Andhaghaaram HD Released

In simple words, andhaghaaram means darkness, absence of light. But in Vignarajan’s film, it acquires multidimensional meanings. It stares you in the face and yet, is metaphorical. But, do audiences get the gist?

Vinod (Arjun Das) is a disillusioned cricketer who makes his living by coaching kids in the game. Life becomes a living hell for him when he starts receiving calls on his landline from an anonymous person, who is in possession of a very deep, dark secret of his. After repeated insistence from his girlfriend Manasi (Meesha Ghoshal), he decides to seek help from a reputed psychiatrist, Dr Indran (Kumar Natarajan). Vinod gets his contact from Pooja (Pooja Ramachandran), his best friend Pradeep’s sister. An RTO staff, Pooja moonlights as a teacher, coaching visually challenged students, including Selvam (Vinoth Kishan), a librarian. Are their connections as simple as they seem? Or is there more than what meets the eye?

Debutant Vignarajan (who has also written the story) has a solid theme in hand – four different people, four different stories, all connected by a single thread. Each character is neatly written and has enough meat. The actors, too, have sunk their teeth into their parts with much gusto. Arjun showcases both his machismo and vulnerability with ease – he’s aggressive in the scenes in which he desperately wants to get away from the caller, and cowers with fear when he realises that he may have encountered something paranormal. Vinoth impresses as a visually impaired librarian – he is effortless while dealing with Braille and totally looks the part. Pooja and Kumar Natarajan have played their parts subtly, but leave behind a deep impression. Edwin Sakay’s camera (the first few frames help establish the mood of the film beautifully), Rembon Balraj’s art production (Arjun’s single-room house is straight out of mafia movies, but the red set-up makes it eerie. And oh, those rotary dial telephones are quite striking, we must say) and Pradeep Kumar’s music enrich the narration.

But there’s something about the packaging that doesn't quite sit right – it’s the thread that connects the stories together. It’s flimsy, it's loose, but you realise that only when you reach the climax. At 2 hours 51 minutes, the film is too long. Though the narration keeps you glued, a lacklustre twist makes you question if your patience was worth it. The film claims to be a supernatural thriller, but there’s no spook in the story. Psychological elements? Aplenty. But the chill in the story is lost somewhere between wanting to be both.