Rahul Sadasivan’s 2024 Malayalam film Bramayugam uses black-and-white cinematography as more than a period-film effect: the monochrome image was part of the story’s conception and a practical guide for lighting and composition. Its 17th-century setting, a singer fleeing enslavement, and a mysterious mansion controlled by a formidable master combine into a folk-horror mystery whose atmosphere also invites readings about caste and feudal power.
What is Bramayugam about?
Sony LIV’s official trailer listing describes Bramayugam as a black-and-white horror mystery set in 17th-century Kerala. Its synopsis follows Thevan, a folk singer who escapes slavery and finds a mysterious mansion, where he encounters a cook and an imposing master. The listing names Mammootty, Arjun Ashokan and Sidharth Bharathan among the cast. Sony LIV’s trailer listing establishes the premise, but does not confirm current availability of the complete film.
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) identifies Thevan as a singer from the Paanan caste who escapes a slave market. Its record classifies the film as Malayalam and UA, with certification dated 31 January 2024. The listed certified length is 139.42 metres; that is a certificate measurement, not a runtime. The CBFC record also lists the cast and credits.
Why is Bramayugam in black and white?
Director Rahul Sadasivan has said that the story came to him in black and white and that he never considered making a colour version. He also connected the visual choice to the 17th-century period setting, saying he wanted to give audiences a different experience rather than simply frighten them. In an interview with Onmanorama, he put it this way: “I don’t know. I conceived this project only in black and white and could not think of ‘Bramayugam’ in colour.” Sadasivan’s Onmanorama interview records his account of that intention.
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The monochrome idea also shaped the work on set. Cinematographer Shehnad Jalal told Scroll that the camera’s sensor and viewfinder were configured to show black and white, so the crew could compose and light within the intended visual world. “I needed the film to appear black and white in the viewfinder itself,” he said. Jalal’s Scroll interview describes the approach, including both high-contrast passages and scenes lit by a small lamp.
Working in monochrome made tonal contrast, faces and textures central to the image. Jalal described the format as bringing attention to details such as sweat and dirt. That is a production account of how the visual treatment was made, rather than proof that black and white carries one fixed symbolic meaning. The film’s images can feel stark and tactile while leaving the viewer to decide what the mansion’s oppressive atmosphere means.
How does the mansion create an occult atmosphere?
The mansion turns the plot’s power imbalance into a physical environment. Thevan arrives there after escaping a slave market, but the refuge he finds is controlled by a master whose authority shapes the space around him. The house is therefore not just a backdrop for supernatural mystery: it is where the protagonist’s limited freedom becomes visible.
Scroll reports that filming took place at Varikkasseri Mana in Palakkad over 52 days between August and September 2023. According to Jalal’s interview, the production altered the location’s appearance with architectural details and vegetation and built multiple interiors. Those reported changes help explain how the film’s mansion became an uncanny, constructed world rather than a neutral record of a single heritage site. Scroll’s production account attributes these details to the cinematographer, not an official production report.
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Is Bramayugam a horror film or a mystery thriller?
It is commonly presented as horror: Sony LIV’s trailer listing calls it a horror mystery. Sadasivan, however, cautioned against expecting a straightforward scare-driven film. In an interview with Malayala Manorama, he described it as a psychological mystery thriller. The distinction is useful: the occult premise and unsettling setting support horror, while the director’s description emphasizes mystery and psychological tension over scares as the sole aim. Malayala Manorama’s interview with Sadasivan reflects his characterization of the film.
What does Bramayugam say about caste and power?
The plot’s starting point is explicitly social: the CBFC summary identifies Thevan as a member of the Paanan caste who escapes a slave market. Once inside the mansion, he remains subject to another man’s authority. The move from market to house changes the setting, but it does not erase the question of who can command another person’s body and choices.
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Those details support a reading of the mansion as an image of feudal power, but the broader thematic claims should be understood as interpretation, not as a single definitive explanation supplied by the filmmakers. Scroll reads the film through caste, feudalism, bodily possession and witchcraft. The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) catalogue describes its concerns in terms of class politics and religious philosophy. These are distinct critical and catalogue framings of the film’s themes, rather than interchangeable statements of Sadasivan’s intent. IFFI’s film catalogue provides its own thematic description.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who made Bramayugam?
The CBFC record is the source for the film’s certification and listed credits. Sony LIV’s trailer page names Mammootty, Arjun Ashokan and Sidharth Bharathan; Sadasivan’s interviews establish his role as director, and Scroll’s interview identifies Shehnad Jalal as cinematographer. The CBFC certificate is dated 31 January 2024 and lists a certified length of 139.42 metres; neither figure should be mistaken for the film’s running time.
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