'Chithini' movie review: A well-executed horror-family thriller

In 'Chithini', a cop and a journalist join forces to find out the whereabouts of a mysterious namesake that generates fear among Noolpuzha residents. Allen played by Amit Chakalakkal is a cop who is posted in Noolpuzha. He along with a journalist Nisha and her husband soon embark on a mission to unravel the eerie incidents that take place in the area. The film is tagged as a horror-family-emotional thriller and is the seventh production venture by East Coast Vijayan.

After ‘Kallanum Bhagavathiyum,’ 'Chithini' is based on K V Anil’s story and the script is by Anil and East Coast Vijayan. Though Chithini gives an impression of a horror film in the beginning, the atmosphere gets sinister only after Allen takes charge of the police station in Noolpuzha. For Noolpuzha natives, Chithini is a reality but Allen doesn’t subscribe to the godforsaken ghost theories that they vouch for.

'Chithini' excels in sound design, beautiful scenes and breathtaking music. Lyrics are by East Coast Vijayan, Santhosh Varma and Suresh and music is composed by young composer Ranjin Raja. The team has come up with four songs with different moodscapes. The background score is also in sync with the requirements of a horror thriller. Madhu Balakrishnan, Satyaprakash, Harishankar, Kapil Kapilan, and Sana Moithutty have crooned the songs. Folksong artists from Wayanad have also been roped in for one song.

'Kallanum Bhagavathiyum' fame and Bengali actor Moksha plays the lead in 'Chithini.' The combination of Moksha and Amit Chakalakkal is the highlight of the movie. Sudheesh, Vinay Forrt and Johnny Antony have displayed excellence apart from newcomers Arathi Nair and Enakshy Ganguly.

Joy Mathew, Srikanth Murali, Jayakrishnan, Manikandan Achary, Sujith Shankar, Pramod Veliyanadu, Rajesh Sharma, Unniraja, Anoop Sivasenan, Kuttikal Jayachandran, Jibin Gopinath, Jithin Babu, Shiv Damodar, Vikas, Pauli Valsan, and Ambili Ambali also play their part in the thriller. Malampuzha, Kava, Dhoni Forest, Puthusserry, Chingachira, Kodumbu, Valayar, Chittor, Thathamangalam, Kollangodu and Kalamandalam form the backdrop of the movie.

East Coast Vijayan has succeeded in creating the mood of a horror movie in the film shot at Palakkad and nearby places with excellent visuals. He has been ably supported by cinematographer Ratish Ram and editor John Kutty