Masthishka Maranam Movie Review: What’s technology? No, not its benefits and drawbacks, but what is the definition of technology? Britannica simply defines it as “the application of scientific knowledge to the practical aims of human life.” So, basically, technology is supposed to make life easier, right? But has that always been the case? Let’s take Artificial Intelligence (AI), for instance. The talk of the town. As soon as its boom commenced across the world, one of the earliest things people employed AI for was to create deepfakes. So, even before they contemplated using it to improve their own lives and ensure the collective betterment of humankind, people began using it to spread disinformation and satiate their fantasies. Needless to say, women were the most affected, as perverts began using the budding technology to objectify and hypersexualise them further.
It can be said that director Krishand’s Masthishka Maranam (Brain Death) shows that no matter how much humanity advances or how far we scale in terms of technology, the core reality of women remains unchanged, as, in one way or another, all these advancements get used for their exploitation, hypersexualisation, objectification, commodification, subjugation, and dehumanisation.
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Set in 2046 neo-Kochi, Bimal Raj (an impressive Niranj Maniyanpilla Raju) is a grieving young father who is yet to move on from the tragic demise of his little daughter. While his wife, Anindya (a superb Ann Saleem), as she was unable to live with the trauma anymore, underwent a procedure and erased those memories, Bimal has yet to let go of them. It is in virtual reality memory games that he finds solace. At one point, to ‘spice his life up’ a bit, Bimal acquires a private “memory” of superstar Frida Soman (an extraordinary Rajisha Vijayan), which, he is told, will enable him to virtually engage with her physically. However, once inside the “memory,” he uncovers some terrifying secrets about Frida and becomes a ‘witness’ to her two murders. But as Anindya once asked Bimal, upon entering someone else’s memory, whose memory is it from there on: the one who originally had it or the one experiencing it now?
There are some filmmakers who make us desperately want to infiltrate their minds just to see what goes on in there and to get a sneak peek at how they perceive the world. Krishand is one among them. The sheer beauty lies not just in the way he perceives what’s happening around him, but also in how those images fall upon his mind, how he processes them, and even how he recreates them for the screen. It’s bizarre enough to have bizarre dreams, but to brazenly depict that bizarreness on screen requires an extra level of bravado that he seems to have in abundance.
Watch Masthishka Maranam trailer here:
While Aavasavyuham (2021) remains Krishand’s most experimental work thus far, Masthishka Maranam ranks a close second now, primarily for its genre-bending style and for how well he has pulled it off. Although Masthishka Maranam centres around a couple similar to the one in director Lars von Trier’s Antichrist (2009) — both grief-stricken by the death of their child — Krishand doesn’t take his people into the psychological horror territory that Trier did with his duo and instead shows more compassion towards them. Much like Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), the theme of “memory erasure” also appears here, and is used to highlight that the city of Kochi is significantly advanced. In fact, he has created 2046 neo-Kochi by blending futurism and retrofuturism, where ultra-personalised ads that unlawfully use images of even one’s deceased relatives to sell products and services and flying cars (like those in the Back to the Future movies) coexist.
By treating it as a cyberpunk comedy, Krishand allows his narrative to traverse many terrains without being chained to a single aesthetic. Alongside situational humour, Masthishka Maranam also features absurd, black, and spoof comedy, as well as satire. There are as many indirect references to real-life scenarios as there are in-the-face ones, with the most notable being Bimal using the same words actor Dileep once hurled at the media when he was brought to a hotel to collect evidence in the 2017 actor abduction and assault case. The best thing is that the writer-director has managed to strike the right balance between all these elements, offering the narrative what suits it best at a(ny) given point.
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Krishand’s mastery of mise-en-scène is evident in Masthishka Maranam, too, even if some mistakes, like typos, can be spotted on screen at times. Nonetheless, each frame and sequence in the cyberpunk comedy is thoughtfully created and choreographed and contributes to the larger narrative.
While Frida’s spaces are highly aesthetic, Bimal’s so-called home is cramped, filled with more items than the rooms can contain. These not only reflect their individual natures but also showcase the underlying class differences where “beauty and aesthetics” are reserved only for those who can afford them. At the same time, Masthishka Maranam addresses society’s classist mentality at large as well, through the character of a migrant labourer (Anoop Mohandas), who is still forced to perform menial labour even in 2046 and isn’t offered any respect by his employer, Charly Zen (a hilarious Suresh Krishna). Even if the police station, under GD Praveen Shashank (Jagadish), is high-tech, the officers still have the same mindset as they do now, with an extra penchant for brutality and servility towards the affluent.
Director Krishand with Rajisha Vijayan on the sets of Masthishka Maranam. (Credit: IMDb)
Unlike typical Indian sci-fi films that liberally tap into Hindu mythology whenever they are low on material, thus exploiting people’s religious dogmatism by claiming these elements as the past and future of India, Masthishka Maranam strives to be original at least within the country’s cinematic landscape. Although it is inspired by several movies and literary works, as cited in its credits, Masthishka Maranam gives more prominence to the socio-political realities and issues that are currently relevant and those expected to intensify in two decades.
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Through Frida’s life, Krishand illustrates how both those within show business and society at large commodify women’s bodies and identities, reducing them to mere objects for entertainment. While the film also doesn’t shy away from showing her obsession with this lifestyle, it presents both sides without vilifying her.
However, with too many threads woven into the narrative, Masthishka Maranam fails to establish a humane core. The absence of an emotional hook that connects the audience to the story on a deeper level results in the movie becoming just a series of intriguing visuals that are well-crafted. Even amid all that was already in it, had Krishan anchored the story more effectively, many of its issues could have been resolved. Besides, the film also becomes unnecessarily preachy towards the end, which detracts from the overall experience. Another shortcoming is its music. Although Varkey’s tracks are good, they don’t elevate the film beyond a certain point, lacking soul, despite the support of Vinayak Sasikumar’s and Vaisakh Sugunan’s stirring lyrics.
Nonetheless, Krishand compensates for these shortcomings with his brilliant cinematic vision. Much like the films of Wong Kar-wai and David Lynch, and Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 (2017), the colour palettes in Masthishka Maranam are a sight to behold, adding an extra layer of fascination and depth to the frames. The use of reds and greens is particularly striking. At the same time, Krishand has done an extraordinary job in the editing department, ensuring a seamless transition between different locales, timelines, and realities, thus offering an immersive experience. While the VFX is impressive, Krishand hasn’t overindulged simply to showcase grandeur. Aside from Rajisha Vijayan and Niranj Maniyanpilla Raju, Divya Prabha also impresses with her comedic performance.
Masthishka Maranam movie cast: Rajisha Vijayan, Niranj Maniyanpilla Raju, Divya Prabha, Vishnu Agasthya, Suresh Krishna, Jagadish, Ann Saleem, Santhy Balachandran
Masthishka Maranam movie director: Krishand
Masthishka Maranam movie rating: 3.5 stars
