rorschach movie review in hindi

• Daily BO Update
• Daily Breakdown
• Hits & Flops
• All Time Grossers
• Highest Grossers
• Highest Openers
• Highest Weekend
• Best of Overseas
• Hollywood Highest
• Fact-o-meter
• Entertainment News
• Bollywood News
• Television & Web
• Fashion & Lifestyle
• Bigg Boss 17
• Hollywood News
• What To Watch
• Bollywood Movie Reviews
• Hollywood Movie Reviews
• All South Movie Reviews
• Tamil Movie Reviews
• Telugu Movie Reviews
• Kannada Movie Reviews
• Malayalam Movie Reviews
• Marathi Movie Reviews
• Web Series Reviews
• Music Reviews
• Box Office Reviews
• Trailer Reviews
• BO Filmometer
• Stars’ Power Index
• Directors’ Power Index
• 100 Crore Club
• Worldwide 200 Crores+
• Profitable Films
• Recommended Movies
• Upcoming Movies
• Released Movies
• Web Stories
• About Koimoi

Home » Reviews » Malayalam Movie Reviews

Rorschach Movie Review: Mammootty – Age: 71, Swag: 100! Bollywood, Please Don’t Touch This?

The messy (in an intriguing way) screenplay holds your breath till the last while taking you through some unpredictable twists and turns..

Star Cast: Mammootty, Grace Antony, Bindhu Panicker, Jagadish, Sanju Sivram, Kottayam Nazeer, Sharafudheen, Ira Noor, Asif Ali

Director: Nissam Basheer

What’s Good: It has the ability to suck you completely in within the first ten minutes but…

What’s Bad: …if it loses you in those ten minutes, you’re never going back to watch this

Loo Break: Only if there’s an interval in the theatre or you’ve paused while watching it at home (the second scenario is highly unlikely)

Watch or Not?: Only if you have got the patience to digest a slow-burner with a promise of an extremely satisfying climax!

Language: Malayalam

Available on: Theatrical Release

Runtime: 150 Minutes

An extremely messed up Luke Antony (Mammootty) enters a dimly-lit Police Station of a small village to file a complaint about his missing wife, Sofiya, from an accident he just survived. He takes the policemen to the site where his car got crashed & days go by without finding anything. Luke promises to stay in the village until he’s not reunited with his wife.

During his stay in the village, Luke divides villagers’ opinions ranging from a caring husband’ to ‘a creepy murderer’ about his certain offbeat personality. He soon purchases a property in the village making himself mix in the crowd by being one of them. It’s not until the first half, you get to know what Luke’s real intentions are & he’s here for a cold-blooded yet smartly-executed revenge. What is that & how it’s planned? Trust me you’d want to be a first-hand witness to all of that!

Rorschach Movie Review: Script Analysis

Before delving deeper into the convoluted mind of the script, screenplay writer Sameer Abdul, let’s understand what Rorschach is. In layman’s language, Rorschach is a kind of psychological test, which can help doctors analyze your personality and it was once used to diagnose mental illnesses like schizophrenia. Basically, it’s one of those tests you might’ve seen on BuzzFeed which shows you different black, and white images & asks you to assume what it is. Based on your assumption, there’s a mathematical conclusion regarding how your brain works. It was first done in 1921 by Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach. This is just the base to understand how the messy mind of our protagonist works in this film.

Yep, as every slow-burner demands patience, even this one asks for your complete attention despite the core being as simple as a man seeking revenge and plans to demolish everything. The messy (in an intriguing way) screenplay holds your breath till the last while taking you through some unpredictable twists and turns. Kiran Das’ editing stitches the past & present so smoothly, you’ll feel it’s a single scene if not for different clothes, and locations. The transition during the ‘barn fire’ scene which goes from night to morning with the character sitting at the same place, is something the cinema geek in you will devour with immense joy.

Nimish Ravi’s cinematography compliments the dark undertones of the screenplay & keeps things as eerie as possible. A theory around the Rorschach test depicts how the ink blots made to analyze people’s personalities are deliberately kept messy, they’re a kind of structured disorder and that’s exactly how the camerawork of this film can rightly be described as – a ‘structured disorder’. In a particular scene chasing Mammootty’s Luke, the camera turns slow & shaky to deliberately mess with the viewer’s mind. Nimish also shoots some scenes with the spirit’s POV & it kinda teleports you into the story.

