Nenjam Marappathillai is a horror film written and directed by Selvaraghavan, and produced by P Madan and Gitanjali Selvaraghavan under the banner Escape Artists Motion Pictures and GLO Studios respectively. It has SJ Suryah, Regina Cassandra and Nandita Swetha in the lead roles. Yuvan Shankar Raja has composed the music while Aravind Krishna is the cinematographer.
The film was ready for release almost five years ago, and since then, countless horror films have released, both Indian as well as international. In spite of all this, one can confidently say Nenjam Marappathillai is a kind of film that we've never seen before. It's that original, and if only poetic that an original filmmaker like Selva has made this film.
Nenjam Marappathillai has all the elements that a Selva film has. The characters are highly eccentric. They swear at will. The women have a certain agency and don't strut around like dolls. This film also sees him unite with his usual partners in crime - Aravind Krishna and Yuvan. While the trio create their magic one more time, the characters have a reason to be eccentric because of the way the film's universe is set up.
While much cannot be revealed about the film's plot, it is essentially a good vs bad clash, with a biblical touch. SJ Suryah plays the role of Ramasamy/Ramsay, a quirky man who likes to live for other people more than anyone else. At least that's how his character is set up. What happens when Mariam (Regina Cassandra) enters his house as a babysitter forms the plot.
As a horror film, certain elements would be expected for commercial value, such as jump scares and an eerie, loud background score. Selva breaks all those completely and delivers a horror film that banks solely on the characters' emotions and the script. Other films have separate comedy tracks involving the ghost breaking it's character, but here everything is realistic and within the framework of the film.
Yuvan's background score infuses high energy into the film, and you can feel it. He creates a rock concert like atmosphere and this helps the engagement as well. Songs like En Pondati Ooruku Poita are catchy and the lyrics fit the narrative of the film perfectly. This is a delight for Yuvan fans and a double delight for Yuvan - Selva fans.
It is well known that Aravind Krishna's collaboration with Selva clicks every single time and Nenjam Marappathillai continues the streak. The film is shot in a refreshing way and the usage of the red and green themes to signify SJ Suryah and Regina's characters are brilliant. Another interesting aspect of the film is the performance of the leads. While there is not much scope for the supporting cast, SJ Suryah and Regina in specific are terrific. Their character arcs are well rounded and they complement the film's writing superbly. Watch SJ Suryah effortlessly switch styles , and you can't help but surrender to what he does on screen.
Above all, the film's energy is maintained throughout, and this keeps the engagement factor high. There are minor flaws here and there, if one can nitpick. The climax might be damp for a set of people, when compared to the rest of the film, but nevertheless the film gets a proper closure. To sum things up, Selva stamps his class all over the film and gives us a treat.