Tumbbad

We dont deserve movies like Tumbbad. There is no khan in this movie, no item songs, and no big stars. Do yourself a favor by watching #Tumbbad this week. Brilliant direction and breathtaking cinematography. Breaks my heart to see an empty theater on day 2. Contribute to meaningful cinema by watching it in theaters or keep complaining about movies like race3.#TumbbadWinningHearts

TUMBBAD is a small village in India where a shrine was built for a god named Hastar. He was the greedy, malevolent offspring of the goddess of prosperity, and was only spared from obliteration by the other gods, on the condition that he never be worshiped.

This is not a spoiler, since it is told in the first few minutes of the film.

What follows is the story of what happens when human and demonic desires intersect. Hastar's temple is said to contain a vast fortune in a secret chamber. Needless to say, circumstances arise which stir Hastar from his long slumber.

Enter Vinayak Rao (Sohum Shah), a man so driven by his lust for gold that he returns to TUMBBAD fifteen years after a terrible event, in order to find and abscond with Hastar's treasure.

This isn't a good idea. At all.

Rao is an astoundingly single-minded, repellent character, willing to do anything to get what he wants. He truly believes that he can trick a god to attain his riches. His family suffers much for his stubborn folly.

TUMBBAD is no mere monster movie, though the creature is impressive. It's a fantasy / horror fable, much like something from Guillermo del Toro, giving us something to think about while being scared. Some of the plot twists are inspired, especially near the end.

This movie deserves a much wider audience...

Original, unsettling & enveloped with a dreadful aura, Tumbbad is a wicked blend of fantasy & folklore that makes fab use of its rich & riveting mythology to deliver a dark, delirious nightmare, and is all the more strengthened by its claustrophobic set pieces, ominous camerawork & unrelenting score.

Directed by Rahi Anil Barve, the most impressive bit about his first feature is that it is devoid of the awful gimmicks that destroy most Bollywood horrors. It retains its Indian roots, relies on its chilling ambience to ratchet the tension, and doesn't go overboard with most elements, thus keeping the interest alive until the end.

The remote location, period setting, dilapidated sets, perpetual rain & pitch dark alleys contribute plenty in creating a sense of apprehension that keeps us riveted throughout. The sophisticated camerawork & menacing score further amplify the unsettling vibe. Performances, however, are a bit overdone and certainly could've used some restraint.

Overall, Tumbbad is a welcome entry in Bollywood horror with a level of maturity that most of its counterparts lack. Scoring high marks on storytelling & technical fronts, it is a polished piece of work that puts greater emphasis on atmosphere to derive the chills instead of resorting to tiresome clichés, and is neatly executed by the debutant filmmaker. Definitely worth a shot.

The film begins with top notch cinematography.

The story is unique, bringing mythology n the moral subject of human greed.

The story is based on the spooky Indian mythology/horror folktale of a demon who is loaded with gold but deprived of food.

One family has been able to revive the demon by building a temple inside an isolated n creepy mansion. Cos of this the family is ostracised.

The mansion is huge with big doors n fort like walls n only the old father resides in the mansion. The wife/mistress do visit the mansion everyday to give the old husband a hand-job n while she gives him the hand-job, she asks him to hurry up, to which the oldie replies in a funny way.

The wife also inquires about a gold coin which is kept near the demon's idol.

The house of the family is walking distance away from the mansion which is inhabited by the wife n her two kids along with the great great grandmother of the old husband who is being cursed to live forever after the bite of the demon n the old hag needs to be fed regularly while she is asleep or she might resort to cannibalism.

The house is a striking image on top a hill, reminding viewers of isolation in the countryside.

There are no close-by neighbors, as the family is on their own after their ostracisation.

There is something very trance like feel in this movie, especially the weather n the locations.

The constant rain and vivid, well filmed local landscapes are characters themselves.

It is dark n claustrophobic with palpable atmosphere.

Kudos to the cinematographer n director, they did a fantastic job in creating a perpetual and palpable sense of tension and fear.

The director also did a nice job of building a concrete, hypnotizing story without ever having to sacrifice pacing.

The story takes place in a span of thirty years n the details r appropriately handled.

If u notice the mansion in the beginning n after fifteen years, u will see all the details.

Attention has been paid in the local ethnic details, the time period, costumes n architecture.

Also the moral subject of greed n lust are handled very well.

The subject of Sati n female subjugation are sprinkled but not explored.

Soham Shah and the kids gave noteworthy performances.

Appreciate Soham n the producers for producing such a good horror film.

Kudos to the director for a fantastic twist ending.

Love to see a prequel or sequel with more emphasis on the true horror Sati n the demon's backstory.

Tumbbad

With this movie , indian film making has definitely gained a certain level of maturity . I have lost my faith in horror cum thriller zone movies which are produced in india, in past all they do is cut copy paste. This movie is definitely original. They do not use sudden creepy sound effects or the old tricks of moving camera over the shoulder. The director completely relies on the story to work and it works. The camera lenses are well used to portray the claustrophobic scenes . The production value is top notch , totally uplifts the movie. Most of the scene includes rain , the greens and a dark environment which works superbly . Director duo do not try to scare you through formula film making methods. They don't even try to do that ,it's the story and the environment which worked for them. Most of the scenes are designed in low light conditions but the contrast is high enough to attract your eye's attention towards the character. Actors have pulled there character successfully specially Soham Shah who is also the producer. A thousand year old myth , greed, deep dark corner of a humen's psyche , a monster (within and out too), ajay atul's precise background score , the spellbound scenic value and a world class direction . There is so much more this movie has to offer. The masala movie watcher may not able to appreciate the movie as it must be but this movie definitely deserves a sensible class of audience.