Neelavelicham: Rima Kallingal teases a ‘romantic’ reason behind the white saree clad ghost trope

Tovino Thomas and Rima Kallingal are all set for the release of their next project with Ashiq Abu, Neelavelicham. The upcoming film marks the second adaptation of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer’s short story of the same name, after the 1964 film Bargavi Nilayam. The iconic film first introduced the imagery of a ghost wearing a white saree and clinking anklets, which became one of the most recognised images associated with ghosts and spirits in Malayalam cinema. In a recent interview, Rima opened up about the iconic imagery.

In an interview with Galatta Plus, Rima revealed that the film answers the age old question of why a ghost’s wardrobe is mostly a white saree and anklets, giving clear cut answers for the same. “Bargavi Nilayam was one of the first horror films made in Malayalam, and I think the image stuck. But there is a very logical, romantic reason behind it. Logically I mean how it technically came about in the film, but it is a very romantic reason”.

Tovino also opened up about the impact of the original 1964 film, saying that everyone in Kerala was familiar with the name of the blockbuster film, even if they did not watch it. “Even now when we look at it, it’s technically brilliant. Even after 58 years, we were trying to find out what new, what more we can do for this”.

The director revealed that in terms of screenplay, they tried to add more layers to the original screenplay, and had also removed certain elements as well. “The original film was called Bargavi Nilayam, because at the time, they were not able to include colours in the film. Neela is blue, so they decided to name the film Bargavi Nilayam.

Neelavelicham, which also stars Roshan Mathew, will hit the big screen on April 21, 2023.