You expect ghosts when you walk into a long-forgotten mansion deep in the misty forests of Kerala in the 17th century. But in Bramayugam, the real fear is behind people’s faces.
Rahul Sadasivan directed this Malayalam horror-thriller from 2024. It stars Mammootty as a powerful Brahmin lord whose secrets are darker than the shadows around him.
The movie is shot in beautiful black and white and mixes supernatural horror with deep themes of caste, control, and corruption.
Fans are still talking about its scary ending a year after it came out, especially after it aired on Asianet in March 2025.
The Story: Going Down into the Cursed Mana
Thevan (Arjun Ashokan), a low-caste folk singer, runs for his life after escaping slave traders during the Portuguese raids in Malabar.
He is hungry and lost when he comes across an old ancestral house called a mana, which is ruled by Kodumon Potti (Mammootty).
The Brahmin lord seems nice because he gives Thevan food and shelter in exchange for songs. But underneath the calm is rot.
Thevan starts to hear whispers in the walls. Shadows move by themselves. The cook, Sidharth Bharathan, tells him to stay away from the southern wing.
Thevan soon learns that the mana has a curse on it that comes from Potti’s family’s sins, which include power, forbidden ties, and greed.
Here’s how the story goes:
- Thevan’s Arrival: His songs echo the pain of Kerala’s caste divisions and fear of colonialism.
- Potti’s Mask: His politeness hides how cruel he is, and his laughter sounds almost like a robot.
- The Cook’s Truth: He knows more than he lets on because he is connected to the family’s hidden secrets.
- Thevan realizes he’s stuck as the days go by. The mana isn’t just haunted; it’s alive and feeds on sadness. His songs turn into cries for help, showing how bloody the place is.
The Twists and the End: The Cycle Goes On Forever
The truth comes out halfway through: Potti is no longer a person. He is a Chaathan, a dark spirit from Kerala’s folklore that Brahmin families used to use for rituals.
Potti was betrayed by his own family, and now he is a monster who keeps his home “alive” with blood pacts and a sacred flame in the south chamber.
Thevan and the cook’s plan to end the curse leads to chaos. The mansion is on fire. A scary, dark figure shows Potti’s true nature.
The cook betrays Thevan in order to get the cursed ring that controls the demon. But Thevan destroys it, turning down the offer of power.
Thevan is free to walk as the sun rises. But the last reflection shows the twist: Potti’s spirit is now inside him. The curse goes on. Power just moves from one person to another.
A quick summary of the main twists
- Potti’s true self: a Brahmin turned demon by his family’s greed.
- Cook’s Double Game: a victim who becomes a manipulator.
- The Eternal Flame is the source of the curse, and destroying it only gives you a short break from it.
- Colonial Chaos: The Portuguese presence is like how outside powers made local divisions worse.
Ideas: Folklore, Power, and Madness
Bramayugam is really about how power corrupts and then comes back. The Brahmin lords used to rule with faith and fear, but their own pride led to the demon they tried to control.
The Chaathan myth reflects Kerala’s hidden caste wounds by showing how the oppressed become oppressors in a never-ending cycle.
The movie also links this to colonial greed, showing how outside forces made things worse. Its use of traditional Paanan songs and ritual symbols makes the horror feel real. The black-and-white tone takes away beauty and leaves only truth and decay.
| Element | Meaning | Real-World Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Chaathan Goblin | Anger of the oppressed | Folklore rooted in caste history |
| Eternal Flame | Power that feeds on control | Rituals masking exploitation |
| Thevan’s Songs | Voice of resistance | Oral traditions of Kerala’s oppressed |
| Final Possession | Endless power cycle | Trauma passed through generations |
Why It Still Resonates in 2025
Bramayugam came out in February 2024 and was a critical success, getting a 7.7 on IMDb and praise for Mammootty’s scary performance. People who didn’t like it called it a “visual nightmare with a purpose.”
The movie is still popular online, especially since it was added to the syllabus of a UK film school in early 2025, which brought Malayalam cinema to the attention of people all over the world.
Fans are very excited because director Rahul Sadasivan has already started his next horror movie with Pranav Mohanlal.
Many people think that Bramayugam is one of India’s best folk horror stories, along with Tumbbad and Kantara. In this story, the monster is not outside of us, but inside of us.
