Virupaksha Review

Telugu TV serials were the ambient score of my childhood, so I've grown up averse to storylines featuring black magic, with exorcists sitting under banyan trees and chanting spells. Needless to say, going into Virupaksha, I was skeptical of its premise. The thing that bothers me about movies with a supernatural slant is how the stories can take bizarre twists and turns, and almost anything can be explained away in the language of occult symbolism. It also doesn't help that these films tend to be crudely adapted, and are oftentimes unappealing to look at - a characteristic vignette being of a lady with disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes rolled to the back of her head, furiously summoning spirits.

But Virupaksha stands apart from this crowd. Granted, the movie has mystical elements - crows and aghoras and sorcery - ?but it is paired with a clever screenplay that manages to confine these elements to the end of the movie, by which point you've got your money's worth. Most of it instead plays out like a horror flick, with jump scares and toe-curling moments that hold your attention.

This is no small part thanks to Sukumar's screenplay. Virupaksha's story, set in the '90s, centres around Rudravanam, a village cursed to face annihilation after its locals, gripped by mass hysteria, burn a family alive, accusing them of witchcraft. When, as prophesied, people start dying under mysterious circumstances, Surya (Sai Dharam Tej), a city guy visiting his Rudravanam family, finds himself leading the search for a solution. He has more than a personal stake - his new love, Nandini (Samyuktha Menon), is in direct danger, and time is running out.

The story is admittedly a bit far-fetched, especially in the way it comes together at the end. But Karthik Dandu's direction is so sure-handed, particularly in its invocation of horror, that there is little room to reflect on its mystical elements - and rightly so. As the contagion of death scourges the village, desperation and fear grip the villagers. They resort to extreme rituals, lock down the village, and erect talismanic parchments in an attempt to ward off the evil that has taken root. It is in these scenes, corralling large angry mobs, that Karthik's talent for arranging scenes is most apparent. I found the choreography of Death to be particularly compelling. In one scene, a character takes a knife to their own throat, while in another, a character buries their face in a beehive. These scenes are chilling, unsettling, and eerily beautiful to behold.

Dharam Tej's and Samyuktha's performances are serviceable, and frankly secondary to the real stars of the movie - its technical crew. The cinematography, lighting and colour grading - which together create an atmospheric, textured and deeply aesthetic vibe - are some of the finest I've seen in recent times.

There is enough going on for Virupaksha to merit a trip to the cinema, even though some of its characters, like that of a local politician (played by comedic actor Suneel), get only cursory treatment, and despite a climax that is preposterous and full of supernatural tropes.

It was nice to be surprised on the upside. I went into Virupaksha apathetic. Little did I expect for some of its scenes to cast a spell on me.