Manjummel Boys toy teases with the concept of being a horror film for a scant ten minutes following the first act. There had been no indication in the last forty-odd minutes that this might possibly be possible. You also hadn’t heard anybody discuss this change in tone in the few months it took for the Malayalam smash,.
the biggest hit in the history of the industry, to become available on streaming services. However, at that very moment, when the Devil’s Kitchen is mentioned for the first time, you lean in because Manjummel Boys is giving you something that is getting harder and harder to find in contemporary Indian cinema: complete unpredictability.
During a vacation in the Gunaa Caves in Kodaikanal, a group of young men from Kerala discover that one of their friends, Subhash, whose atheism is a major story element, has fallen hundreds of feet into a hole that can only fit one person into. The group finds itself in a life-threatening predicament.
The odds of surviving are next to none, it’s pouring, and the police are of little assistance. Nevertheless, the gang perseveres, building a makeshift human fortification around the pit to prevent rains from entering and drowning Subhash. Even though they have no idea whether he is still alive, they never give up.
It’s a scary scenario that brings to mind the well-known Thai cave rescue effort from 2018, the Chilean miners’ predicament from 2010, or the Prince tragedy from 2006—which is still vividly remembered by all Indians who were alive during the TataSky period.
However, not before gathering a handful of lemons to fend off evil spirits. And this is the moment when the film presents us with the terrifying carrot. However, Even though it would have been entertaining, Manjummel Boys’ decision not to pursue this idea demonstrates the storytelling discipline that has recently distinguished the Malayalam film industry from other regions of the nation.
We avoid wasting time on choreographed dance scenes or comedic relief characters, which are a common feature in popular Indian films, nor do we cut away to their families. Rather, Chidambaram does what any competent director would do when handling an ensemble drama such as this one:
he ensures that each of the “boys” has distinguishable characteristics and provides a sufficient explanation of the location’s topography. to the extent that you could possibly reach the pit on your own if you went to the Gunaa Caves tomorrow. Please refrain from.
Manjummel Boys is essentially a faith-based film; it accepts the existence of purgatory, hell, and heaven but never uses organised religion as a crutch to explain what transpired that day. Furthermore, at no time during the movie do any of the characters—and there are a tonne of them—pray for their missing friend’s safety.
On the other hand, The Manjummel Boys are an inclusive, secular group. After all, this is a tale of brotherhood, of strangers becoming lifelong friends, and of people supporting one another. They get their hands filthy, sometimes literally, since they can’t just sit around and wait for God to work a miracle.
Cinematographer Shyju Khalid’s artistic lighting in Subhash’s purgatorial prison in Manjummel Boys creates a more abstract atmosphere. Following his extraction, the people in the area assemble around Subhash and, in a sceneto all came back reminiscent of a paganism ceremony, proclaim him to be a deity. Is there a more overt metaphor for the message this film is attempting to convey?
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