Star Cast: Manav Kaul, Bhasha Sumbli
Director: Aditya Suhas Jambhale
Baramulla Movie Review Synopsis:
BARAMULLA is a first of its kind supernatural film set in Kashmir. In November 2016, 13-year-old named Shoaib Ansari (Ahmad Ishaq) mysteriously disappears in Baramulla. The matter becomes serious as he’s the son of the MLA (Mir Sarwar). A month later, Ridwaan Sayyed (Manav Kaul) joins as the DSP of Baramulla and he attempts to find Shoaib. He is joined by his family – wife Gulnaar (Bhasha Sumbli), son Ayaan (Rohaan Singh) and daughter Noorie (Arista Mehta). They are assigned a vintage house and their caretaker is the mute, old man, Iqbal (Khurshid Mir). Ridwaan is away the whole day while Gulnaar, Ayaan and Noorie sense a supernatural presence in their mansion. Meanwhile, one more kid disappears, this time from a lake. Ridwaan is baffled since the kids have literally vanished into thin air; there’s no clue on who abducted them. Also, what is left behind is a lock of their hair. Ridwaan gets the shock of his life when he realizes that even his children might be the next targets. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Baramulla Movie Story Review:
Aditya Dhar and Aditya Suhas Jambhale’s story is novel. Aditya Suhas Jambhale and Monal Thaakar’s screenplay is extremely captivating. However, the writing has a few loose ends. Aditya Suhas Jambhale and Monal Thaakar’s dialogues are realistic. Some one-liners raise laughs.
Aditya Suhas Jambhale’s direction is exemplary. He keeps the run time in check (112 minutes) and packs in a lot. There’s a lot happening in the film and has various sub plots – the kids have disappeared, there’s an eerie presence in the house, a terrorist duo is planning a sinister operation and there’s a past track that also wreaks havoc. The way Aditya weaves all these aspects together is commendable. He also ensures that certain horror scenes are terrifying. The idea of having a film in this space in Kashmir is also a masterstroke as no one has attempted it before. Aditya reserves the best for the last 20 minutes. The suspense comes as a bolt from the blue. The final scene is also commendable.
On the flipside, a few questions remain unanswered. Why do these mysterious developments occur so late and not before? Did the previous occupants of the house not sense that they were living in a haunted mansion? Lastly, the Noorie–Khalid Dar (Aswini Koul) track feels rushed. More time should have been devoted to establishing the deep bond they shared.
Baramulla Movie Review Performances:
Manav Kaul has fewer dialogues and communicates beautifully through his silences and body language. He also brings out the vulnerability well without going overboard. Bhasha Sumbli delivers yet another bravura performance after THE KASHMIR FILES [2022]. Here’s an actor who deserves to be seen more. Arista Mehta plays a difficult role with ease. Rohaan Singh and Ahmad Ishaq give praiseworthy performances. Mir Sarwar doesn’t get much scope, while Khurshid Mir lends able support. Aswini Koul is aptly cast. The same goes for Shahid Lateef (Juneid Shaikh). Shahid (Saleem Khan; cop) is decent and raises laughs. Neelofar Hamid (Zainab; teacher) is fair. Sanjay Suri (Sharad Sapru) is lovely in a cameo.
Baramulla movie music and other technical aspects:
Shor Police’s music is forgettable. Shor Police’s background score is much better and adds to the impact.
Arnold Fernandes’ cinematography is breathtaking and keeps one on the edge of the seat in the interior scenes. Monica Balsara’s production design and Shivangi Shrivastava’s costumes are straight out of life. Vicky Arora’s action is realistic. Divinity Pictures and Identical Brains’ VFX is top-class. Shivkumar V Panicker’s editing is slick.
Baramulla Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, BARAMULLA is a rare, one-of-its-kind film that fuses supernatural elements with the socio-political reality of Kashmir in a deeply impactful way. Highly recommended.