Scream Stream: Mysskin's Pisaasu leaves you terrified and makes you fall in love with the spirit in it

What makes the film stand out among other horror movies in Tamil is the way an emotional connect is established between the audience and the supernatural presence,

A still from the film

Kollywood has witnessed numerous horror flicks in the last decade - though a lion's share of them were predictable and relied on run-of-the-mill stories - a few managed to stand out because of its innovative presentation and unique plots. One among them was Mysskin's Pisaasu which keeps us hooked even today, seven years after its release, despite watching multiple times.

Unlike most of the films which belong to the horror genre in Tamil, Pisaasu was devoid of regular elements like humour, a revenge-seeking spirit, a ruthless antagonist or a flashback which narrates a new story. There are only a handful of characters which demand our attention, and they entertain us quite engagingly.

The film opens with Bhavani's (Prayaga) face. She is seen lying on the road with her eyes wide open. As the camera zooms out, we get to see that she is actually lying in a pool of blood. Siddharth (Naaga), who passed by in a car, stops his vehicle and rushes towards her, to know what has happened. With the help of a couple of people there, he takes her to a hospital in an auto.

In a regular movie, it is likely that Bhavani, the female lead, would recuperate gradually and thank Siddharth for his timely gesture. They might even fall in love with each other in no time. But that's something one least expects from a Mysskin film. Bhavani passes away, leaving her father (Radha Ravi) devastated.

What appears to be a hit and run incident shifts suddenly to Siddharth's life, a violinist by profession who lives in a posh apartment. The spirit of Bhavani is after Siddharth though the latter is clueless about the former troubling him. After trying out a few ineffective ideas to oust the spirit, he sets out to meet Bhavani's father and decides to find the person who killed her.

What makes the movie an endearing watch is the sequences which follow and a twist towards the climax which provides answers to a few questions which keep us guessing from the beginning.

Pisaasu perhaps, is the only Tamil film which leaves the audiences terrified, but also makes them empathize with the spirit in a few sequences, thanks to the thought process that went into screenplay writing and development of characters. The helplessness of Siddharth, being troubled by Bhavani's spirit despite trying to save her before dying, the emotional connect between Bhavani's father and her spirit, are the prime highlights of the movie, which is sure to keep viewers captivated till the end.

The soul-stirring music by Arrol Corelli - the manner in which he has used silence and violin sounds effectively in some of the scenes - acts as a perfect catalyst to the spooky mood of the movie. Ravee Roy's raw cinematography is another reason why some of the shots appear fresh and makes the viewers curious on the film's proceedings.

The film which was Mysskin's mark written all over it, was later remade as Raakshasi in Kannada and Nanu Ki Jaanu in Hindi. The director is now busy making a sequel to it. Titled Pisasu 2 the movie has Andrea Jeremiah, VIjay Sethupathi and Poorna in lead roles.

Pisaasu is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

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