Bayama Irukku

Last updated

Bayama Irukku
Bayama Irukku.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJawahar
Produced byJawahar
Starring Santhosh Prathap
Reshmi Menon
CinematographyMahendiran Jayaraju
Edited byKamalakannan
Music by C. Sathya
Production
company
Vasantham Productions
Release date
  • 22 September 2017 (2017-09-22)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Bayama Irukku (transl. It's scary!) is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language horror comedy film written and directed by Jawahar. It is an unofficial remake of the Thai film Pee Mak . The film features Santhosh Prathap and Reshmi Menon, with Kovai Sarala, Rajendran, Bharani, Jagan, and Lollu Sabha Jeeva in supporting roles. The music was composed by C. Sathya with editing done by Mahendran. The film began production and was completed by late 2015, but delays meant that it had a theatrical release on 22 September 2017.

Contents

Plot

Jai leaves behind his pregnant wife Lekha at a town, in search of her parents in Sri Lanka. He was wounded during an attack when he tried to save fellow Tamil people, Raj, Ajith, Mani, and Shiva, who later became his best friends after he had saved them from a certain death.

Meanwhile, at home, Lekha struggled alone painfully to give birth to a baby; she calls out for help but is too weak to be heard. Shortly after, rumors started circulating the village that Lekha had died in labor and was now a ghost of a very powerful form haunting the house. The villagers in the neighborhood then heard her singing lullabies to her baby, terrifying them and forcing them to cower in fear.

When Jai and his friends arrive back to the town in the evening, they find the town completely silent. The five soon arrives at Jai and Lekha's house during the night, and Jai introduces Lekha to them. As it is now too dark to continue traveling, Jai's friends decide to stay. The following day, the men visit the village market but are shunned by the fearful community. A drunk villager attempts to shout out a warning to Jai but is forced down and hushed by her son. Jai's friends then discuss what they had heard but dismiss the rumors as ridiculous.

Ajith, however, while he was sent to fetch Jai, saw that the house was a dilapidated wreck that had not been maintained for months, that the baby cot that Jai and Lekha's son was supposed to be sleeping in, was rocking by itself, and then he saw Lekha extending her arm to an unnatural length to retrieve a dropped Apple under the house. The following day, Mani discovers a decomposed corpse behind the house wearing exactly the same ring as Lekha. The drunk villager who had also tried to warn them earlier also turned up mysteriously drowned. Soon, all four friends are convinced that she is a ghost. The friends then try numerous methods to convince Jai of the news, including a game of charades, and come within inches of being murdered by Lekha, with only Jai's presence preventing her from doing so, and she scares them away. Worse, Jai dismisses all of their warnings, proclaims that they are no longer his friends, and kicks them out of their accommodations.

Later, Jai and Lekha go out on a date in the town, visiting an amusement park. Jai's friends attempt to separate the two by kidnapping Jai, but their plans are foiled when Lekha discovers them and chases them away. Suddenly, during the getaway, Jai's wound reopens. His friends express surprise at how much blood has spilled, but Ajith and Mani become convinced that he, not Lekha, is the ghost, and their fears are seemingly confirmed when Jai reacts in pain when they attack him with holy rice. The friends then flee from their wounded friend and rescue Lekha. While escaping in a boat, Jai "returns" to them, walking into the river to them, but ends up almost drowning when he suffers cramps. As ghosts are not supposed to feel cramps, Jai is revealed to not have been a ghost, and he is rescued; when asked why he screamed when hit by the holy rice, he reveals that the rice had riddled his wound, making him yell out in pain.

In the following confusion, Raj drops a ring identical to the one Jai, Lekha, and the body behind the house had been wearing. Raj is immediately pronounced a ghost and kicked off the boat. The others then try to escape, but, as they had lost the paddles to the boat earlier, they cannot move. Lekha then somehow produces a soaking wet paddle and hands it to Mani, who suddenly recalls that all of them had been thrown overboard, and had already drifted too far away for a normal person to recover. Mani then stands up on the boat to look between his legs at the group; Lekha is revealed to have been the ghost all along, and the four remaining men, including Jai, retreat to a temple.

