Bramayugam

 Bramayugam not like Lord Brahma, but Bramayugam, Bhrama like illusion/dillusion

The film begins with a scene depicting two men who have lost their way in the forest, seeking shelter for the night. In 17th century Malabar, Thevan and Koran escape the clutches of the Portuguese slave trade in Ponnani and flee to the east. At night, they camp at the banks of the Bharatappuzha River. However, Koran inadvertently falls into the enchanting snare of a yakshi, who lures him to his death. The second one, Thevan (Arjun Ashokan), realises that it is a yakshi and runs, and he enters the mana. While stealing a coconut, he is apprehended by the house's cook. He is brought before the lord of the manor, Kodumon Potti, who requests him to sing a song. The potti compliments Thevan on the song and insists that he stay the night there, in spite of his desire to leave. The cook, while showing Thevan his room, discourages him from asking questions about the house or the lord's background. In Rahul Sadasivan’s Mammootty-starrer Bramayugam, one would find three damned souls stuck up in an old mana (house of aristocratic Namboodiri Brahmins). Inside the old mana, which is in a dilapidated state, Thevan encounters Koduman Potti (Mammotty)—an old man—and his helper (Siddharth Bharatan). From there the film follows the perspective of Thevan, who would soon find the dark secrets about Potti and his helper. Mammootty delivers an outstanding performance, embodying an exceptionally cunning and eerie evil character.

Over the next few days, he discovers from the cook that the potti is a descendant of Chudalan Potti, who was gifted a demon helper, a chaathan, by the goddess Varahi. His constant torture of the chaathan turned it mad, and it went on to kill Chudalan Potti and his family. Kodumon Potti eventually defeated the chaathan and chained him to the mansion's attic.

One day, Thevan sees the cook digging a grave in the backyard, presumably for himself. Terrified, he tries to leave, but cannot. He then realizes that he has lost his memory and that he has been trapped in the mana for months. The cook tells Thevan that the grave is not for him, but for Kodumon: the man who has been running the mana is the chaathan in disguise, and he imprisoned the real Kodumon in the attic and drove him insane, leading to his eventual death. The only way that the cook and Thevan can escape the mana is by defeating the chaathan by dousing an ever-burning lamp located in a secret chamber under the mansion and then trapping the creature in a special chest.

During an argument, the cook steals the key to the chamber from the chaathan's waist. He opens the lair and blows out the lamp, rendering the chaathan powerless. Thevan and the cook set fire to the chaathan's disguised form, and the creature inside emerges. The cook, now revealed to be Kodumon's illicit son, attempts to put on the ring that will give him mastery over the chaathan, but is stopped by Thevan, who sees that it can reanimate the chaathan like it did with Kodumon. The two keep fighting while a big fire destroys the mana and collapses on them.

The cook escapes alive and meets Thevan outside the compound. He realises that it is not the real Thevan as he had died when the mana collapsed, but the chaathan who has been reanimated by the ring. Terrified, he runs away into a river. A Portuguese soldier guns him down, taking him for a lunatic. A battalion of Portuguese soldiers cross the river and moves in the direction of the mana, while the chathaan is seen walking away into a forest as the mana is now completely destroyed.

Presented as a period horror drama, this black and white film presents a comparable viewpoint, where each character arrives at a juncture where they realize that hell is other people exerting power over them.

Freedom

Time, something we all have but never realise. In fact only thing ours, but not ours. 

Fear. Only factor that stops us from success. 

Illusion is something that is caused by outside influence but delusion is caused by one'sfeelings. Illusion happens whenyou are fooled by your vision but delusion happens when you become a fool of yourself because of your beliefs. While illusion can be termed to be external, delusion can be called as internal.

'Rahul Sadasivan is not your average filmmaker - the young writer - director has worked up a script that is heavy on content and raises philosophical and socially relevant questions in the garb of being a horror thriller. He has picked up the philosophy of "power" in Bramayugam and through the 3 characters, he tries to explain what power means to a man, how one can use it to subjugate others and how power can corrupt even the most docile human being only to realize that he is powerful only till the time someone more powerful enters the scene.

"Bramayugam" is not for those looking for entertainment - this is the equivalent of a book that has more written in between the lines than in the lines. You will enjoy it and ponder over it only if you have a taste for it. '

As one of my ex-colleague, Sreeram Sundaram puts it in FB. The Chatan and the Yakshi are the master and the servant at the same time 

Mammootty portrays Potti with a diverse array of mannerisms and distinctive body language that exudes both authority and charm. Bharatan’s character is a stone-faced one, which hides secrets from both Thevan and Potti. And, the actor-director does justice to his character. Meanwhile, Ashokan gets a chance to deliver a full range of expressions from hope to ultimate horror. Amalda Liz portrays the Yakshi character; despite having no dialogue and minimal screen time, Sadasivan ensures that Liz's portrayal leaves a significant impact on the audience. Manikandan Rajan too displayed an amazing performance right in the beginning. 

Also it is the confined yet evocative setting, that truly captivated the viewers. Athirapilly has always been captivating, and so it is here too. 

"Bhoothakalam" director Rahul Sadasivan has written and directed this and it is jointly produced by Night Shift Studios and YNOT Studios. jointly produced by Night Shift Studios and YNOT Studios. Girish Puthenchery's son Din Nath made his debut as a lyricist, after Sadasivan suggested him to Xavier. Din Nath wrote four out of five original songs. Since the film is set in the 17th century, recreating the period through the film's music would have been challenging, but the team has done a good job there.