Rorschach Movie Review: Star Performance

Mammootty, age: 71, swag: 100! With recent films like Unda, Peranbu, Bheeshma Parvam, and Puzhu & now this, the era of Mammukka we deserve is back! This is what people mean when they talk about the ‘second innings’ of veteran actors. Kamal Haasan with Vikram & Mammukka with films like the above is currently writing a case study for today’s actors. The fact that he accepts & acts his age on-screen, helps the director to give Luke a certain menacing charm which wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. Even the action scenes are designed in a way which graciously provides Mammootty with enough breathing space to make the scene look stylish & not fast-forwarded messy, funny trash.

Grace Antony stands out brilliantly opposite Mammukka making space of her own even in the scenes led by the veteran actor. But, it’s the role of Seetha played by Bindhu Panicker which will have you the most invested after the lead actor. Bindhu’s innocence helps her to balance the grey shades of her character with such ease. Jagadish, Sanju Sivram, Kottayam Nazeer, Sharafudheen, Ira Noor & Asif Ali lend decent support to the narrative.

Rorschach Movie Review: Direction, Music

Nissam Basheer directs the film in a way that the ‘revenge’ angle is never rubbed on your face as it never restricts itself to be of one particular genre. You never really are on anyone’s ‘side’ throughout the film because everything is grey. Despite Mammootty’s Luke being out for retribution for what happened to his family, the complex screenplay makes it difficult to hold his hand and cheer for him & that’s the beauty of the film’s ambiguous nature.

Midhun Mukundan’s music comprises mostly of gothic folk/rock feel & the English songs certainly add an international flavour to the treatment of the film. “My stories aren’t over, don’t go” gives you the ‘Red Right Hand’ vibes mainly because of the music. From the sound design inspired mainly by natural sounds to an electronic set-piece in disguise of rock delving into the screenplay, the background score of this film deserves more recognition than it ever would.

Rorschach Movie Review: The Last Word

If you’re a human from 2050 tumbling into this review on searching ‘Best Psychological Thrillers Of Indian Cinema’, welcome to the past! Yes, we had the honour of watching this masterpiece in a cinema hall & hopefully Bollywood hasn’t tried to remake this in Hindi sucking the life out of it.

Four stars!

Rorschach Trailer

Rorschach releases on 07 October, 2022.

Share with us your experience of watching Rorschach.

Yet to watch Mani Ratnam’s latest magnum opus, read our Ponniyin Selvan 1 Movie Review here.

Must Read: Goodbye Movie Review: Amitabh Bachchan, Rashmika Mandanna Starrer Gives A Long, Warm Hug To Everyone Who Has Lost Someone!

Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Telegram

RELATED ARTICLES

Bro Daddy Remake: Will Chiranjeevi & Ram Charan Unite For The Telugu Version? The Goat Life Star Prithviraj Sukumaran Hopes So!

Abraham Ozler Movie Review: A Medical Thriller That Might Resurrect Jayaram’s Career In Mollywood

Falimy Movie Review: Nithish Sahadev’s Debut Strikes Balance Between Humor & Heart

Check this out.

The Goat Life At The Worldwide Box Office (After 9 Days):...

When Salma Hayek Lost A Role In This $450 Million+ Movie...

Aadujeevitham Star Prithviraj Sukumaran On Being A Nepo Baby: “I Got...

IPL 2024: Kane Williamson’s Current Salary Is 2 Crores, Which Is...

When Parveen Babi Ran N*ked Behind Mahesh Bhatt After Break-Up And...

Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life Box Office Collection Day 6: Maintains...

Don't miss.

Entertainment News (India) Wrap April 4, 2024: Ranbir Kapoor Flaunts New...

Swatantrya Veer Savarkar Box Office Collection Day 15: Gets Another Weekend...

Monkey Man Box Office: Dev Patel’s Action Thriller Sweeps In On...

Parasyte: The Grey Review: The Train To Busan Director Brings This Modern Classic Manga To Live-Action With Various Results

Scoop Movie Review: Gillian Anderson & Billie Piper Bring Out The Truth Out Of Prince Andrew In This Safe Journalist Film

Do Aur Do Pyaar Trailer Review: Vidya Balan & Pratik Gandhi Promise A Hilarious Bhool Bhulaiyaa Of Extramarital Affairs – Classic Confusion Comedy!

