Bloody Beggar

Bloody Beggar Movie Synopsis: A beggar gets accidentally locked up in a huge palace but he soon realizes that behind the luxuries lies a big danger

Bloody Beggar Movie Review: The dark comedy world of Bloody Beggar is largely entertaining where colin sprays replace holy water, heart attacks become twists, and a Nanban Pari-esque science treatment wakes up the dead. And you willingly buy into these unfathomable twists because debutant Sivabalan ensures there is a logic behind all such seemingly stupid stunts that leave you in splits. He builds a horror comedy set up with a beggar entering a huge, isolated palace (there is a real ghost too!) but sleekly gives it a Nelson-esque effect.

Kavin plays the sarcastic beggar with innocence and quirkiness laced with a pinch of Redin Kingsley’s mannerisms. With Redin Kingsley also playing an important role, there is no dearth of jolly moments in Bloody Beggar. At first, Kavin’s nameless beggar comes across as someone who just begs because he can and enjoys the fun of it. But sprinkled throughout the film in bits and pieces are kutty kutty flashbacks of the beggar, that are far removed from the film’s predominantly dark humour setup. Because of these flashbacks, the film oscillates between the madhouse and some sweet, sentimental sequences. While the constant switching between these extreme genres is a little distracting, the writing helps you settle in quickly, be it a sudden love song or a simple gag that rightly pulls you out of the teary emotional sequence and has you rolling on the floor.

For a chaotic comedy to work, you need too many impressive characters with unending confusion – sometimes even 4 Kamal Haasans need to be at work to create interesting chaos (remember Michael Madhana Kama Rajan?). Sivabalan picks up this ambitious task where the dark comedy makeover, Kavin and Kingsley’s performances, and the superbly done staging help. Especially, the frames by Sujith Sarang in the yellow-lit palace contribute to the visual comedy of the film. Sometimes, you also get visuals in video game format, simplifying the chaos for us. However, as many side characters are introduced, the fun slowly tones down. These characters do not intrigue you and their introduction is done haphazardly, so it takes the film some time (or rather another Kavin scene) to get back the viewer’s attention.

While watching the film, you look forward to a zany climax where all chaotic sequences come together. But Sivabalan chooses a calmer, hero moment followed by a sentimental touch. So even between some lags and a few jokes that don’t land, Sivabalan’s unique voice and Kavin’s ambition to try something different echo strongly.

Written By: Harshini SV