Two stories run parallel in this “Maya,” a Tamil horror thriller that also doubles as a drama; one that is filmed in black and white which follows a sketch artist named Vasanth who is trying to solve the mystery behind his friend’s death. There’s also some odd paranormal activity that occurs soon after a horror writer visits him; the other story, which is filmed in technicolour, revolves around Apsara, an actress who has been abandoned by her husband and is struggling to find acting roles in order to provide for herself and for her one year old baby Meera.
What links both stories is their connection to Mayavanam, a dilapidated asylum in a forest with an attached graveyard; there’s rumours of haunting by its former inmates and it holds a dark, agonising past. Their stories eventually converge when Apsara, despite qualms from her filmmaker friend, makes the life threatening decision of attending a late night screening of a cursed movie supposedly based on what transpired at the asylum.
Firstly, I’d like to praise the real hero of this movie—its editing. The plot can be very convoluted, but the editor, T.S. Suresh, did a great job of making sure that none of the scenes felt lengthy or unnecessarily draggy. There is a nice flow and hardly a sense of disjointedness between the two storylines that run parallel. The writing towards the climax feels a tad predictable, but otherwise is taut and maintains the suspense.
Most of the actors, specifically the wonderful Nayanthara as Apsara, hardly have any lines and “Maya” almost feels like a silent art film at times. And despite the scarcity of dialogues, the main cast of Nayanthara, Aari, Mime Gopi, Amzath Khan and others do an excellent job of facial acting and emoting.
The film instead fills its silences with jarring, creepy background music and some light, soulful ballads, highlighting the love and bond between a child and its mother. This movie highlights this theme and Writer Ashwin Saravanan does a great job of capturing its essence.
Another likable element was how the ‘Bloody Mary’ urban legend incorporates into the storyline. I also felt it often closely mirrored Hollywood movies such as “Mama” with Jessica Chastain. This is mainly due to its forest setting and the themes of motherly love; they both also feature the resilient nature of a mother-to-be reuniting with her child, and her emotional turmoil.
I must admit though, “Maya” does occasionally suffer from the usual formulaic pattern of typical horror fare; like them, there is a tendency to overtly rely on tropes and symbols such as the ghost in the wheelchair, headless bodies in the fog, lights flickering every now and then, etc. Thankfully, unlike standard horror fare, it doesn’t rely solely on these or too much on jump-scares every two minutes; instead “Maya” relies on some pretty unpredictable plot twists and on building a genuinely thrilling and chilling atmosphere. It also benefits from eery cinematography by Sathyan Sooryan that makes you dread each passing moment.
“Maya” is definitely not for the faint of heart, but it also has its heart tugging, touching moments. If you are enough of a daredevil, do give it a watch. But don’t let your kids anywhere near it or others may label you the worst mother!
“Maya” is not currently available for streaming.