Ripley Review: Andrew Scott Finds The Role Of His Career In This Netflix Miniseries

• Privacy Policy

Rorschach (2022)

• User Reviews

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews

• User Ratings
• External Reviews
• Metacritic Reviews
• Full Cast and Crew
• Release Dates
• Official Sites
• Company Credits
• Filming & Production
• Technical Specs
• Plot Summary
• Plot Keywords
• Parents Guide

Did You Know?

• Crazy Credits
• Alternate Versions
• Connections
• Soundtracks

Photo & Video

• Photo Gallery
• Trailers and Videos

Related Items

• External Sites

Related lists from IMDb users

Recently Viewed

• Firstpost Defence Summit
• Entertainment
• Web Stories
• Health Supplement
• First Sports
• Fast and Factual
• Between The Lines
• Firstpost America

Rorschach movie review: Revenge redefined with Mammootty v Grace Antony v Bindhu Panicker leading the charge

How do you punish a dead person who ruined your happiness? Rorschach challenges our notion of life itself with a tale of an unprecedented, seething desire for payback.

Language: Malayalam

Cast: Mammootty, Grace Antony, Bindhu Panicker, Jagadish, Sanju Sivram, Kottayam Nazeer, Sharafudheen, Ira Noor, Cameo: Asif Ali

Director: Nisam Basheer

Star rating: 3.5/5

There’s something not quite right about Luke Antony ( Mammootty ). In the opening chapter of Rorschach , when this wealthy NRI walks into a rural police station to report his wife Sofiya’s disappearance, the situation smells dubious. Not surprisingly, Luke’s claim that they were in a car accident and she was gone by the time he regained consciousness, does not sit well with at least one perceptive observer, the policeman Ashraf (Jagadish).

When Luke refuses to leave the place till Sofiya is found, speculation about his intentions runs rife among the villagers. His indefatigable quest for his missing spouse turns out to be nothing that anyone could have predicted – not Ashraf, not the local factory owner Sujatha ( Grace Antony ), nor her mother-in-law Seetha (Bindhu Panicker). Rorschach – written by Sameer Abdul and directed by Nisam Basheer – is unpredictable in more ways than anyone could guess.

The spark for the events in this film is an individual who destroys another’s happiness, but does not live to suffer a vendetta. How do you punish the dead? Rorschach redefines revenge and challenges our definition of life itself as it tells a tale of excruciating loss and an iron will deployed to satisfy an unprecedented, seething desire for payback.

Rorschach takes its name from the Rorschach Test that – to explain it with a layperson’s understanding – assesses a subject’s psychology based on their perceptions of visual patterns created by inkblots. The title refers as much to Luke’s tortured and possibly broken mind as to his notions of living, dying and when exactly a human being is truly finished, and our own perception of who is who, who is dead and who alive by the end of this saga.

Though Rorschach is eerie and evokes curiosity from the beginning, I took a while to get fully immersed in it, partly because I was torn between finding the pace tedious and intriguing, partly because the music and sound design sometimes get overbearing, and partly because the use of English for the song accompanying the narrative is a misfit in this rustic Kerala setting. There is a tendency in a certain kind of Malayalam cinema to feature English and Hindi where they are out of place, thus detracting from a film’s rootedness. The awe in which some Malayalam filmmakers hold these two languages is one undesirable extreme of a spectrum at the other extreme of which is the Hindi supremacism that enables most Hindi filmmakers to ignore India’s language diversity in all locations, including when they set their plots outside the Hindi belt. Thankfully, Rorschach ’s lyricist does better than the writers of the cringeworthy English lines sung in the likes of 12th Man and Love Action Drama , and the tunes, their occasional unnecessary volume notwithstanding, match the mood of the film.

Besides, Rorschach is as unrelenting as Luke, and is designed to chip away at a viewer’s skepticism bit by bit until she succumbs to its lure. I can pinpoint the moment when my antennae shot up and I got hooked. It came about 40 minutes into the 150 minutes running time when I realised that what seemed like a sound artificially stuffed into the film’s audioscape was in fact an actual memory from Luke’s past. This revelation comes in a flashback slipped so seamlessly into the narrative that it made me sit up.

