Maranamass Movie Review
Maranamass: A Wickedly Funny Ride into Absurdity
Dark comedy meets social satire in Sivaprasad's eccentric thriller, where a misfit hero, a lovelorn conductor, and a lamenting cop cross paths with a serial killer in a bus-bound tale of chaos.Dark humour reaches its peak in Maranamass, when a serial killer is left frustrated after failing to capture his victim alive-forced instead to vent his brutality on a corpse. Deprived of the thrill of torturing a living man, the predator's absurdity as a psychopath is laid bare, in a moment that perfectly encapsulates the film's twisted tone. Directed by Sivaprasad, Maranamass brims with darkly comic episodes, often straying from logic and missing a tight plot, but compensating with sheer eccentricity. Co-written by the director and actor Siju Sunny, the film lightly explores social issues-at times ridiculing them, at other times offering subtle criticism.
Basil Joseph shines as Luke PP, the beating heart of the film, with his quirky demeanor and the hilarious predicaments he finds himself in. Sivaprasad cleverly taps into Basil's comic versatility to craft a caricature-like protagonist who, despite the chaos, remains oddly endearing. One standout moment is when Luke becomes the talk of the village for all the wrong reasons-a sharp jab at a society obsessed with viral trivialities on social media. Basil's charming presence and effortless comic timing elevate a screenplay that frequently wobbles but never completely collapses.
While lampooning social norms, the film suffers from uneven pacing and sporadic storytelling. A serial killer is on the loose, and the police zero in on Luke PP as the prime suspect. Meanwhile, the real murderer-played with deadpan brilliance by Rajesh Madhavan-is quietly living a double life as an education department employee. The investigation is led by Babu Antony as Ajay Ramachandran, a police officer more heartbroken over his missing dog than the murders at hand. Watching an actor of Antony's stature bring humor to a cop role adds to the film's offbeat appeal.
The story slowly gravitates toward its central conflict aboard a bus, where key characters-including Luke's lover Jessy (Anishma Anilkumar)-find themselves on a shared journey. The film's emotional layer is provided by the bus conductor Aruvi (Siju Sunny), who has long yearned to reunite with his estranged father. Suresh Krishna plays the bus driver, Jikku aka Jithinkumar C, whose impending wedding adds to the chaos. Much of the film's humour, especially in Krishna's scenes, is drawn from social media meme culture. The movie even kicks off with a self-deprecating cameo by Santhosh Keezhattoor.
Structurally, Maranamass is a patchwork of loosely connected stories, each character introduced with their individual backstory before all roads lead to the bus ride. While Aruvi's personal grief lends a hint of emotional weight, the narrative lacks depth in its execution-though the climax offers some justification. Siju Sunny, however, makes a sincere effort to deliver a grounded performance. Rajesh Madhavan's portrayal of the comically unsettling killer is one of the film's highlights, standing closest to the essence of black comedy.
From murder sprees to pre-wedding photoshoots, Maranamass is a bizarre cocktail of satire and slapstick. Despite its scattered narrative and lack of cohesion, it ultimately succeeds in delivering dark laughs and absurd moments that stick-making it a weirdly enjoyable watch for fans of unconventional cinema.
