Padakkalam

Posted on September 30, 2026 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl: I thought we had reviewed this movie a long time ago.

Vampire Bat: We had watched it long ago, but did not review the same.

Vampire Owl: This might be one of the longest delays in writing any review.

Vampire Bat: It keeps coming on television all the time, so there are multiple watches.

Vampire Owl: I think we have kept watching it on Asianet Movies.

Vampire Bat: Watching it on television channels is not the best option though.

Vampire Owl: Yes, we keep missing parts of the movie at times.

Vampire Bat: But we watch parts of the movie that we missed the next time watch it.

Vampire Owl: But the movie has stopped repeating in the channel now.

Vampire Bat: Well, they have kept doing it for rather too long.

[Gets a Schezwan masala dosa and three cups of Darjeeling tea].

What is the movie about? :: Long ago, at a time when sorcery was considered to be part of common life, the ruler of Vijayanagara had a magical artefact created for his leisure, but understood that the device brought about something more than just entertainment. He realized that this was so powerful that it could even be used to control people or even the world, and tried to keep its existence a secret. But the huge army of Tipu Sultan marched to the declining kingdom and captured the same. This helped the Sultan’s further wars against other Indian kingdoms intending to conquer the lands for himself, as the artefact aided him from a side. But he was stopped by the King of Travancore who inflicted a big defeat to the Sultan’s army with the help of a great wizard. The victorious king decides to bury it in the battlefield itself so that nobody would be able to use it, and marked its location on some secret palm leaves. Soon, the tale itself losses its significance as it is considered as a fable. But many decades later, someone had started searching for the same and found it.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: At present, Jithin (Sandeep Pradeep), Ramzad (Arun Pradeep), Nakul (Arjun Ajikumar) and Kannan (Saaf) are four students who are pursuing their bachelor’s degrees in Engineering at the exact same location where the final war had occurred – there stood a monument surrounded by a reputed institution called Shri Kartika Thirunal College of Engineering. As Jithin’s girlfriend Jeevika (Niranjana Anoop) who returned from a trip brings some doubts about their relationship, he writes down his feelings on a piece of paper, which is taken by the lecturer who was in the class Shaji (Suraj Venjaramoodu). As a strike is called and chaos happens in the college, Jithin losses the idea of where that paper was taken. As the protest for bringing down the Head of the Department intensifies, another lecturer Renjith (Sharaf U Dheen) recommends Shaji as the next Head, which surprises everyone, as they were not on good terms. Shaji is delighted about this as he has been working at the college for a long time without any appreciation, but Renjith actually had other plans.

And what more can happen here as a crisis takes the spotlight? :: Renjith had the ancient artifact in his possession, which he uses to control Shaji and manipulate him into getting into a public fight which leads to him being suspended and Renjith becoming the new Head. This is supported by students as he is a popular teacher who helps students even against other teachers and management when in trouble unlike Shaji who as a learned man has always gone with the rules. The students enjoy their cool and supportive teacher becoming the Head, but Jithin accidentally sees Renjith using the artifact to control Shaji through the CCTV footage while trying to find the piece of paper which Shaji took, and talks about this to his friends. While searching on the artifact, they understand that a person can control another person who uses it by just playing his turn – it is revealed that the other person does not have to use it, and just the missing player’s blood on the dices is needed. They feel that the earlier teacher who died and was replaced by Renjith as new appointment might have also been a victim and decides to steal the artefact, but can they do that?

The defence of Padakkalam :: A supernatural campus story becomes a perfect new model for the viewers who are expecting divergence, and the magical artifact, mind control and body swaps do not usually come to the movies of this part of the world. The big three of the movie – Suraj Venjaramoodu, Sharaf U Dheen and Sandeep Pradeep come up with classic performances not just with the comic side, but also with a certain amount of skill which is reflected even more when the swapping of bodies is done. Sharaf U Dheen going on between a charismatic professor and a power-hungry antagonist, and his moments after body swapping strikes us well, while Suraj’s transformations between characters are outstanding, and humour strikes very well with him around. Sandeep’s comic timing remains outstanding, and he becomes a perfect choice for a campus character. Niranjana Anoop does well within a smaller screen space, while the friends of protagonist add some fine fun around here as the comic side gets further boosting. Pooja Mohanraj also becomes a good addition here.