Rorschach swoops from the past to the present, into Luke’s imagination and out into the real world, with a smoothness that does the screenplay proud and should put Kiran Das in contention for several Best Editing trophies when the next awards season rolls around. Equally laudable is Nimish Ravi’s cinematography capturing the interiors of gloomy homes, troubled faces, the giant mountains and lonely forests where Rorschach roams, and the production design team’s construction of an intimidatingly spacious, half-built home.

There are few joys in life as great as the joy of watching Mammootty submit himself fully to a script. The star who risked his macho reputation by playing a hesitant policeman in Khalidh Rahman’s Unda (2019) and starred as a despicable casteist bigot in Ratheena P.T’s Puzhu earlier this year, here takes up a grey character. Mammukka’s weakness for the past couple of decades has been an unwillingness to acknowledge his real-life age on screen. In Rorschach though, both camera and makeup are employed to let fatigue show on his skin and gracefully portray Luke as an elderly man – not the 71 that Mammootty is in real life, but certainly much older than the pretending-to-be-young boyfriend of young women that he has been in many of his low-brow commercial films. Mammukka lets tiredness seep into every line of Luke’s frame, while his eyes are by turns vacant, weary, sorrowful, determined and burning with anger.

Predictably though, an artiste who looks young enough to be his (grand)daughter acts as Sofiya. I have a dream, that one day, the director of a Mammootty starrer will recognise the ageism that leads to the casting of only 20/30-somethings as his sister, lover and wife, will abjure the patriarchal, damaging view that women of Mammootty’s age are unworthy of these roles, and will put her/his foot down on seeing the absurdity in the resultant pairings. I have a dream…

As it happens, the snatches of conversations between Sofiya and Luke are the only ordinarily written dialogues in Rorschach .

That apart, it is a measure of Mammootty’s respect for the writing and the director of Rorschach that, despite being the megastar of this project and its producer, he does not monopolise screen time here. Every member of the cast is outstanding, and half a dozen are given plenty of space with Mammootty nowhere in the frame. In fact, though Rorschach is Mammukka’s film, it belongs too to the formidable performances by Grace Antony as a gritty woman trying to figure Luke out and Bindhu Panicker as a mother who will go to any lengths to preserve her family’s social standing. The film is nothing without their Sujatha and Seetha, both roles written with a keen eye for detail.

The treatment of women in Rorschach is a vast improvement on Nisam’s earlier directorial work, Kettiyollaanu Ente Maalakha (2019). That film was a milestone in the sense that it recognised the existence of marital rape and clearly described it as a crime, which is rare not just in Indian cinema but in the overall public discourse, but it messed up by giving the man’s journey primacy over the woman in a storyline that called for both to be given equal room.

Malayalam cinema has already given us a couple of solid revenge dramas in 2022, Puzhu and Innale Vare . Rorschach is different from them in the way it resists genre boundaries with its paranormal elements and existential questions in a psychological thriller. This film teases the brain from the moment Luke enters that police station. It is not scary in a conventional way, yet presents a terrifying vision of the depths of a vengeful, probably fractured psyche. The director is so confident of the written material he’s working with, that he does not speed up matters at any point to heighten the excitement. Instead he moulds Rorschach into a slow burn that initially tested my patience but paid incremental dividends as each minute went by.

Early in Rorschach when a search party walks across a rocky river bed, Nimish Ravi’s camera pulls out, rising higher and higher until those human beings are no longer visible. The image mirrors the theme of the film: if I can’t see you, does that mean you do not exist? Conversely, like the human faces we imagine when we look up at the moon, the people we spot staring at us from mosaic tiles or the figures we perceive in ink stains, just because I see you, does it mean you do exist? These questions linger long after the credits roll away, much like Rorschach itself, which is not playing on a screen before me as I write this but is still playing in my head.

Rating: 3.5 (out of 5 stars)  

This review was first published when Rorschach was released in theatres. The film is now streaming on Disney+Hotstar.

