Kani's suicide and architect Rohan; Dies Irae, terrifying Mollywood

Horror movie meister Rahul Sadasivan’s Dies Irae, with one hour and 54 minutes of running time, is a commendable work with surprisingly great performances. Pranav Mohanlal has found his footing adapting to the role of architect Rohan in the movie.

Plot:

Rohan, a vibrant man in his early thirties, is living his life full, sitting far away from the mundanity or intricacies of life. Amidst this carefree life comes the shocking news of his friend Kani’s death. Rohan is no longer the same vivacious youngster who seldom took notice of life’s duller side. He starts seeing visions, gore and red.

Without even a single dialogue, Kani gave chills to audiences. Her gait, wearing Chilanka (professional-grade anklets called salangai, used by dancers to provide rhythmic accompaniment), was enough to make many slip to the edge of their seats.

Rohan’s effort to exit the mysterious world he has been drawn into after his friend’s death marks the latter stages of the movie. The young architect is in dire need to get back to his old self. Can he make into out of the spell?

South Indian actress Sushmita Bhatt, who shone in Dominic and the Ladies' Purse, played the role of Kani.

Jibin Gopinath's Madhusudhanan Potty and Jaya Kurup's mother character Etsamma also deserve applause for their excellent performances. Shine Tom Chacko and Saiju Kurup made unexpected cameos. The movie is sufficient with jump scare moments, but audiences were deceived as those scenes came when they least expected them.

The shot compositions, music design, and the minimalistic approach will be rated as one of the finest works to emerge in the horror genre from India in the recent past.