Where to Watch:
9.6/10
FilmFascination Rating
It was a Sunday night, and at about 9 pm, we decided to watch Tumbbad on a 10:45 pm show. Now this would be normal for some people, but I never make impromptu decisions. Adding to the wonder of how I went, I had my exams on Wednesday. On a usual day, no one would have ever convinced me to go to a movie that night. But it was Tumbbad. A movie that I had heard so much about and I always wanted to see it. Re-releasing a movie is like that once-in-a-blue-moon chance that the filmmakers give to experience the movie in the theatre for the one who missed it the first time. I missed it during its release and did not want to miss the opportunity again.
Tumbbad is based on a folklore that revolves around the story of a demon God Hastar. There are those stories we hear that are infamous to teach us something. This is a movie that brings the story of Hastar to life. The movie begins with a great introduction to Hastar, a mythical creature born out of a goddess, but one whose selfish urge for gold and nutrition compelled the other gods to destroy him. There is a belief that Hastar’s treasure is worth beyond any numeric figure. It exists in a Wada in Tumbbad, but no one knows where it is. When the owner of the Wada, Sarkar, dies, the Wada must be inherited by his caretaker’s sons because there is no one else. But the caretaker wants none of the cursed (as it is believed) treasure and leaves for Pune. 15 years later, Vinayak (the son of the caretaker) comes to Tumbbad to find what he believes is his.
Tumbbad may have fallen into the category of horror, but it is not. Believe me, I don’t watch horror movies, I get scared. But this is not that type. This is a thriller, folklore, and a mystery. But most importantly a movie that wants to send a message. Do you know what is scarier than supernatural powers? It is humans. Humans who are blinded by greed. For everything you gain, you have to lose something. There is a scene where a person finds a chest and it is shown from a wide shot how his head is drawn into it. That, in my eyes, beautifully resembles greed. The mind gets pulled into something without knowing the consequences.
The scary and tense atmosphere grabs you into Tumbbad. You feel a thrill when a person is moving through the dark narrow places just with a fire lamp. The cinematography captures all the scenes brilliantly. It turned out to become one of the most visually striking movies I have seen. There are larger-than-life wide-angle shots and close-up shots which all take place in such dark atmospheres. The heavy rain in the film somehow becomes central to the film. In fact, Sohum Shah, the actor who plays Vinayak in the movie and also the producer of the film, said in his interviews that people come to a realisation that ‘it is actually not raining outside’ when they come out of the theatre. That is how much the movie makes you a part of the world. In fact, raining and creating that dark atmosphere was so important for the filmmakers that if the season passed, they had to wait for another year to shoot the scene again.
It finally took 6 years for the film to complete after overcoming various challenges. Although I was late to discover it, it brings me immense joy to see such a film come out of India
Every single actor has played a commendable role. Especially Sohum Shah, when just his eyes are enough to show so much about Vinayak’s character. His greed, heartlessness, and at the same time regret and pain in the last few scenes. He isn’t particularly towards the negative side. He has a gray shade, because many times in the film, surprisingly you feel for him. In his interviews, he talked about how he was considering various actors for that role, but I cannot imagine anyone but him playing it. Besides him, even the child actors play their roles with strong emotions.
All of this leaves you with an everlasting effect. It is thrilling, breathtaking, surprising, scary, has tense and mature performances with music that keeps you on your toes. I could not stop thinking about this movie for a few days after watching it. The movie has so many layers and characters with depth that any movie lover would just keep analyzing every single thing. It takes an insane amount of vision and imagination to bring such a movie to life with precise details.
If you get a chance, you go watch it in the theatres. It is an unforgettable experience!
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Wow!
This is so well written. Also enjoyed that personal touch you have given in the starting para.
Will surely be coming for more.
You got a very great website, I discovered it through yahoo.
Thank you 🙂