Baramulla Review: Manav Kaul's Haunting Ode to Loss, Memory, and Exile
Manav Kaul delivers one of his most powerful performances in Baramulla, a Netflix film that explores horror not through ghosts but through grief, memory, and the pain of exile. This chilling reflection delves into loss and belonging against the backdrop of the Kashmir Valley.
A Different Kind of Horror
Baramulla does not rely on jump scares or eerie shadows. Instead, it evokes a deeper horror—the agony of separation, the loss of identity, and being torn away from the land that once embraced you. Kaul's film reveals itself as a profound meditation on grief and the invisible ghosts of a vanished homeland.
Storyline and Themes
Written by Aditya Dhar and directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, the story centers on DSP Ridwaan Sayyed (played by Kaul), a determined officer investigating mysterious disappearances in Baramulla, Kashmir. Children vanish without a trace, their scissor-cut hair the only clue left behind.
As Ridwaan digs deeper, what starts as a straightforward investigation transforms into a harrowing journey uncovering the unhealed wounds of history and the silenced cries of displaced people.
Memory as Horror
The film masterfully builds an atmosphere of dread not from supernatural forces but from memory itself. It begins with a procedural and political tone but soon turns inward, unfolding themes of anguish, remembrance, and painful revelations.
"Baramulla is not spooky, it's far more unsettling than that. It doesn't deal in jump scares or shadows, but in a greater horror – the horror of separation, of losing one's identity, of being uprooted from the soil that once took you in."
"What 'Baramulla' does so effectively is build dread not from the supernatural, but from memory itself."
Baramulla presents a haunting narrative where tangible horror is replaced by the intangible wounds of history and exile.
Author's summary: Manav Kaul’s Baramulla reveals a deeply unsettling horror rooted in exile and memory, transforming a mystery thriller into a poignant exploration of loss and identity in Kashmir.
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