle of the night, they return to their lodge, but these spirits are now starting to torment the two men, forcing them into a chaotic situation to find a solution. In the process, they meet a para-psychologist (Abhiram Radhakrishnan) who tries to thug them in exhange of the brass crosses, but invites the spirits instead. He then joins them to appease the dead.
The verdict
Karakkam starts slow and maintains a stretched pace for the first half. Nevertheless, the second half engages well, keeping you hooked. The story holds a lot of potential, especially given its unique and unusual horror concept, before diverging into the usual revenge plot. At times, it feels the story could have been developed better, but nevertheless, the experiment deserves its recognition. Especially since it strikes a chord, although not fully, in its modest 1-hour-44-minute runtime.
Coming to the horror component of this horror-comedy, it fails to lean on either side. It does not scare you enough, nor does it make you laugh enough. There are no jumpscares, or no laugh-out-loud moments if you’re expecting any. The story compensates here too, where you don’t really mind getting meagre of both.
Talking of the musical bit, the music does it job and doesn’t feel overly forced upon. Given the characters and their characteristics, music fits in well, without being too loud or unnecessary.
The ghosts in this one are almost non-scary. They feel friendly and fun to the audience throughout. Interestingly, these are dancing ghosts that actually dance well. They are not just wearing these disco-cum-cabret outfits of the 90s but pulling off some Micheal Jackson moves too. Every time they are on the screens, they are either glamorous or deadpan and nothing in between. Expect no jumpscares from them.
The duo of Sreenath Bhasi and Praveen TJ deliver compelling and convincing performances. Abhiram Radhakrishnan, however, feels disconnected at places while attempting comedy.
Overall, Malayalam horror-comedy Karakkam is a good watch if you’re looking at something that’s unusual, quirky and fun. Also, if you’re someone who likes horror but is also scared of it, this one will be a treat.
Karakkam movie review: A quirky horror-comedy with ghosts that dance well
