Baramulla Review: Baramulla feels incredibly real

I want to start off with an extended version of what I said as a preface to the review  of Huck starring Yami Gautam and Imran Hashmi.  That the environment of movies, especially in the last 3-4 years, that seem manipulative  in nature and that are aimed at achieving hateful vested interests of filmmakers who  want to exploit the already divisive environment we live in today, has created a sense of caution  in the regular movie-going audience before stepping in for any  movie, focusing on the geopolitical or social structure of this nation. 

We become very hesitant as so much is low-effort rage bait intended to fuel the fire in an already crumbling society.  However, both Huck and Baramulla, in my opinion, are examples of movies that are effective,  impactful, and from a technical perspective,  I think Baramula may just be one of the best Hindi films I have seen this year.

So let's really dive deep on this one. Baramula is directed by Aditya Sohaz Jambale who also made Article 370 and is written by him, Aditya Dhar and Monal Thakur. Very few people know about this  but Baramula actually dropped its trailer a few years ago in theaters,  intending originally for a theatrical release but I can only assume that the parallels with  other successful movies that shed light on similar themes made them delay their ultimate release date  and opt for a digital home instead. The film available on Netflix is set in the Kashmir valley in 2016, prior to the attacks in Baramulla and Uri.  

The film sheds light on DSP Ridhwan Shafi Saeed, played by Manav Kaul, who is transferred  to Baramulla and is handed over the case of an MLA's child who has gone missing.  The development of the case has more children go missing, while specifically those kids  are being targeted, while Ridhwan and his family that comprises of his wife and two  children get accustomed to their new  abode that has a series of mysterious events taking place inside it forming the basic premise of Baramulla. 

I'm going to provide a spoiler-free review to you initially on why I would highly  recommend this movie in the first place but even more importantly I think enough time has passed  so I will also provide a spoiler-free discussion in the conclusion of this video. Don't worry,  I will provide a timestamp of when you can click away.

Getting right into it, here's me telling you  the good and bad aspects of the movie so that you guys can ultimately decide whether to watch  Baro Mulla on Netflix or not. The underwhelming aspects. Long sequences of exploration and  ignorance. The first hour or so of this movie doubled down on the quintessential tropes of  horror movies that I often facepalm at because it is an extension of characters ignoring clear  red flags and not inquiring about the clear fishy things that seem to happen around them.

Take for example your daughter conveying that her room is smelling of a dog. Rather than ignoring  her calls for help, any parent would go out of their way to inquire on where this possible smell  will be coming from. But it is just assumed that the daughter should tolerate it and live with it.  When such complaints fall on deaf ears, it is almost inevitable that the daughter will explore  on her own.

This leads to several sequences where members of the family, especially the son and  daughter, are found exploring the new abodeode, causing for at least in the initial hour  of the movie an exhausting viewing experience because it simply is an exploration of dingy,  badly lit rooms, for eventually there to be a random jump scare and the journey of exploration  to be abandoned.

I mean, if your daughter is curious about why the house help goes with a  bowl of food to a random room, one will naturally be curious to ask the house help why he does so,  rather than delaying, ignoring and just assuming that it may be a ritual that I will ask no  questions about, while it is happening in the house that you are staying in. Baramulla does  take its time to get going and these are the stumbling blocks that you may feel you have to  endure initially because the payoff is absolutely worth it.

The one feature also that I just want to point out and let me know whether you feel this  way regarding Aditya Dhar produced films is that they often have a smudge-like quality  in its aesthetic.  While it is an extension of the dread and overcast of the Kashmir valley that needs  to be highlighted, I often find the frames lacking a crispness and having this odd grey  and blue smudge like filter,  making certain elements of the film, especially in poorly lit sequences, tough to decipher.

Let me know if this is just me because when I see the frames of the upcoming film Dharandar,  I feel like, thankfully, it is devoid of the same problem.  The Good  Atmosphere and Cinematography  Even though I have momentarily complained about the nature of how the film looks aesthetically, I must reiterate that it is specifically for the case of the indoor shots  at night.

If I were to consider how the Kashmir valley is captured by cinematographer Arnold  Fernandez, I would genuinely conclude that this movie deserved a theatrical release. The movie  through the snow-covered mountains and the narrow alleys through which the army and the police  venture to capture terrorists provides an extremely immersive experience. The presence of a white tulip in  the otherwise ominous environment of the valley seems like the only glimmer of hope.

The use of  CGI elements is kept to a minimum, relying heavily on shadows and an effective sound design to  highlight the stories that may still be lingering through the rooms and corridors of that house.  It genuinely does highlight the contradiction that is Kashmir,  nature's beauty that is crippled with violence and extremism,  described as heaven on earth,  while associated with the most ghastly acts of terror.

The Performances  I absolutely love the casting of this movie,  mostly featuring actors who have an association with the state or the valley specifically.  Manav Kaul, an actor born in Kashmir and whose family was forced out of the valley,  associates bittersweet memories with his birthplace.

