Review: Pechi
Director Ramachandran’s Pechi has a solid story and no, it is not one of revenge. It is unique as the director seems to have got into the finer details of how priests contain evil spirits and how sorcerers are rendered powerless. The director seems to have done adequate research on the ground and consulted certain experts on the field from Kerala before showcasing the sequences pertaining to witchcraft and the its containment.
Film: Pechi
Cast: Gayathrie, Bala Saravanan, Preethi Nedumaaran, Dev, Jana and others
Director: Ramachandran B
DOP: Parthiban
Editor: Ignatious Aswin
Music Director: Rajesh Murugesan
Produced by: Gokul Benoy for Veyilon Entertainment in association with Shaik Mujeeb, Rajarajan, Sanjay Shankar , Dhanishtan Fernando
Rating 4 stars
Director Ramachandran B, who makes his debut in Tamil cinema, with Pechi delivers a fantastic horror thriller that is realistic, distinctly different and that keeps you engaged from start to finish. Make no mistake about this one, for it is a winner. This film is not like your regular horror thrillers, which look to scare you with their background score and sudden, rapid movements of entities such as door and windows opening and closing by themselves.
Director Ramachandran’s Pechi has a solid story and no, it is not one of revenge. It is unique as the director seems to have got into the finer details of how priests contain evil spirits and how sorcerers are rendered powerless. The director seems to have done adequate research on the ground and consulted certain experts on the field from Kerala before showcasing the sequences pertaining to witchcraft and the its containment.
The story in brief…
Five wealthy and arrogant youngsters – two couples and a photographer friend – intent on looking for adventure, chose to go on a trek to a hill station that was once a plantation but that has now been turned into a reserved forest.
They don’t have the requisite permission but that doesn’t make a difference to them. They hire a local guide (Bala Saravanan), a man whose family has lived in the region for generations, to show them around.
As they make their way to the top of the ranges, there appears a point which is blocked and which has a board that says the region beyond it is prohibited. While the guide does his best to warn the visitors to pay heed to the caution and stay away from crossing the line, the visitors, in their arrogance, mock both the guide and the belief systems of the people who have put up the board. What happens then is what Pechi is all about…
Director Ramachandran’s film reminds one of the horror thriller Yaar, which went on to become a blockbuster in the eighties. Yaar had unique content that caught people’s attention for the realistic manner in which it was presented. It sent chills down the spine of audiences. Similarly, Ramachandran’s film has a good solid plot as its soul and some exceptionally narration to leave you rattled.
Gayathrie Shankar, who plays the lead character, is just fantastic as is Balasaravanan who plays the guide. The work of both these actors stand out in the film. In fact, all the others who play the lead too have done an exceptional job and fit their roles to a T.
Exceptional camera work
The film has some outstanding cinematography by Parthiban. Be it capturing the beauty of the region through his aerial shots or presenting the blood curdling close up shots of a woman sorcerer, Parthiban’s work is extraordinary. Full marks to the cameraman for having presented a visual spectacle.
Rajesh Murugesan’s music and editor Ignatious Aswin’s editing too are on the dot and come across as great strengths of the film.
Coin recommendation:
Strongly recommended. If you have time and money to watch just one film this week, let it be Pechi. This film is sure to leave you scared and satisfied.
