So finally I watched it after a long struggle to get appropriate showtimes and theater in Kolkata where 5 simultaneous Bengali movie releases blocked all the shows in the theaters.

Tumbbad is unlike anything we have ever seen in Indian cinema.

Hats off to the director/producer/actors to pull off something like this and thanks to the who’s who of Bollywood to shower accolades on such a film which will and has got it tremendous word of mouth publicity. To begin with I would like to say Tumbbad is not a conventional horror film, rather I would call it a dark adult fantasy. The two clear influences we see in the film are H.P Lovecraft and Guellermo Del Toro and yet it is intrinsically Indian and original to the core.

WATCH TRAILER HERE

This is how Indian cinema will get noticed in world platform. The mythology is fresh and new without any unnecessary ties to our Hindu culture, the production quality is truly epic. From the beginning the film throws us in an uncomfortable space (in a good way) with dim tones, constant rain pouring, colossal old structures and a desolate and epic landscape. The cinematography and production design is truly world class and takes us to that bygone mythical era. The fear of isolation and unknown immediately invades our minds and the visual of an old dying man being jerked off by his mistress/wife as he tells her that she must earn that gold coin with her service pushes the boundaries of familiarity. The terror of the old undying woman shackled in a room and the threat she poses, reminds us of a famous Stephen King story called Gramma. The massive gates of the foreboding Wada (castle/palace), the burning pyre beside the lonesome river, and the lonely oxcart in the stormy night creates visuals which will remain with you for long. The story though intriguing remains mostly predictable but still you enjoy the ride all through. Sohum Shah has given an award winning performance, his smoldering blue eyes, his confident swagger in the beginning and slowly transforming into the fatigue of a man deep in debauchery and hedonism is brilliant. I won’t say much about the drawing attraction of the film Hastar (to not to fall in spoiler zone) and although the design is probably not the most original we have seen, it is certainly one of the most well done movie monster in Hindi cinema. However my only gripe is rather than going all CG they should have hired a performer like Javier Botet (Mamma, Crimson Peak, REC) or Doug Jones (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water) and gave him prosthetics and added CG for face. I am sure there are physical specimens like them in the Indian performing community as well. The CG looked quite fake in some parts and the visceral terror of the demon god diminishes. On the whole, Tumbbad is not a crowd pleaser like Stree (Another fantastic horror movie) but the sheer ambition of the makers has given this film a special place in Indian cinema history. Kudos to Rahi Anil Barve for this special gift to horror and fantasy lovers of India. Now give us a sequel quickly!