There, the men come under the protection of the local monk, armed with holy rice, holy water, and the temple is fortified with an enchanted "safety ring". Lekha quickly appears, in her terrifying ghostly form, and attacks. Initially, the holy "weapons" successfully keep Lekha at bay, but, in a panic, coupled with Jai's struggle to get back to his wife, all of the holy rice and water are wasted, and the monk was accidentally kicked out of the "safety ring". The monk then fled the temple, leaving the four, who had since destroyed the "safety ring" while trying to run, to face the angry Lekha. A pale Raj then reappears, and it was revealed that he is also human; he was in possession of the ring because he had stolen it off of the corpse behind the house to finance his gambling. Lekha angrily shouted at the five that she just wanted to be with her loved one, which the four friends argued against since they did not believe the living can be with the dead, and accuse her of killing the drunk; Lekha furiously denies her involvement and says that the drunk had drowned himself. Lekha, in a combination of sadness, anger, and desperation, then threatens to kill Jai and take him to live with her but stops when she sees how much she had been scaring her husband.

Jai then revealed that he knew the truth about Lekha all along, having had his suspicions raised during the game of charades. He had already looked at Lekha between his legs, which revealed her ghostly form, and found her decomposed corpse. However, even then, he is far more afraid of living without her than of her being dead. The two tearfully reconcile. His friends, seeing them reuniting, also tearfully reaffirm their friendship, and vow to never leave each other again. A flashback to Jai and Lekha's first meeting is shown.

In the credit scenes, Jai, Lekha, and his four friends live happily in the village. Lekha uses her supernatural abilities to do chores, play charades (and helping Mak win for the first time), scare off villagers who are attempting to drive her away (who are led by the village drunk's son), and even run the town's "haunted house" attraction. It is also revealed that her child also possesses some of her abilities, even though he is still an infant.

Cast

Production

Directed by debutant Jawahar and starring Santhosh Prathap and Reshmi Menon, the film completely shot in late 2015 in the interiors of Kerala, Chennai and Nagercoil. [1] [2] The horror comedy film, was said to feature Menon as a mother, while Rajendran and Kovai Sarala were also signed on for roles. [3]

After a period of inactivity, in August 2016, the producers promoted the film by trending the hashtag "PeisNext" (Ghost's next film) on Twitter, before re-revealing that the film would be called Bayama Irukku. [4] [5] Following a further year of little promotion, the producers readied the film for a theatrical release in September 2017 and featured Bharani in the posters, following his popularity through his appearance in the Tamil reality television show, Bigg Boss .

Soundtrack

Bayama Irukku
Soundtrack album by
Released16 September 2017
Recorded2017
Genre Soundtrack
Length13:07
Language Tamil
Label Divo Music
Producer C. Sathya
C. Sathya chronology
Koditta Idangalai Nirappuga
(2017)
Bayama Irukku
(2017)
Pakka
(2018)

The film's music was composed by C. Sathya, while the audio rights of the film was acquired by Divo Music. The album released on 16 September 2017 and featured four songs.

Track list
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Mayile" Viveka Anthony Daasan 4:08
2."Eppavumae" Viveka Judah Sandy3:50
3."Kannukkul"Logan Rita, Rahul Sathu, Bmac3:30
4."Unnai Edhirparthen" Viveka Gowry Lekshmi1:39
Total length:13:07

Release

The film had a low profile release at the box office on 22 September 2017, with critics giving the film negative reviews. The satellite rights of the film were sold to Zee Tamil.

Reception

A critic from The Times of India wrote "for a horror comedy, Bayama Irukku is short on both scares and laughs" and that "the predictable script hardly displays any inventiveness and is content to assume that anything that Rajendran does will make audiences laugh". [6] Sify.com stated there was "not even a single interesting scene" and that the film "neither frightens you nor evokes any laughter". [7] Likewise, The New Indian Express wrote "Bayama Irruku doesn't fall under either horror or comedy category as the film fails at both scaring you and making you laugh". [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Chandralekha</i> (1997 film) 1997 Indian Malayalam-language comedy film by Priyadarshan

Chandralekha is a 1997 Indian Malayalam-language comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan and produced by Fazil. It stars Mohanlal, Sukanya, Pooja Batra, Sreenivasan, Nedumudi Venu, and Innocent. The film's title is a portmanteau of the two female lead characters' names—Chandra and Lekha. Berny-Ignatius composed the songs, while the film score was composed by S. P. Venkatesh. The film's core plot was inspired by the 1995 Hollywood film While You Were Sleeping.

<i>Dhosth</i> (2001 Malayalam film) 2001 film by Thulasidas

Dhosth (transl. Friend) is a 2001 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Thulasidas. It stars Dileep and Kunchako Boban in the lead roles along with Kavya Madhavan, Jagathy Sreekumar and Kalabhavan Mani in supporting roles. It is a remake of Tamil film Kannedhirey Thondrinal (1998). The film was a box office success.