Anna M.M. Vetticad is an award-winning journalist and author of The Adventures of an Intrepid Film Critic. She specialises in the intersection of cinema with feminist and other socio-political concerns. Twitter: @annavetticad, Instagram: @annammvetticad, Facebook: AnnaMMVetticadOfficial

Read all the   Latest News _,_  Trending News _,_  Cricket News _,_  Bollywood News _,_  India News   and   Entertainment News   here. Follow us on   Facebook _,_  Twitter   and   Instagram _._

Find us on YouTube

Related Stories

Yodha: How Karan Johar and Sidharth Malhotra created history by unveiling the trailer mid-air at 37,000 feet

Here's looking at how Anant Ambani lost 108 kilos in mere 18 months ahead of his wedding with Radhika Merchant

Actress-politician Jaya Prada declared ‘absconding’ by court, arrest warrant issued for this reason

'Pankaj Udhas Was A Little Reluctant To Sing Chitthi Aayi Hai In Naam': Mahesh Bhatt

'Rorschach' movie review: Mammootty captivates in a refreshingly twisted gothic revenge thriller

A few months before the release of Rorschach , I had heard little whispers of its plot from a couple of industry insiders. I found the concept interesting, and I was curious not only to see how director Nisam Basheer -- who made his debut with the polarising Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha -- would pull it off but also how Kerala audiences would react to it. Now, I'm not someone who looks at the initial reactions on social media before writing a review -- because I don't want anyone else's opinions colouring my own -- so I'm not aware of others' Rorschach experience. I'm only sure of mine: fulfilling, not only because it tickled the film buff in me that loves an unconventional genre fusion but also because the makers have pulled it off without making it seem too inaccessible. Oh, and I promise not to spill any spoilers.

What is Rorschach? Well, many things. Off the top of my head -- part revenge thriller, part gothic ghost story, part dysfunctional family drama, part dark comedy, and part crime noir... I might find more on a revisit. Anyway, it's incredible how all of these elements come well together in this film; but look beneath the veneer of genre-blending, and we see three different families with ideological and temperamental differences and an astonishing capacity for evil. By the time we get to the finale, most of these characters evolve into people they were not at the story's beginning.

In the opening scene, when Mammootty's Luke Antony walks into a police station and reports being in an accident and his wife missing, we and every character who comes into contact with him believe him. But we'll soon learn there is a much larger story behind it. Luke isn't hasty to tell it, and neither is the film. It wants to go at the same pace as him. It throws at us disparate images that at first glance seem disjointed, but if you're patient and attentive enough -- don't look at the phone and complain later -- everything will begin to make sense. You'll see the significance of some juxtaposition choices or why some scenes were so brief and sparse with the revelation of information.

I mentioned earlier about Rorschach being a portrait of families. The film gives us more information about them than it does about Luke, and I don't mean this in a negative way. The title also makes sense once the end credits roll. Luke was on a mission, but his arrival also brought out the distasteful facets in some individuals. In that sense, its behaviour is similar to that of a Western. You know, the story of that lone mysterious stranger arriving at a small town to shake things up?

In this film, we learn about a family with a devilish streak running through them for generations. They carry it around like a curse. At one point, a mother declares that her children are her carbon copies and they are capable of everything she is. As this mother, Bindu Panicker gives us a profoundly unsettling performance that eerily recalls Jacki Weaver from the Australian crime drama Animal Kingdom. And there is Jagadish as a quietly functioning police constable whose true intentions, once evident, gives his character a whole new dimension. It takes a while for him to say something, but when he does, he makes you more curious. It's the most impressive I've seen the actor in a long time.

The film's storytelling, too, reflects the idiosyncratic nature of its protagonist. Rorschach reveals information about Luke in an incremental fashion. Sometimes the film catches us off guard by simultaneously running past and present events from his life. There are films where this approach -- where no title card informs us which event is past or present -- failed miserably, but in Rorschach , it works perfectly. It's a classic case of relying more on visual storytelling than exposition. That said, the film has its share of moments where the characters say things that guide us, but at the same time, the script is careful not to say it all at once and ruin the fun. Just as he does with every character he meets, Luke taunts us until it's time for him to tell us what happened in his life and his plans.

The only information we know about Luke initially is that something tragic has befallen him. And then we ask: Who is he? How can he fight so well? What's his interest in two particular families? Why does he want to live in a haunted house? Why is he using someone's skull as an ashtray? We get the answers, all in good time, but it also doesn't forget to keep some things open-ended. That's where the fun is, right?

