Tickets selling like hot cakes; Dies Irae storming into Rs 50 crore club

Dies Irae, directed by Rahul Sadasivan and starring Pranav Mohanlal in the lead role, has reportedly crossed 40 crores globally. The film collected more than 16 crores from India alone. It is predicted that the movie will cross the first benchmark of Rs 50 crore in the coming days. The tickets for the movies are selling like hotcakes in Kerala and in neighbouring states. The movie will be the second A-rated film from Mollywood to storm into the Rs 50 crore club.

Pranav appears as the Uber-rich son of an architect maven, while actors Gibin Gopinath, Jaya Kurup, and Arun Aji Kumar comprise the other ensemble cast.

Plot:

Rohan, a vibrant man in his early thirties, is living his life 'full', settling 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 and mostly that of Kani.

Kani's 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 it out of the spell?

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

Gibin Gopinath's Madhusudhanan Potty and Jaya Kurup's role as domestic maid Elsamma 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.