CinemaAashiq Abu’s remake of Vincent’s 1964 horror classic ‘Bhargavi Nilayam’ has brought back to spotlight an old debate, surrounding the necessity of remakes within Malayalam cinema.Still from 'Neelavelicham'Remakes are not in the least unusual, not down in Kerala, where people get a heavy dose of Priyadarshan movies. Films have been handed between languages, scripts rewritten to Hindi or Tamil from Malayalam. Priyadarshan is not the only culprit, just the more notorious one. The argument in support being that remakes take the original stories to more people, who understand a different language. But then there came remakes of Malayalam films into newer Malayalam films, works of an earlier decade retold. The case in point, the reason for this banter, is of course the remake of the iconic Bhargavi Nilayam of 1964 into Neelavelicham in 2023. Director Vincent’s Bhargavi Nilayam has been considered a classic, a horror movie that set the standards for horror movies,...
- 5/12/2023
- by Cris
- The News Minute
ReviewTovino plays the protagonist writer with nuance and restraint, while Rima is charming as Bhargavi. The actors, however, struggle to deliver their lines from a 60-year-old script in a manner that suits modern sensibilities.There is a scene about halfway through Aashiq Abu’s Neelavelicham. The film’s unnamed writer protagonist (Tovino Thomas) is walking towards his rented bungalow, only to suddenly stop in his tracks, his eyes wide, staring spellbound at the vision in front of him. Bathed in a magical blue glow, the house, famously inhabited by a forlorn ghost, is beckoning him to come in and finish writing her story. As he enters the house in awe, transcendent blue hues enveloping him, he thanks his dear ghost, Bhargavi, for giving him this ‘neela velicham’ (blue radiance). It is at this point that Aashiq’s vision as a filmmaker, to remake A Vincent’s 1964 classic Bhargavi Nilayam, truly comes alive.
- 4/20/2023
- by LakshmiP
- The News Minute
BooksNearly 60 years after Basheer adapted his short story for the script of the 1964 horror classic ‘Bhargavi Nilayam’, the story is once again turning into a film, this time with its original title ‘Neelavelicham’.*Spoiler alert* Neelavelicham or The Blue Radiance, Vaikom Muhammed Basheer’s short story which inspired his script for the 1964 horror classic film Bhargavi Nilayam, is only 12 pages long. Yet it got widely read, loved and passed on through generations, coming as it did from Basheer, a most beloved writer in Malayalam. For one, it gave rise to the iconic film, a first of its kind in Malayalam, mixing horror with a love story and presenting it so sensitively. For another, it represents everything that Basheer is loved for. He presents himself in the first person narrative in Neelavelicham, while in the film, we see a reflection of the writer. The language is also typically Basheer’s, with...
- 4/19/2023
- by Cris
- The News Minute
MollywoodIt’s been five decades since ‘Bhargavi Nilayam’ was released, and the film seems to have aged well. As Aashiq Abu attempts to recreate it as ‘Neelavelicham’ on screen, he sure has the odds stacked against him. An old, haunted house. A cheerful, lonely novelist who sees the world through a psychedelic lens. A smokey-eyed, white sari-clad, beautiful female ghost who lurks in the background. A tragic love story. That’s the narrative that shaped Malayalam cinema’s first-ever horror-romantic-investigative thriller Bhargavi Nilayam (The Abode of Bhargavi), released in 1964 and directed by A Vincent. The plotline is no confounded jigsaw puzzle, especially for avid fans of Vaikom Muhammed Basheer, who cherish the playfulness, romance, and mystique of his short story Neelavelicham, on which the film was based. Basheer, who developed a screenplay from the short story, positions himself as the novelist in Bhargavi Nilayam. Though Madhu is exasperatingly mechanical as...
- 4/18/2023
- by AzeefaF
- The News Minute
MollywoodAashiq Abu’s 'Neelavelicham', Ashraf Hamza’s 'Sulaikha Manzil' and other anticipated films are releasing in time for Eid celebrations.Still from Sulaikha ManzilFor the Ramzan weekend, at least four Malayalam movies are releasing in theatres, including the much-awaited Neelavelicham. There could be more releases announced mid-week, as part of the festival fun. Here is the list of this week's releases announced so far. 1. Neelavelicham - One of the most awaited films of the year, Aashiq Abu's Neelavelicham is ready for release this week. The team behind the film has been giving out bits and pieces about what's in store. Starring Rima Kallingal, Roshan Mathew and Tovino Thomas, the film is based on Vaikom Muhammed Basheer's story of the same title, and his later script for the 1964 film Bhargavi Nilayam. It falls into the horror genre and is set in an earlier decade. Evergreen melodies of legendary musician Ms Baburaj,...
- 4/17/2023
- by Cris
- The News Minute
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