Positives and negatives :: One might feel that the movie could have explored the past of the artifact a little more, but that is understandable considering the plan to provide maximum entertainment. The movie’s female characters also have very less to do other than being reasons for a few things to happen, which is surprising for a campus movie. The superhero references also add some funny elements, and the situations leading to humour instead of forcing the comic side comes up with more advantage to the flick. The initial setup, character introductions, and the spread of mystery make sure that the starting is nice, and the ending is also very well done. When it seems to be ready to have a slight dip, the situation immediately gets a lift, and thus the movie keeps a certain level. The cast needs to be credited a lot for the same. Many moments also serve as reminders that people are not really what they seem to be, and like seen before Thanneermathan Dinangal, the seemingly better teacher could easily be the least perfect one among them all.

How it finishes :: It is not easy to bring comedy and fantasy together in this part of the world, and the movie does the same so well. This one succeeds primarily as a high-energy campus entertainer that takes the risk to step away from routine college situations and blends the genres in the process. By bringing supernatural elements, mind control and body-swapping to a usual college setting, the film creates something that most people would not have expected to happen in this part of the world. The comic chemistry between Suraj Venjaramoodu and Sharaf U Dheen brings something out of nowhere again and again and keep thins lively and engaging while Sandeep Pradeep takes that title of “Padakkalam Sandeep” with ease even though most of us would love to remember Falimy as the one defining flick for noting him for the first time. Well, this is one entertainer that you do not wish to miss, that is for sure. All the fun with innovation that is seen around here will have us interested all the time. It is on Jio Hotstar, and you might also be able to find it again on Asianet Movies as it has been some time since its last arrival there.

Release date: 8 May 2025
Running time: 123 minutes
Directed by: Manu Swaraj
Starring: Suraj Venjaramoodu, Sharaf U Dheen, Sandeep Pradeep , Arun Pradeep, Arun Ajikumar, Niranjana Anoop, Ishan Shoukath, Vijay Babu, Luckgith Saini, Nahas Hridayath, Saaf, Shaju Sreedhar, Pooja Mohanraj

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Black Island

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl: Are we talking about the island near the Northern Witches territory?

Vampire Bat: That one is called the Dark Island of Magic.

Vampire Owl: Well, that depends on the translation.

Vampire Bat: Let the vampire elders deal with the translation of ancient languages.

Vampire Owl: Doctor Frankenstein is good with languages.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that Mr Frankenstein was talking about computer languages.

Vampire Owl: He has worked with the Northern Witches in relation to creating new magic potions through scientific experiments.

Vampire Bat: This is why I told you that he is a pseudo-scientist of no real value.

Vampire Owl: You should say the same thing when he wins the Vampire Nobel Prize, and gets elected to the Vampire Science Academy.

Vampire Bat: There is no Vampire Nobel Prize for pure nonsense.

[Gets a green apple cake and three cups of ginger tea].

What is the movie about? :: Jonas Hansen (Philip Froissant) is an orphan who lives under the sponsorship of the last member of his family. He recently lost his grandmother to the attack of a dog on a beach, while his parents had died in a car crash caused by another driver, both incidents seemingly having something strange about it. Nina Cohrs (Mercedes Muller) who lives in the island is instantly attracted to Jonas, and they become good friends. Most of the girls of the island do have some attraction towards him. It is that kind of a place where there is not that much of a modernity – beautiful scenery seems to make the best out of tourism, but even then, not many tourists visit the area. The place doesn’t have a lot of things happening around there either, and it remains a place of serenity throughout the year. Helena Jung (Alice Dwyer) takes over the German classes in an island which is located far away from the mainland in Europe. She is the replacement for a teacher who just had an accident, and would take a lot of time to make a return.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The new teacher feels like someone whom everyone would like, and she remains friendly with almost every student. She asks the students to call her by her first name when they are not at the educational institution, or when nobody else is listening. She also shows great interest in making the students write poetry and improve their creative writing skills, and with the friendly attitude, becomes a favourite of almost all the students. Soon, Helena seems to get really close to Jonas, or rather too close for a teacher and student, while Nina maintains a certain amount of dislike for her. Nina’s suspicions are at place, but the relationship between the teacher and the student only becomes more intimate. There are too many secrets related to the new teacher, and any attempt to venture any deeper into it will put Nina in peril. But can she stay away from this mystery as she cares too much about Jonas? Will Jonas really understand what is going on here? What is the motive of Helena, and why would she choose to be in a remote island instead of the city from where she arrived?

