Storyline: Daayam, which is a Malayalam film, takes place in a town in Kerala. Kalyani (Aathira Rajeev) is going through the most emotionally challenging period of her life after her mother passed away a few days back in the most unexpected manner. Her house is full of relatives as they need to complete a few rituals for the departed.

There are murmurs about all not being well between her mother and father Raghu (Pradeep Geedha) in recent times. Kalyani mentally takes stock of these situations as she tries settling into a new life with her father.

Review: Indu Lakshmi’s writing coupled with Prashanth Vijay’s presentation transports the viewer into the quiet yet profound world of Kalyani where she is forced to deal with a new challenge. The proceedings are simple but full of feeling. Hence, one instantly feels for the teenager.

The death of Kalyani’s mother is the central incident. But we are not shown a glimpse of it even for a second and neither the funeral too. It is only through conversations that the viewer experiences it. Yet, one can easily feel that incident throughout the film. Even the grief of the protagonist is felt purely through her behavior and body language. There is only one moment where she breaks down but her grief is established even before that.

This was also possible because of a thoroughly dedicated performance by Aathira Rajeev. She literally lives and breathes the character and her grief. There is not even a second where she tries even a little bit harder than required. It is clearly a performance that should be talked about for long.

Daayam also throws light on the social dynamics when it comes to gender. The narrative goes onto this path in the most organic and gradual manner by shifting the focus on Raghu’s office situation. This is also where the film has a flipside. The office incident is quite serious and important to the narrative. But it is treated in a little casual manner whereas it deserved a clearer portrayal.

The film also develops a little bit of mystery surrounding Kalyani’s mother’s death at the start. But this aspect is quite forgotten later.

During the latter parts of the film, Pradeep Geedha gets a chance to display his different moods and he does that exceedingly well. He keeps the mystery quotient alive in his performance, which was vital.

The film scores high in the technical front. Rakesh Dharan’s camerawork is artistic but simple, which was the need there. Christy Sebastian’s editing is quite smooth flowing. The use of minimal music by Varkey goes with the nature of the film.

Overall: Daayam is a teenager’s coming-of-age saga while navigating grief.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Prasanth Vijay

Producer: Jessy P

Writer: Indu Lakshmi Cast: Aathira Rajeev, Pradeep Geedha

Also read: Dhurandhar review: Well-crafted spy drama trapped in the wrong medium

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