Manav as Ridhwan has a scatterbrain  like presence in the movie, overwhelmed by not only the task at hand but the deep sorrow that  resides within him for the acts of violence or mistakes he cannot escape from his past.  He is avoidant with his  family members, evading any source of conflict and this creates more of a wedge within the  relationships closest to him.

Many people were criticizing Manav's performance as being lazy  but this performance is exactly appropriate for Ridwan's mental state currently. Burdened by his  truth, protective of his own but never sitting still to even have a conversation with those he holds dearest. I loved the casting of the kids. Arshita Mehta as Noori and Rohan Singh  as Ayaan are brilliant.

If you told me that Ashwini from Splitsvilla will grow up to become  a capable actor in front of camera, I would think that you are absolutely tripping. But he is great  in this film. To see him tap into his artistic side with such conviction, millennials  will remember him from the OG reality TV show days and he's come a long way from that.  

However, if I were to say who absolutely stole the show for me from this film, it is Basha  Sumli as Gulnar, a Kashmiri Pandit herself who really channelizes the boundless love  of a mother, willing to push herself in the dark depths of even the paranormal and indescribable for the love of her children. There is a palpable anxiety and curiosity tha (06:50)  she possesses that communicates so well for the movie and her persistence as a character is what  drives this film to become extremely engaging in its latter half. The screenplay and the art of  blending genres.

I don't know how you specifically feel about this but I wanted to specify why I feel like tales like Baramulla are way more effective than movies that aim to  lecture you and shove down your throat their message. I feel this way because the creators  of Baramulla depend on their art form, their ability to blend in genres of an investigative  thriller and horror to communicate a tale deeply rooted in the history of the Kashmir Valley.  This I believe is a way more complex task than characters from a movie  who end up lecturing us on how we should feel about the predicament society finds itself in.

The last 30 minutes of the movie that blend in these genres  is some of the most brilliant filmmaking you will see.  For it so seamlessly integrates these horror elements to shed light on such a  traumatic part of our history  that I was in awe of what they pulled off.

This artistry is something that has been missing in  movies that want to communicate the harsh truths that are often ignored in commercial cinema.  While the film does take its time to get into full gear stumbling through its exploration tropes of  a presumable haunted house, in the initial phase of the movie, when it does dive deep to its core,  it's some of the most brilliant storytelling I've seen in Hindi cinema, making Baramulla  genuinely a brilliant concoction of genres that highlighted a harsh truth in my opinion  far more effectively than movies who lack the artistry and flair showcased by Aditya Dhar and Aditya Soaz Jambale. 

Now that I have finished the spoiler-free review, I would really like to dive deep on some of the spoilers that I would love for you to contribute  towards also by referencing spoiler warning in the comments below. So the spoilers start in 3, 2, 1.  The film sheds light on diaper militancy and how extremists feel like it is a fail-proof system  in integrating kids at a young age as these remain minds that are so influenced that  they will never dare to betray their belief system or goal. What I did feel was missing in this chapter of the film was the indoctrination of Noori, Ridwan's daughter and how she went through  this process. 

I understand that Noori's perception of Ridwan changed drastically when she saw her  father kill an innocent child which may have made her venture  into believing that the police and its presence in the valley should be condemned.

However,  the movie does not give us the hint of such an extremist thought. So when the video does arise  of Noori conveying some extremist viewpoints in the video, I was slightly taken aback for I did  not even get a hint of her being so brainwashed. I think what the makers need to  especially be appreciated for is the idea and the manner in which it has been conveyed through the  screenplay.

Imagine the idea or the pitch of this film in a meeting, even before it has gone on  floors to be shot. The idea of souls still lingering in the valley will be associated with those who  did not have a peaceful ceremony or send-off.  Souls linger on the earth when especially there has been an extreme violence or atrocities associated with their departure.

And when you connect this with the deep and dark history of  Kashmiri pundits and what they endured in the Kashmir valley and how they take the shape of  angels in the present timeline, protecting the children from being indoctrinated to such  extremist thought, with the impactful line, never again, it creates for an exceptionally  hard-hitting tale that everyone should watch. But this is only half the job.

When the same  idea needs to translate into an effective film, the same story in the hands of a wrong director  can really make it fall flat. But how Aditya Soha's Jambale integrated the elements  of horror and thriller in the climax was exceptional. Rather than doing a generic  flashback where one understands what may have happened to the Kashmiri Pandit inhabitants of  that house, it in parallel fashion explores the same while the house is being bombarded by bullets.

It's the horrors of today and that of the past that take  place at the same time that make for the sequence to become so engaging to watch. The presence of  the spirits and them taking over the body is not only so that Ridhwan and the family can be  protected, it's not only told for highlighting a Kashmiri Pandit story, it also showcases a  personal revenge against Zainab who betrayed them decades ago.

It makes Baramulla a relevant geopolitical investigative thriller that also has horror  elements. A concoction that you may find overwhelming initially but it's the execution  that makes it an absolutely amazing watch that I would again highly recommend you watch on Netflix

Write down in the  comments below what you thought about Baramulla.