The defence of Black Island :: The movie does work as a mystery thriller a few minutes into action itself. There is the eerie feeling that spreads through the movie especially due to the setting on an island which reminds one of that strange world surrounded by water shown in Sacrifice. The twists await us, and the movement forward, even though slow, is rather smooth. It also makes sure that there is no falling into that usual pit of nonsense with the relationship at the centre. The visuals are really good, as we are introduced into a world with natural beauty within, and surrounded by beaches and crystal clear ocean water, reminding us to go for a journey soon enough. Well, after that COVID-19 scenario, travel hasn’t really opened up for most of us, and it is nice to see this world of beauty at least on the screen. The atmosphere does suit the thirst for revenge, and we know that this kind of a world can have even a serial killer on the loose with maximum effect. There will be the moments to cherish right in between.

The claws of flaw :: This is not the kind of idea that one would need to appreciate for theme – elder teachers falling in love with too young a student is not something that should be encouraged, even with seemingly decent movies like Premam which would use pretensions to play with the minds of the unsuspecting people – as part of a plan of vengeance, that wouldn’t look that bad in this case; there is enough of a past around here. Still, the relationship should have looked more convincing, and the things around here looks rather too easy. These are the kind of things which are to be dealt with more intensity. The movie also kills off one of the most interesting characters in there rather too early. The investigation into all of these should have also been stronger, and people in this movie are not as smart as they should have been. The moments which are of importance here should have also been edited better, showing them as the parts which shouldn’t be missed. The movie could have also picked up pace too.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is mostly an Alice Dwyer work, with her as the centre of attraction. There are still moments when one would feel that she could have been completely into this case of revenge, but at times, she seems be not in focus at more than one thing. It could be more because of her character not being written with that vision that a revenge-seeker should have. A stronger character would have been better for our eyes and the rest of the senses. Yet, she maintains that mystery about her well, especially during the first half of the flick. Mercedes Muller plays a strong role, and she is lovely in her infatuation towards her long-time friend. She seems to be the one intelligent and determined person like nobody else in the movie, and she surely required a screen presence throughout the movie. Philip Froissant plays a usual character who surprisingly has too less to do other than listening to his teacher who became the lover and the friends around him – he is reduced into a person of not that much of importance. The other performers are of not that importance in this small world.

How it finishes :: I have come across some of the interesting German movies in the last few years, and they seem to keep a certain level with the thrillers. Whether it was Blood Red Sky, Freaks or Breakdown Forest, there is some attempt at thinking differently instead of going with the usual things. Well, horror movies and thrillers are the only things which seem to keep me going in this world of chaos and hopelessness. There has been the down-feeling which came with the Corona virus which doesn’t seem to leave, and it feels worse as we are going back to the society. Still, when we see the hatred that is seen in movies like these, we feel that this is real, a reflection of the society that we know, the one full of liars and cheaters. We have to accept horror as a normal part of life, more real than romance and drama which are considered too real. With some more focus, this movie could have done better, and as of now, it goes on as a thriller which also a work of drama and mystery that takes over on many occasions. The movie works better than what some of the reviews had talked about.

Release date: 18th August 2021 (Netflix)
Running time: 106 minutes
Directed by: Miguel Alexandre
Starring: Jolene Andersen, Alice Dwyer, Susan Angelo, Hanns Zischler, Mercedes Muller, Jonas Hansen