<i>Mampazhakkalam</i> 2004 Indian film

Mambazhakkalam is a 2004 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film directed by Joshiy, written by T. A. Shahid and produced by M. Mani. It stars Mohanlal and Shobana, alongside a large supporting cast. The film features original songs composed by M. Jayachandran and background score by S. P. Venkatesh.

<i>Dilliwala Rajakumaran</i> 1996 Malayalam film directed by Rajasenan

Dillivala Rajakumaran is a 1996 Malayalam film by Rajasenan starring Jayaram, Manju Warrier, Biju Menon, and Kalabhavan Mani. The movie tells a fictional story inspired by the Travancore Royal Family's famous Padiyettam ceremony which last happened in the year 1994 when Aswathi Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi of the Travancore Royal Family adopted Bharani Thirunal Lekha Parvathi Bayi.

War and Love is a 2003 Indian Malayalam-language epic war film directed by Vinayan and starring Dileep, Prabhu, Laila, Mukesh Rishi, Kalabhavan Mani and Siddique. The film was released to extremely negative reviews. The film was dubbed in Tamil as Kalam.

<i>Pee Mak</i> 2013 Thai film

Pee Mak is a 2013 Thai supernatural romantic comedy-horror film directed and co-written by Banjong Pisanthanakun. The story is an adaptation of the Mae Nak Phra Khanong legend of Thai folklore. The film stars Mario Maurer as Mak Davika Hoorne as Nak, and Pongsathorn Jongwilas, Nattapong Chartpong, Auttarut Kongrasri and Kantapat Permpoonpatcharasook. The film was a major commercial success upon its release and became Thailand's highest-grossing film of all time.

<i>Kirumi</i> 2015 Indian film

Kirumi (transl. Germ) is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language thriller film written, directed and edited by Anucharan in his debut feature. The film co-written by M. Manikandan and produced by JPR Films, stars Kathir and Reshmi Menon. The film, featuring music composed by K and cinematography by Arul Vincent, released on 24 September 2015.

<i>Dhilluku Dhuddu</i> 2016 Indian film

Dhilluku Dhuddu is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language comedy horror film directed by Rambala and produced by Sri Thenandal Films. The film features starring Santhanam and Anchal Singh in the leading roles, while Saurabh Shukla appears in a pivotal role. Featuring music composed by S. Thaman, Dhilluku Dhuddu began production in November 2015 and released on 7 July 2016 to positive response and turned to be successful at box office. The film was later dubbed in Hindi as Raj Mahal 3 in 2017. The film was dubbed in Telugu as Dammunte Sommera in 2018. The film was remade in Kannada in 2019 as Gimmick starring Ganesh.

<i>Enai Noki Paayum Thota</i> 2019 film directed by Gautham Menon

Enai Noki Paayum Thota is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, who co-produced the film with P. Madhan and Venkat Somasundaram. The film stars Dhanush, Megha Akash, M. Sasikumar, and Sunaina. The music was composed by Darbuka Siva with cinematography was handled by Jomon T. John and Manoj Paramahamsa, while Praveen Antony handled the editing of the film.

<i>Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae</i> 2017 Indian film

Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language horror comedy film written and directed by Ike, and produced by Fox Star Studios and Atlee under his production house 'A for Apple Productions'. The film stars Jiiva, Sri Divya, and Soori while Radha Ravi, Radhika Sarathkumar, and Thambi Ramaiah play supporting roles. Featuring music composed by Vishal Chandrasekhar.

<i>Enakku Vaaitha Adimaigal</i> 2017 Tamil film by Mahendran Rajamani

Enakku Vaaitha Adimaigal is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film written and directed by Mahendran Rajamani and produced by Shan Sutharsan. The film stars Jai and Pranitha, with Karunakaran, Kaali Venkat and Naveen George Thomas in supporting roles. Featuring music composed by Santhosh Dhayanidhi and cinematography by Mahesh Muthuswami, the film began production during June 2016 and was released on 2 February 2017.

<i>Kuttikalundu Sookshikkuka</i> 2016 Indian film

Kuttikalundu Sookshikkuka is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language family thriller film written and directed by Kalavoor Ravikumar and produced by Mohanan G. It stars Sanoop Santhosh, Siddharth Ajith, Anoop Menon and Bhavana in lead roles.

<i>Hara Hara Mahadevaki</i> 2017 film by Santhosh P. Jayakumar

Hara Hara Mahadevaki is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language adult romance film written and directed by Santhosh P. Jayakumar and Produced By Thangam Cinemas. The film features Gautham Karthik and Nikki Galrani in the lead roles, while Balamurali Balu composes the film's music. Produced by Thangam Cinemas and released by Blue Ghost Pictures, the venture began production in November 2016. The film's title is based on a song from Motta Shiva Ketta Shiva (2017).

