HYDERABAD: After having watched films like Arundhathi , Magadheera and Baahubali , you generally don’t expect a film to surpass your expectations in terms of imagery, scale, cinematography or its background music. Kaashmora doesn’t disappoint when it comes to all this, even the nucleus that comes in the later part of the film is substantial and captivating but one only wishes that the director could have cut all the monotonous scenes in the first part of the film. Karthi who plays Kaashmora, a con man-exorcist takes us into a mammoth ancient construction where for a few minutes he is being pulled in by one spirit and pulled out by another. First it is him, then his family and then again it is him and you have an overdose of Karthi. It is only when we are treated to the flashback episode, the interest in the film revives. That is because Karthi comes in an entirely different form of a skilled soldier Rajnayak, his appearance and work is totally pulsating.
In a nutshell, Kaashmora and his father cheat gullible people and turn exorcism into a fine art, the publicity he thrives on even captures the spirits’ attention and that’s when the story begins.
The full blown plot post-interval has Rajnayak eyeing his king’s daughter (Nayantara) and when he is rebuffed, he wipes out her entire family, lover and her too. In this fight Rajnayak’s head too is dismembered but he dies a victorious death. The revenge of the princess happens through Kaashmora and that has another prolonged screenplay. The plot is very thin and simple but the director elaborates by weaving elements of comedy, horror and fantasy. The brevity would have taken the film to another level altogether. Nayantara is perfect playing the princess and her presence in those few moments brightens up the screen and lends weight to the story. She embodies the sorrow of a defeated woman very well.
Karthi raised the bar with Oopiri; as Rajnayak he has gone to great lengths to look credible and has reinvented himself. As Kaashmora, he is a bit tedious and the Tamil tinge in his dialogues is way too evident. The director fills the first half with comedy and then brings in the seriousness in the next half. Sri Divya, as a researcher, appears rather bland.
The music is not great, the uniqueness and credibility of the story comes from the sets, visual effects, good lighting and sound mixing technique. Even the make up stands out, be it Kaashmora the conman or Rajnayak, the Senapati. Once you know why the spirits are fighting for Kaashmora, your interest in the rest of the film wanes. All in all, it is a good effort and should appeal to dark fantasy lovers.
Kaashmora
Cast: Karthi, Nayantara
Direction: Gokul
Rating: 3
