 | MOVIE DETAILS • Name: Psycho Raman aka Raman Raghav 2.0 • Year: 2016 • Country: India • Director: Anurag Kashyap • Main cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vicky Kaushal, Sobhita Dhulipala • Runtime: 90 minutes • Production company: Phantom Films • TRAILER |
Psycho Raman was one of the most awaited movies at the Sitges Film Festival 2016. After winning in 2013 the Special Mention Focus Asia Award with Ugly (2013), director Anurag Kashyap was back to the catalan festival with another thriller with the goal to satisfy the audience who loved so much his previous action movies Gulaal (2009) and Gangs of Wasseypur (2012). With less action than the previously mentioned, Psycho Raman take us to the steps of the serial killer Ramanna in his quest to put down the cop that is after him.
Set in the streets of Mumbai, Psycho Raman is a dark thriller where every character hides something deep inside. Ramanna wanders around with his metalic lever cracking heads open in a violence spiral that somehow, despite looking totally random, at the end it has its reason. Because one of the big hits of this movie is how the circle finally closes. No tricks here, the narrative seems to be very chaotic but wait until the end and you’ll see the story has been fair.
This is the third time collaboration between director Anurag Kashyap and actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, a perfect choice for the role of the merciless serial killer. His coldness and intensity to carry out this character took him to mental exhaustion and had to even spend some time hospitalized, regarding some interviews the performer said himself. But dramas aside, it’s his powerful depiction of the serial killer what holds part of the tension in this blood boiling picture.
As one of the most effective indian dark film creators, Anurag Kashyap’s camera makes us part of this rollercoster. Photography is simple but effective, always in the right measure. Audio mixing can sound a little bit poor at times, perhaps because of technical limitations but maybe made on purpose, but what is undeniable is that everything is beautifully put together to make this an tense experience, pure thrilling cinema.
Fully recommended to lovers of dark thrillers and serial killer films. In the distance the movie is based on a real case serial killer than terrorized the city of Mumbai in the 1960s, but this is not a biopic at all, hence the title 2.0. Somehow it feels like the concept of “indian cinema” is a very far away matter, but with a mind like this you will be missing many many gems. And Psycho Raman aka Raman Raghav 2.0 is one of those gems.
RATE: 6/10
IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5662932