<i>Sarvam Thaala Mayam</i> 2019 Tamil-language musical drama film

Sarvam Thaala Mayam is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language musical drama film written and directed by Rajiv Menon. The film stars G. V. Prakash Kumar and Aparna Balamurali, with a supporting cast including Nedumudi Venu, Vineeth, Kumaravel, Santha Dhananjayan, and Dhivyadharshini. The film has music composed by A. R. Rahman, cinematography by Ravi Yadav, and editing by Anthony.

Krrish is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Tamil and Malayalam cinema. He made his debut in the commercially successful Yennai Arindhaal directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon starring Ajith Kumar in 2015. Then went on to play one of the antagonists in the Tamil hit Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada also directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon in 2016. He made his Malayalam debut with Kinavalli directed by Sugeeth in 2018 for which he won the Asiavision Awards for most promising actor. Kinavalli garnered positive reviews from critics and the audiences alike. His latest release is the comic caper web series "What's up Velakkari" which has released in Zee 5 in December 2018. He plays a funny Cop called Rakesh. The web series has been released in 7 languages in India. His latest Tamil film is ‘Hostel’ directed by Sumanth Radhakrishnan starring Ashok Selvan, Priya Bhavani Shankar and comedian Sathish.

Kasu Irukkanum is a 2007 Tamil language thriller film directed by R. Kumaran and Priyavan, produced by R. P. Poorani, and editing by P. Mohanraj. The film stars newcomer Vishwa, Payal, Nanditha Jennifer, Laksha, Kadhal Sukumar, Arul, and K. Bhagyaraj, while J. Livingston, Anusha, Singamuthu, Kovai Senthil, and Bonda Mani playing supporting roles. The film had music by Kavin Saradha and Raj Shankar, cinematography by R. K. Kumar, and editing by P. Mohanraj. The film released on 4 May 2007.

<i>Kinavalli</i> 2018 Indian film

Kinavalli is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy horror film directed by Sugeeth, written by Syam Seethal and Vishnu Ramachandran and produced by Manesh Thomas under the banner Kannamthanam films. It is a remake of the Thai horror-comedy moviePee Mak (2013).

<i>Devi 2</i> 2019 film directed by A. L. Vijay

Devi 2 is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language comedy horror film co-written and directed by A. L. Vijay. It is a sequel to the 2016 film Devi. The film features Prabhu Deva and Tamannaah Bhatia reprising their roles from the first film, along with Nandita Swetha and Dimple Hayathi in the lead roles. Kovai Sarala, Ajmal Ameer, RJ Balaji and Saptagiri play supporting roles. The film was simultaneously shot in Telugu as Abhinetry 2. The film released on 31 May 2019.

<i>A1</i> (film) 2019 Indian film

A1: Accused No. 1 is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Johnson K in his directorial debut. The film stars Santhanam and Tara Alisha Berry. Producer S. Raj Narayanan of CircleBox Entertainment has produced this movie. The music for the film is composed by Santhosh Narayanan and cinematography is handled by Gopi Jagadeeswaran. The movie was edited by Leo John Paul, song lyrics were penned by Rokesh, art direction was executed by A. Raja, dance choreography by Kalyan and Sandy, and stunts by Hari Dinesh. Principal photography commenced around October 2018. The film was released on 26 July 2019. A1 received positive reviews from critics and became a box-office success.

<i>Parris Jeyaraj</i> 2021 Indian film by Johnson K

Parris Jeyaraj is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film, directed by Johnson K, and produced by K Kumar. The film stars Santhanam and Anaika Soti, with Prudhvi Raj and Motta Rajendran appearing in supporting roles. The film's music is composed by Santhosh Narayanan, with cinematography handled by Arthur A. Wilson and editing by Prakash Babu. It was released on 12 February 2021, opening mixed to positive reviews and it became a success in the box office.

References

  1. "Santhosh Prathap talks about Bayama Irukku". 31 October 2015. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  2. "Reshmi Menon in Bayama Irukku". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  3. "Reshmi to play a mother's role again". Deccanchronicle.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  4. "Bayama Irukku (Aka) Bayama Iruku photos stills & images". 19 September 2017. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  5. Archived image Archived 23 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Bayama Irukku Movie Review {2/5}: Critic Review of Bayama Irukku by Times of India". The Times of India .
  7. "Bayama Irukku review: Not even a single interesting scene". Sify . Archived from the original on 25 September 2017.
  8. "Bayama Irukku review: Scary for the wrong reasons". 23 September 2017. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.