Speaking of fun, for a film about unlikeable characters and tragic events, Rorschach is not overwhelmingly depressing -- at least, not for me. It seems to relish its dark energy and revel in its gothic environment, just like its leading man. And Mammootty plays Luke with a measure of mischief, creepiness, and daring that you begin to remember some moments from Vidheyan , Thaniyavarthanam , Bhoothakkandi , or Munnariyippu .

Cinematographer Nimish Ravi, who has already proved himself adept at working comfortably with dark subjects ( Luca, Kurup ), once again demonstrates his supreme abilities in Rorschach with a work that's remarkably not repetitive. He bathes characters in enough shadows and amber to make them seem like they are Satan's children. Blacks and greys dominate the colour palette, starting with Luke's luxury car. His residence resembles more of a grim mausoleum than a home -- like a sort of 'limbo' in which 'the man in black' can pronounce his judgement.

I also found the choice of using English songs in the soundtrack -- by Midhun Mukundan, who recently worked on the brilliant Kannada gangster drama Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana -- refreshing. The makers' attempt at ignoring the usual tendency of having music "relatable" for Malayali/Indian audiences is admirable. Perhaps this choice suggests a character trait of Luke. What if these are his favourite songs? After all, we are in his world, aren't we?

Director: Nisam Basheer

Casting: Mammootty, Grace Antony, Bindu Panicker, Jagadish, Sharafudheen

Rating: 4/5 stars

(This story originally appeared on Cinema Express)

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp  

Download the TNIE app to stay with us and follow the latest

Related Stories

• Sports News
• Top 10 Lists
• Streaming Services
• Newsletters
• OTTplay Awards
• OTT Replay 2023
• Changemakers

Home » Review » Rorschach movie review: Mammootty’s slick psychological revenge thriller makes for an engaging experience »

Rorschach movie review: Mammootty’s slick psychological revenge thriller makes for an engaging experience

The makers of Mammootty's Rorschach seemed to have made no compromise when it comes to the production values of the film and that helps even when the plot strays a bit, like the mind of its protagonist

• Sanjith Sidhardhan

Last Updated: 08.59 AM, Oct 09, 2022

Story: UK citizen Luke Antony drags himself to the police station in a village and claims that his pregnant wife has been missing after his car met with an accident. What follows is a few weeks of futile search with him being the only person who believes that she is still alive. Luke decides to stay on and his path crosses with another family, whose members might have a connection with his past and his current ordeal, a cop, who is out to seek the truth behind Luke’s presence, and a youngster, who doesn’t believe a word Luke says.

Review: A scene in director Nisam Basheer’s sophomore venture has the protagonist Luke Antony (Mammootty) listening to the plight of a woman, who has to take care of her ailing husband. She complains that her husband had never given her peace after their marriage and continues to push her to the edge. Luke asks her about considering divorce, to which she replies that that was never an option for financially-backward women, who are considered a burden by the families. Luke then suggests why not let him get married to her daughter. In a split second, she entertains this and approaches her daughter, a widow, with the request of a stranger who she has met for the first time. This is probably one of the many dramatic sequences where the writing shines in a movie, which sets the bar high in terms of its storytelling, visuals, sound and performances – all making for a riveting and novel theatrical experience in recent times.

Nisam keeps a tight grip on the proceedings of the film, which begins with a mystery and then slowly reveals its cards. Sure, by the end of the first half, audiences can figure out the why and who in Luke’s past, but it’s about how he goes about his revenge and core purpose that makes it entertaining. The reasons for each action here are about the mind – be it the manipulation within a family, the quest for something more or just lack of control over thoughts. The greatest challenge for the writer, Samir Abdul, and the filmmaker here was to showcase this on screen and also make the audience connect the subtle dots, and Rorschach succeeds this past without a blot or blemish.

Huge credit to this goes to the casting department as well as some superlative performances. Mammootty, as Luke Antony, brings the intensity as well as keeps the mystery behind his purpose alive. It’s a character that needed to be consistent and the star once again shows why he is a master at playing conflicted protagonists. 

Also read: Exclusive! Mammootty’s Rorschach demands the audience’s undivided attention to be engaging: Nisam Basheer  

While a riveting performance is expected from Mammootty every time, the surprise packages in Rorschach are Bindu Panicker, Jagadeesh and Kottayam Nazir. All three veteran actors put on an acting workshop on restrained performances while showing the two ends of the emotional spectrum. Bindu Panicker, in particular, has some great moments. Actors Sharafudheen, Grace Antony and Sanju Sivram do their parts well in taking the story forward. In fact, all the characters in Rorschach are grey – and within that some of them serve as moral compasses.

