Bloody Beggar Movie Review: The film's quirky characters and twisted humor make it a modern testament to the genre, reminiscent of neo-noir style
Kavin is a nameless beggar, sarcastic, and finds glory in the joy of begging. Despite the poor living conditions, the lazy beggar is nothing short of notoriety, and lives with a small boy Jack who sells books by the road to fend for himself. However, tipped by a little more greediness, the beggar finds himself in a palace that hides some dark secrets.
Can beggars get angry? And even if they afford to, would the wrath be shown on the affluents who wield more power than the one seeking alms? In director Sivabalan’s debut, this point plays crucially, and more so in the dark comedy fashion.
Sivabalan crafts a nameless beggar in an oddly fashioned way. Of course, he begs for alms in the name of his temporarily malfunctioning legs. And sarcasm is no less in the man who lives by the brinks. The beggar orders pizza and eats in front of his accompaniment, a small boy who sells books for his livelihood. There is no adult way to be the bigger man and share the treat he ordered. The beggar is a man who is full of himself and that makes him end up in a mansion with twisty secrets. The beggar finds himself amid a barbaric (you can guess by the animal trophy heads on the wall) family of heirs that only the four locked-up canines can fear them out. Early on in the film, we are shown an example of how brutal these heirs were during their childhood, leaving up to your imagination what an underprivileged man at their mercy would be subjected to. Sivabalan crafts a world, or in this case a mansion, which is so full of characters distinguished by their quirks and mannerisms that is so uniquely placed to the premise of Bloody Beggar.
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When the beggar first wanders into the house, he finds a huge fish tank with a lone one swimming. The beggar too compares himself to the fish, as he assumes to be alone in the palace as he savours the taste of clean air and old-fashioned furniture. But slowly, just like the fish, he finds himself trapped and feels being out of the water. The beggar is soon held at gunpoint to act as the illegitimate heir that the deceased owner of the house has written a major share of his will for. As Kavin eases into the role, Sivabalan makes a space for a horror comedy track and that is where Redin Kingsley takes charge.
Bloody Beggar has lots going on, thanks to its multi-character arcs. Sometimes the jokes land, and other times it becomes messy. There is a delectable situation going on, when one of the family members is willing to take the beggar to safety. She counts on the karma of her actions, and there is a twist that you almost see it coming as it nears. And when it gets revealed, all hell breaks loose, and we get to know more of the beggar, the human in him.
Sivabalan’s world of Bloody Beggar reminds you of the neo-noir style of filmmaking, and with a strong flavour of Nelson Dilipkumar’s black comedy, the film becomes a modern testament to the genre. There is enough to savour, but at the same time, enough to feel the monotony too. Sivabalan, in an attempt to make a tight-knit screenplay, fails to add more deft to every character, while taking joy in momentous occasions.
At times, in Bloody Beggar there is lots going on. Characters have backstories, and we know the heirs are on the same page. A flashback, shown early in the film, makes a comeback and paints the picture of who possesses the canine-like characters. The dogs are there, and we know there will be a payoff. But Bloody Beggar makes it either random or stresses too much on key points.
Bloody Beggar has a certain flavour to its writing, even as it faces some pacing issues. The film mounts a delectable dark comedy set piece, and with Kavin and Redin Kingsley at the centre, manages to make the most use of it.
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