Scream Stream: Anando Brahma smartly reimagines the conventions of the horror-comedy template

Four years ago, when it seemed curtains for the horror-comedy genre, that was milked to death and gradually going out of vogue in Telugu cinema, it took a one-film old director Mahi K Raghav to rewrite the rules of the game. Anando Brahma is an innovative reimagination of the horror-comedy template and a perfect example to prove why you don't need to reinvent the wheel to make an entertaining film for a mainstream audience. 

If Taapsee Pannu's presence gave Anando Brahma a facelift in the market, the sparkling performances from its supporting cast, Srinivas Reddy, Shakalaka Shankar, Thagubothu Ramesh, and Vennela Kishore, made it a paisa-vasool fare for audiences. 

Anando Brahma came with little expectations but turned out to be a perfect package of horror, comedy and emotions, largely helped by its inventive screen-writing. The director pokes fun at the conventional tropes in horror comedies and does a perfect role reversal in the way the characters behave. As wacky as it may sound, the humans aren't terrified by the ghosts in the film and it's that latter that are intimidated by the humans. The ghosts, in fact, run out of tricks to drive people away from a haunted property in a village and are surprisingly left helpless, bereft of ideas. 

If one were to summarise the film's plot, in a nutshell, a man named Ramu, an NRI, wishes to sell his ancestral home amidst rumours of it being haunted. While he's unhappy with the price quoted by his potential buyers and the broker, he makes a group of four people, Sidhu, Tulasi, Babu and Raju spend a few nights at the house to dispel rumours about the ghosts (in return for some commission). That way, Ramu hopes to instil confidence among his potential buyers in the village and get his deserved due for the property. Will Ramu's idea go as per the plan? What's in store for the men who stay in the house?

The film takes off on a brilliant note, where Deepa, Taapsee, Vijayachander and Raghu are introduced as ghosts. Mahi V Raghav plays with the audience's imagination and confuses them about their identity, before giving us their true picture. The characters asked to stay through the nights at the house are brilliantly etched and the laughs never dry up. 

Sidhu is a heart patient advised against being tensed if he were to have any hopes of surviving long. Another character Babu is crazy about making a career in movies and constantly reenacts the most iconic characters and mimicks actors from Telugu cinema at every given opportunity. Tulasi is drunk for most of the day that he can't distinguish between humans and ghosts at night. Raju is deaf, has night-blindness and starts playing the flute whenever he is scared. Sidhu is the only sane character who senses the real danger of staying with the ghosts in the haunted house while the others are lost in their own worlds.

The ghosts have no clue to move past their eccentricities and get into action mode. For a change, you empathise with their plight as they seem helpless in front of the insane men. As expected, the comedy dominates the horror segment in the story but you have no reason to complain. The wacky scenarios provide a solid foundation for the humour to come alive. Shakalaka Shankar performing to the dialogues of the Daana Veera Soora Karna, his rib-ticking confrontation with Vidyullekha Raman, where they recreate the iconic Abbani Teeyani Debba, are pure gold. It's not surprising that Shakalaka Shankar didn't have to look back after the film's success. 

The same holds for Vennela Kishore and his dead-pan humour, playing the deaf guy unaffected by all the chaos and action is a perfect contrast to the exaggeration that surrounds him. Srinivas Reddy is as solid as a rock, standing tall as a performer, anchoring the film with his balanced performance even as Vennela Kishore, Shalakaka Shankar and Thagubothu Ramesh go berserk with their parts. There's not a single dull moment when these men are around. 

The fun moments of the film aside, Anando Brahma is a cold reflection of the larger reality of the society where parents are neglected by supposedly career-oriented children who chase greener pastures for livelihood. The climax where the characters use the money found in the bag to convert the ancestral property into an old-age home helps the film end on a poignant note. Horror comedies have mostly been reduced to tales about the injustice meted out to women in their previous birth and their act of revenge, but the writers of Anando Brahma ring in a timely twist to the template.

Rajeev Kanakala, Vijayachander's experience comes in handy for the film at its crucial junctures. If truth be told, Taapsee is cast only in an extended special appearance here. In retrospect, it's gracious from the actress' part to have given a nod to its innovative plot despite not featuring in a prominent role. Anando Brahma was a commercial success and fared well at the theatres without a doubt though not many give the film and its team the credit they richly deserve. 

(Anando Brahma is streaming on ZEE5)