Considering that Luke, a stranger with a haunted past, is often grappling with his mind and most of his scenes are set inside a house that is half-constructed and half in ruins, the movie is a visual experience. It takes the audience for a ride right from the first scene. Nimish Ravi’s frames are cool and grey, mirroring its deceptive characters and the village. Midhun Mukundan’s English tracks and thrilling background score also adds a different layer to the movie, which stands out due to its tone and compelling storytelling. The makers of the movie seemed to have made no compromise when it comes to the production values of the film and that helps even when the plot strays a bit, like the mind of its protagonist.

Verdict: This year seems to be the megastar’s as he looks set to continue his winning run and that too by being part of new-age thrillers that bank on setting a high benchmark. Rorschach is slick and smart, and is technically superlative. It’s a must watch in theatres just for the unique experience and great performances from each member of the cast.

WHERE TO WATCH

• New OTT Releases
• Web Stories
• Streaming services
• Latest News
• Movies Releases
• Cookie Policy
• Shows Releases
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Subscriber Agreement

• Entertainment
• New Hindi Movies

Rorschach: Release Date, Trailer, Songs, Cast

• Release Date 7 October 2022
• Language Malayalam
• Genre Action, Thriller
• Duration 2h 30min
• Cast Mammootty, Asif Ali, Sharafudheen, Jagadeesh, Grace Antony, Bindu Panicker, Kottayam Nazeer, Sanju Sivram, George Abraham, Priyamvada Krishnan, Ira Noor, Riyas Narmakala, Mani Shornur, Jordi Poonjar, Jimmi Joseph, Sreeja Ravi, Mohan Raj, Zeenath, Geethi Sangeetha, Gilu Joseph, Babu Annur
• Director Nissam Basheer
• Writer Sameer Abdul
• Cinematography Nimish Ravi
• Music Midhun Mukundan
• Producer Mammootty
• Production Mammootty Kampany
• Certificate 16+

About Rorschach Movie (2022)

Luke Antony (Mammootty), an NRI who travels to Kerala with his pregnant wife, Sofia (Ira Noor), runs into trouble when she goes missing. Unsatisfied with the police action, he decides to find her on his own.

Rorschach Movie Cast, Release Date, Trailer, Songs and Ratings

Rorschach Movie Trailer

Rorschach movie songs.

Rorschach Photos

More Movies With These Actors

Latest Bollywood Movies

You May Be Interested In

• Upcoming Bollywood Movies
• New Hollywood Movies
• Upcoming Hollywood Movies
• New Web Series
• Upcoming Web Series
• New Tamil Movies
• Upcoming Tamil Movies
• New Telugu Movies
• Upcoming Telugu Movies

