Prakambanam Review: Ganapathi-Sagar Surya's film is a passable horror comedy with a few giggles

Prakambanam Story - Three buddies, Jithu, Punyalan, and Sagar, deal with the chaos of college life in a bustling men's hostel. However, their easygoing lifestyle is turned upside down when a ghost appears, and chaos spirals out of control in ways they could never have predicted.

Prakambanam Review - There hasn't been a good horror comedy in Malayalam that truly does justice to this genre since the Soubin Shahir-starrer Romancham. This gap has been capped with the most recent film directed by Vijesh Panathur. Prakambanam's storyline and production technique may be insufficient, but its lead performances are what keep the audience entertained. The makers have tried to surprise viewers by maintaining the least expectations for it, much like films such as Romancham and Adi Kapyare Kootamani did once ahead of their release in theatres. However, if you have high hopes, you will be let down. Watching Prakambanam without any judgement or expectations will make it an enjoyable watch.

Three friends, Jithu, Punyalan, and Sagar, deal with college politics and the chaos of student life in a college in Kochi. When Jithu's strict and devout grandmother dies one day, he uses some of her ashes to perform the salvation rites because his father and uncle are atheists who oppose these kinds of practices. But when Punyalan sniffs these ashes and becomes possessed by Jithu's grandma, things take a hilarious turn. The main plot points of the film are why she won't leave Punyalan's body, what her unfulfilled wish is, and how the three friends will deal with this spirit.

It's good that the makers avoided using any corny elements, like an unidentified spirit haunting a college dorm or Ouija boards, to bring in the horror aspect to the film. Prakambanam would come as a surprise to anyone who anticipated seeing a reenactment of all these elements, while occasionally making one laugh. Even though it takes a while for the movie to start being entertaining, eventually one would enjoy it and look forward to seeing what occurs next and how these buddies plan to put an end to the pandemonium. Although there are no fright jumps in the film, the second half nevertheless maintains its sense of uncertainty.

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As Punyalan, Sagar Surya steals the show by flaunting his adeptness with both comedic and sombre situations. His spontaneous transition from a halfwit character to a possessed one is amusing to watch, and he serves as the main source of humour in the film. Ameen and Ganapathi both have strong performances, particularly when they are terrified. Additionally, Mallika Sukumaran, Azeez Nedumangad, Kalabhavan Navaz, and P P Kunjikrishnan are entertaining to see in this movie.

The technical aspects of the film, especially the music, are inadequate. Another flaw of Prakambanam is that several of the subplots seem pointless. When it comes to comedy, only certain scenes make us laugh; otherwise, it becomes repetitious.

Prakambanam Verdict - The story and technical aspects of the horror comedy starring Ganapathi and Sagar Surya may not be particularly novel. But thanks to Sagar Surya, Ganapathi, and Ameen's performances, the movie stays true to its genre.