Tumbbad Movie Review: Sohum Shah starrer horror fantasy Tumbbad is byproduct of atypical imagination

Tumbbad is certainly a game-changer in the horror genre. Leaving comedy-horror and supernatural thriller behind, Tumbbad is one step ahead of promising new elements for its audience.

Sohum Shah starrer Tumbbad can be a start of an era where filmmakers can enjoy their creative freedom to churn out some fresh content. 

Tumbbad: Overview

To begin with the title of the film, Tumbbad is the name of a fictitious village set in the 19th century during British Raj. Though the shooting locations of the film are real to maintain the authenticity, nothing else is real in the story.

Tumbbad is an amalgamation of horror, fantasy, and Indian folktales; it is right to say that the film is a byproduct of an atypical imagination.

The film is directed by newcomers Rahi Anil Barve and Adesh Prasad and co-written by Anand Gandhi. Whereas, Tumbbad is produced by multi-talented Anand L Rai, who doesn't fear to experiment with his projects. 

Tumbbad: Storyline

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed."

In a larger-than-life setting, the story begins in a village called Tumbbad where a widowed mother lives with her two sons -Sadashiv and Vinayak, and a mother-in-law who has turned into an abnormal being after an accident. Sooner the younger son dies when he fell off a tree; mother and the elder son -Vinayak leaves the village and moves to a city in Maharashtra, Pune.

Vinayak, bright-eyed and strong-bodied man, returns to the village 15 years later in a quest for the gold coins hidden in the womb of Mother Earth. This was told to him by his grandmother who was herself cursed by Haster who lives inside the womb and has the treasure.

Tumbbad starring Sohum Shah in the lead role plays Vinayak who doesn't fear death and is ready to face the devil, Haster for the treasure.

Call it a dark fiction or a horror of different kind, the final scenes showcase Vinayak and his disabled young son climbing down the ropes into the mother’s pulsating red womb one last time for the whole treasure.

Tumbbad: Actor Sohum Shah

As an actor, Sohum did justice with his role. Talwar-starrer actor, Sohum played a semi-negative role which is commendable. His character who is greedy for wealth and at the same time, courageous enough to face ungodly power to run his family estate for that money, influences it's audience.

The actor had to undergo lot of physical training as well to climb down ropes in the film. All in all, Sohum is all prepped with his convincing Marathi accent to keep his audience engaged throughout the film.​

Tumbbad: Creative Asthetics

Where the film took six years in making, that's when you raise your expectations for the film to be creative. Talking of Tumbbad's creative aspects, the film is adorned with real-feel VFX scenes. The VFX of the film has been done from Sean Wheelan and Filmgate Films in Sweden which created the CG work and animated 3D characters.

The makers of the film did spectacular job when it comes to art direction and costume design.

Tumbbad: Verdict

While small seeds and plants are predictable, the climax is intriguing. This spine-chilling drama is not for claustrophobic ones and also for the people who doesn't want to get into a particular dark zone. But the movie is a definite watch for the people who crave distinctive content from Bollywood movies.