Review: Bayama Irruku

This laugh riot will definitely leave you entertained!

Director: Jawahar

Cast: Santosh, Rashmi Menon, Kovai Sarala, Jagan, Jeeva, Bharani and Motta Rajendran

Music: C Sathya

Cinematography: Mahendran

After a very long time, audiences who love horror-comedies can actually sport a smile. Bayama Irukku, which has just hit screens, is a good horror comedy that mixes quite a number of genuinely funny sequences with a really frightening plot to give audiences a delightful entertainer.

The story is so exceptionally well told that it gives not even a small clue to the viewer that the film has been directed by a debutant.

Jai (Santosh) and his wife Lekha’s (Rashmi Menon) reside in a beautiful but eerie house in Maarthandam. Lekha is in her final stages of pregnancy, but she longs to know about the fate of her parents in Sri Lanka. To put her mind at rest, Jai  chooses to go to Lanka in search of his mother-in-law.

He hopes to return early to be by his wife’s side when she delivers. However, that is not to be as he is captured by the Sri Lankan Army, which holds him captive for four long months. Jai, while escaping the Lankan army, ends up rescuing four Indians — Jagan, Jeeva, Bharani and Motta Rajendran from their clutches and all five become good friends. They decide to accompany Jai back to his home in Maarthandam. It is here that the plot thickens.

When Jai returns home, he is greeted by his wife with their new born child. However, the friends find that all is not well. There are sinister creatures lurking around the corner and Jai’s wife looks more than just human…

Bayama Irruku works big time. The film has no big names but every single artiste does his or her job to perfection, thereby delivering a product that is very much entertaining.

Rashmi, who is being seen on screen after a long time, comes up with a very commendable performance that is just about right for the film. Jagan as one of the four friends is proving that he is improving with each new passing film. His punch lines are deadly in this film and needless to say, evoke laughter.

Mottai Rajendran, whose performances were getting predictable in recent times, comes up with a decent effort in this one. In some sequences, the actor just repeats what he has done in other films. These annoy viewers. But in certain other sequences, he is genuinely funny. Actors Bharani and Jeeva don’t have much to do in the film but they play their parts well.

Kovai Sarala, who is known to overact, for a change delivers a neat performance which works in favour of the film. The comedy sequences involving her, the four friends and the pair – Jai and Lekha are a laugh riot. The comedy sequences actually overtake the fear inducing ones in intensity and frequency only after the introduction of her character (she plays a black magician called Devil Devika) in the plot.

The film is primarily what it is because of three technicians. First, among these is music director C Sathya, whose music is just apt for this horror comedy. His background score helps director Jawahar do exactly what he intends to do — be it inducing fear in some sequences or be it making audiences roar with laughter in certain others. His romantic numbers too are catchy and come across as a big plus.

Next in line for praise is cameraman Mahendran, whose shots make one forget that we are actually watching a film. The shots, with their exceptionally good lighting, are so good that one gets involved in the story.

Art director A K Muthu too deserves a pat on the back for the locations and the sets he has erected for the film. His sets have actually set the mood for the film. The choice of the house in Marthaandam, the manner in which it is constructed, its location and many more such factors have all helped director Jawahar considerbly, who has no problems making us believe that the place is really haunted.

Finally, director P Jawahar needs to take a bow for having been able to tell in a crisp and entertaining fashion, a tale that is full of terror, comedy and romance. This young director is a name to watch out for in the future as well.