Rudhiram is an ambitious film that delves into themes of trauma, revenge, and the human psyche. Directed by Jisho Lon Antony and written by Jisho himself with Joseph Kiran George, the film mixes raw action, psychological tension and unsettling violence. While it has striking visuals and solid performances, the story struggles to make the most of its complex ideas and often falls back on familiar tropes. Thus, the film doesn’t fully deliver on its promise.
The film introduces two main characters, Swathi (Aparna Balamurali) and Mathew (Raj B Shetty). The first half is dedicated to setting up their personalities and circumstances. Swathi is held captive in a room, her fear and vulnerability laid bare. On the other hand, Mathew is unpredictable and unnerving, keeping viewers guessing about his true intentions. In its first hour, the narrative leans too heavily on shocking brutality to keep things moving.
The violence in Rudhiram is graphic and relentless, making some scenes difficult to watch. While it almost steers clear of explicit depictions of sexual violence, the over-the-top background wailing and excessive gore feel unnecessary and distracting. The film often seems torn between wanting to provoke deep thought and simply shocking its audience, which creates an uneven tone. One area where the film undeniably shines is its visuals. The cinematography captures the dense, claustrophobic forests beautifully, with one aerial shot of spiralling trees particularly standing out.
Aparna delivers a remarkable performance as Swathi, portraying her character’s journey from vulnerability to strength with conviction while anchoring the film emotionally. Her determination to escape is compelling, but the script relies on a tired trope to drive her resilience: a childhood story from her grandmother that inspires her to fight on. Even her escape attempts feel uninspired, borrowing heavily from The Shawshank Redemption (1994) while hardly adding anything new.
On the opposite end, Raj brings a certain intensity to the role of Mathew, a man who oscillates between being a victim and a villain. While he delivers a compelling performance, it feels too familiar, echoing roles he’s played before. While the actor’s performance is impressive, Mathew’s character feels muddled as the film struggles to decide whether he’s someone to pity or despise.
The second half picks up the pace, with some raw and gripping duels that display Jisho’s talent for showcasing action sequences. These moments are among the film’s strongest, but the story eventually settles into predictable revenge-thriller territory.
The climax reveal, which should have been shocking or thought-provoking, feels predictable and formulaic without exploring its deeper moral and psychological questions. The script also introduces themes like mental health and society’s rejection of those who try to change, but it only skims the surface. A subplot about a healed man struggling to find acceptance was relevant, but it’s treated as an afterthought.
For fans of dark, gritty thrillers, Rudhiram might be worth a watch. However, it doesn’t offer anything particularly fresh or memorable. Jisho shows flashes of brilliance as a director, particularly in the way he builds suspense and uses visuals to convey emotion in an edgy manner. But the screenplay lets him down while being hesitant to fully commit to the darker, more unsettling or thought-provoking ideas it teases.
The film repeatedly invokes an African proverb, ‘The axe forgets, but the tree remembers’, meant to underscore its themes and add depth to the narrative. Despite being showcased prominently in the promotional material and at the beginning of the film, the quote is forced upon us again. By the time it is repeated in the closing scenes, it feels like a contrived effort to tie together the narrative, when what the film really needed was a more nuanced resolution without relying on external proclamations to justify the choices of its characters.
Film: Rudhiram,
Director: Jisho Lon Antony
Cast: Aparna Balamurali, Raj B Shetty
Rating : 2.5/5