Old famous Review : TUMBAD

 

 I try to bring underrated/hidden gems in our entertainment ocean with this ‘Not a Review’ series. And I must say it’s the Kohinoor from the bottom of ocean.



“You know how marketing folks entice you with the promise – you’ve never seen anything like this before. Well, you’ve truly never seen anything like this before – at least in Hindi cinema.”


              Tumbbad is a mysterious and magical movie. The story spans generations and decades – we begin in 1918 and end a little after Independence. The overarching theme is greed but we also witness corruption and betrayal, decadence and death. And what is it? There is horror and fantasy.


Cast: Sohum Shah, Mohammad Samad, Jyoti Malshe.

Director & Writer : Rahi Anil Barve.

Producer : Sohum Shah.

Whole starcast did excellent work alongwith extraordinary direction and amazing cinematography


For the first half hour or so, directors Rahi Anil Barve and Adesh Prasad are creating a classic horror. We are told about an ancient goddess whose womb is the world, her son Hastar, an ancient treasure and a deadly prisoner who must be fed regularly. Rahi effectively builds an atmosphere of dread. It rains constantly in Tumbbad, which is the village where the story unfolds. Long, creepy corridors are lit by lanterns. We see a leg in a chain, with skin that looks like an erupting volcano with ooze and craters. It’s genuinely scary.

                       The story is narrated in rich images. Tumbbad is the most visually stunning film I’ve I have seen. Cinematographer Pankaj Kumar and production designers Nitin Zihani Choudhary and Rakesh Yadav have done a terrific job. Pay attention to the details like the various locks in the film – the ways in which things are contained. They look like they belong in a museum.

                       Tumbbad is inspired by the works of Marathi horror writer Narayan Dharap. The atmosphere of the Konkan is so rich and the period details so well executed, that you feel it’s Marathi even though language is Hindi. Also the remarkable detailing of post independence era. In the end it left you with images swirling in your head and a few questions that the film doesn’t answer. Which is a very good thing.

You love to watch TUMBAD even more when you go through following facts :


1. See all that rain in the film? Well, it’s real.!

(The crew would spend hours for waiting for real rain, due to the unpredictable weather. The film was shot over a span of for monsoon.)

 2. It took 6 yrs to complete.

 (The original film was shot and completed in 2015 but the team keep adding new resources, detailing, special effects took another 3 yrs to complete and finally premiered at Venice International Film Festival -2018). 


3. The location for film includes stuffy caves and corners where “ no human have had ventured for at least 100yrs.

 4. Tumbad was first finalised with Nawazuddin Siddiqui as lead in 2008 but cancelled when producers backed out.

  5. The movie was dubbed about 4 times, since the original voice records were masked due to the sound of rain. Also, Sohum Shah wanted to replace his North-Indian accent with a Marathi accent.


 

6. Localites in Tumbbad village believe that an ancient treasure is buried underground in one of the prominent areas of the village which was left behind by the ancestors. Thus, the makers of the film decided to shoot on the exact location to maintain the authenticity of the film.

 

7.So here’s a riddle for you… Can you guess what the film has in common with Assassin’s Creed & Hitman? I know you aren’t here for riddles but come on, you ain’t that lazy! Any guesses? Alright, they share the same musician! That’s right: Jesper Kyd !


 8.The actor who played Sohum’s son Mohammad Samad also played role of the spooky grandmother at beginning of film.

 

9.Rahi Anil Barve write film in 1997 at age of 18.But he struggled to get producers on board for years, constantly facing rejections.




10. 50 lanterns & lamps were used for several scenes to maintain the authenticisty of the period film.Even the climax scene inside womb was shot using a single source of light-an oil lamp.

 



 We as audience fails such  brilliant people and insult their sheer dedication and ahardwork  by ignoring such movies. We never show appreciatian  we showered upon ‘It’ or ‘Anabelle’. No crowd either seen to watch such movies as can be seen at any big Star/ Starkid movie. Even Bollywood also fails to promote such talented people and  good work.

On a good note I hope things will change some day…..!


j@ck’s  reView : Full UNJOy / remarkable.


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