Neelavelicham Movie Review: Tovino Thomas and Rima Kallingal’s Remake of Bhargavi Nilayam Is Visually Captivating and Poignant but Falls Short in Second Half (LatestLY Exclusive)

Neelavelicham Movie Review: Since childhood, I was always attracted to yakshi kathakal presented in a black-and-white film. The lighting, the practical effects, and convenient editing cuts used to compensate for the lack of CGI technology then made for some haunting imagery. Not to mention, some of these Malayalam films had fantastic songs that lived for decades. Needless to say, I was a big fan of the 1964 film Bhargavi Nilayam, based on famed author Vaikom Muhammad Basheer's short story Neelavelicham, in which Basheer himself became the main character though he goes unnamed in the film. Neelavelicham Movie Review: Tovino Thomas, Rima Kallingal and Roshan Mathew's 'Bhargavi Nilayam' Remake Praised For Its Performance and Visuals!

Neelavelicham now becomes the title of Aashiq Abu's remake. It retains the plot of the original, with the unnamed novelist again being the protagonist here. So if you are not familiar with the plot of the original, it is about the author (Tovino Thomas) coming to live in a rented mansion near a beach village, which I am not sure in named in the movie, but actually is Pinarayi near Thalassery.

However, this mansion is haunted by a horrifying past. A girl called Bhagavi (Rima Kallingal) had apparently died by suicide there after jumping into the well after being ditched by her lover, and her spirit continues to roam the place, making the villagers fear the mansion and leaving it all alone.

Unlike the protagonists of most horror films, the writer isn't dismissive of the idea that there is a ghost residing in his house. He also feels its otherworldly presence there, but the writer sees her as a welcome addition to his loneliness. He is respectful of her and talks to the spirit, even if he never sees her (till later in the film), like a good friend. Soon enough, Bhargavi comes in front of the writer, and now he is determined to find out what really happened to her when she was alive and where her missing lover Sasikumar (Roshan Mathew) disappeared.

Watch the Trailer of Neelavelicham:

What I loved about Bhargavi Nilayam, apart from late MS Baburaj's beautiful songs, is that it is not just a horror story, but also an exploration of loneliness, an investigative saga, and a romantic tale all combined in one. And still, with my previous description, I am sure I have not done justice to what Bhargavi Nilayam means for Malayalam movie lovers, including the director of its remake, Aashiq Abu.

Yet, Bhargavi Nilayam, like many of the classics, isn't perfect. While watching Neelavelicham, Abu's tribute to the short story and the film, I can see that even the Virus and Mayanadhi director has the same grouses with the film as I. So in his Neelavelicham, he has taken out a couple of comic sequences, made the film tighter in the first half, and didn't include the "Arabikadaloru Manavatti" song—which, unlike the other songs, I think might not fit well in the new milieu and could come off as a parody with its picturisation. He removed the racism factor when it comes to the villain portrayal - Bhargavi Nilayam's antagonist is shown dark-skinned and heavily pockmarked compared to its two fair-skinned heroes, Prem Nazir and Madhu. Also, he included a supernatural factor into the climactic fight between the hero and the villain, which was absent in the climax of Bhargavi Nilayam.

Bhargavi Nilayam also gets a major technical upgrade in Neelavelicham. The sound design is fantastic and more enjoyable when you watch the film in a Dolby Atmos theatre. Girish Gangadharan's frames are simply stunning; I really loved those beautiful beach sequences, enticing you to put Pinarayi (not the CM of Kerala) in your destination bucket list. Bijibal's background score gives a sense of poignancy to the proceedings and the recreated songs are heavenly to hear in the new format.

Yet, not all technical upgrades work. I am not a fan of Neelavelcham's infusion of VFX in certain scenes that make them less effective than how they were in the original film, particularly the scene where the writer finally comes face to face with the ghost. While I understand the need to add the VFX so as to live upto the title - see the scene when the writer returns home after bringing kerosene for his lamp and finding his house filled with blue moonlight (a colour tone B&W Bhargavi Nilayam couldn't pull off, obviously) - it doesn't look organically appealing, no matter how hard Bijibal's score tries to romanticise the scene.

Interestingly, the artificiality that the VFX brings in the film is also a symbolic representation of why Neelavelicham didn't win over me completely, be it as a tribute or a remake. I liked the first half when the focus is on the writer, the derelict house, and the spirit within. Aashiq Abu retains the supernatural tension and the unpredictability of the writer and the spirit's unexpected bonding from the original.

It is the second half, however, that gave me the audacity to question why Aashiq Abu needed to remake the movie. The flashback portions don't bring out the same innocent charm that Bhargavi Nilayam had—there is a reason why Prem Nazir was called the king of romance then—and the chemistry between Rima Kallingal and Roshan Mathew is quite lacking. The sequences feel like a remnant from a past that didn't get a modern touch, unlike how I felt about the first half, while also bringing down the pacing of the movie. The charm and the melancholy of the first half are missing here, and that is quite a downer.

Perhaps, viewers who have not seen Bhargavi Nilayam might be more welcoming of Neelavelicham, but as someone who has now seen both, I wish Aashiq Abu could have brought in more aesthetic changes in the screenplay. For example, the songs of Bhargavi Nilayam are given a lovely recreation here, especially the "Ekanthathayude Apara Theeram" track. But they sorely remind me that Aashiq Abu focused more on giving Bhargavi Nilayam a mesmerising visual and auditory upgrade, but not such much about taking creative liberties. Why not have original songs with a yesteryear feel, instead of simply invoking on our nostalgia with recreated old ones? Why not have a different take on the climax which very obviously won't fit well with today's viewers? Neelavelicham Song Anuraga Madhuchashakam: Rima Kallingal’s Vintage Look in This Classic Melody Is a Treat for Fans on Her Birthday.

As for the performances, the actors are really good, though at times, I felt a couple of them could work better if the roles are interchanged. While I loved Tovino Thomas' take on the writer, when Roshan Mathew made his presence felt, I felt they should have switched roles. Nothing against Tovino (who is doing fantastic work these days), but Roshan Mathew felt and looked more apt for the Basheer stand-in protagonist with his look and body language. Tovino could have been a more suitable candidate to bring back the Prem Nazir charm. Rima Kallingal, an otherwise fine actress (see how she leaves an impact despite her limited role in Virus), however, feels out of place as Bhargavi, both dead and alive. The only casting I felt worked throughout was Shine Tom Chacko as Nanukuttan.

Final Thoughts

Aashiq Abu's Neelavelicham is a visually stunning remake of the 1964 classic Bhargavi Nilayam. The film features beautiful cinematography, a haunting score and fantastic sound design, and strong performances from Tovino, Roshan Mathew and Shine Tom Chacko. However, the second half of the film falls short of expectations, with the flashback sequences feeling slow and lacking the charm of the original. Overall, Neelavelicham is a worthwhile watch whether you have seen the original or not, but it may not completely validate its own existence as a recreation. Neelavelicham is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 22, 2023 01:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).