Popular Stores

• Galaxy S24 Series
• Apple Vision Pro
• Apple iPhone 15
• OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G
• Xiaomi 14 Pro
• Oppo Find N3
• Tecno Spark Go (2023)
• Best Phones Under 25000
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Series
• Cryptocurrency
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
• Apple 'Scary Fast'
• Housefull 5
• GoPro Hero 12 Black Review
• Invincible Season 2
• HD Ready TV
• Laptop Under 50000
• Smartwatch Under 10000
• Latest Mobile Phones
• Compare Phones
• Vivo T3x 5G
• Realme P1 5G
• Realme P1 Pro 5G
• Redmi Turbo 3
• Oppo A3 Pro
• Vivo V30 Lite 4G
• Tecno Camon 30
• Tecno Camon 30 5G
• HP Envy x360 14
• Samsung Galaxy Book 4 (Intel Core 7)
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024)
• Vivo Pad 3 Pro
• Fire-Boltt Oracle
• Honor Watch GS 4
• LG 65-inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV 65UR7500PSC
• Xiaomi 32 Inch LED HD Ready Smart TV (L32M6-RA-L32M7-RA)
• Sony PlayStation 5 Slim Digital Edition
• Sony PlayStation 5 Slim
• Lloyd 1.5 Ton 3 Star Inverter Split AC (GLS18I3FRCEV)
• Onida 1 Ton 3 Star Inverter Split AC (IR123MAG)
• Solar Eclipse 2024: List of Upcoming Eclipses, Safety Tips, and More
• Apple Might Slash Battery Capacity of This iPhone 16 Model
• Realme P1 5G Series Officially Teased, to Launch in India on This Date
• iQoo Announces Discounts on iQoo 12, iQoo 11, iQoo Z9, More
• Infinix Note 40 Pro 5G Series Early Bird Deals Revealed Ahead of India Debut
• Pegatron Said to Be in Talks With Tata to Sell Its Only India iPhone Plant
• Samsung Galaxy M55 5G With Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 SoC Debuts in India: See Price
• Apple Training AI Models on Data Purchased from Shutterstock: Report
• Vivo T3x 5G Price Range in India, Design, Key Features Officially Teased
• Vivo V30e 5G Design Tipped via Alleged Retail Box; India Launch Could Be Imminent
• Google Reportedly Experimenting With Short Videos Filter to Show Content from TikTok, Reels, More in Search
• Vivo T3x 5G India Launch Confirmed; Price Range, Design, Key Features Teased
• Google Pixel Users Could Soon Get a Lookup Feature to Identify Unknown Callers: Report
• Apple Supplier Pegatron Said to Be in Talks With Tata to Sell Its Only India iPhone Plant
• iQoo Announces Anniversary Sale With Discounts on iQoo 12, iQoo 11, iQoo Z9, More
• Bitcoin Miners Begin Token Offloading Hoping to Retain Profits Before Upcoming Halving
• OpenAI Reportedly Used Data From YouTube Videos to Train GPT-4 AI Model
• Realme P1 5G Series India Launch Set for April 15; Price Range, Key Features Revealed
• iPhone 16 Pro Series, iPhone 16 Tipped to Get Larger Batteries; iPhone 16 Plus May Not

• Privacy Policy
• Editorial Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Complaint Redressal

Letterboxd — Your life in film

Forgotten username or password ?

• Start a new list…
• Add all films to a list…
• Add all films to watchlist

Add to your films…

Press Tab to complete, Enter to create

A moderator has locked this field.

Add to lists

Where to watch

2022 ‘റോഷാക്ക്’ Directed by Nissam Basheer

Luke Anthony comes to a village in search of his wife Sophia, who got lost in a nearby forest while traveling through the countryside. But, as the search operation progresses, doubts crop up on whether the woman has actually gone missing or even whether she is a figment of his imagination.

Mammootty Grace Antony Sharafudheen Asif Ali Jagadish Bindu Panicker Kottayam Nazeer Sanju Sivaram Annoor Babu Riyas Narmakala Jordi Poonjar Geethi Sangeetha Zeenath Mohan Raj Sreeja Ravi Mani Shornur Priyamvada Krishna Pasupathi Raj

Director Director

Nissam Basheer

Producers Producers

Mammootty Badusha

Writer Writer

Sameer Abdul

Editor Editor

Cinematography cinematography.

Nimish Ravi

Art Direction Art Direction

Shajie Naduvil

Composer Composer

Midhun Mukundan

Sound Sound

Sinoy Joseph Nixon George

Costume Design Costume Design

Sameera Saneesh

Makeup Makeup

S. George Ronex Xavier

Mammootty Kampany

Action Thriller

Thrillers and murder mysteries Twisted dark psychological thriller Terrifying, haunted, and supernatural horror Suspenseful crime thrillers Noir and dark crime dramas Intriguing and suspenseful murder mysteries Show All…

Releases by Date

07 oct 2022, releases by country.

• Theatrical UA

150 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Michael James ★★★

A slow burn psychological revenge thriller, one that’s neatly executed with top performances and technical values. When looking at the storyline, it’s pretty much simple, but the complexly structured narrative evokes enough curiosity and makes it a worthy stimulating experience. It carries a sinister tone right through with well timed effective twists. The cinematography and editing deserve special mention. Also, the English songs with situational lyrics adds an interesting touch. Mammootty and rest of cast deliver strong performances. The disturbing experimental drama does have a few glitches and demands your patience at times, but once you buy in, it definitely ends up a rewarding watch.

Review by NimmUwU ★★★½

Oh the inner demons scare you? well i scare my inner demons. An interesting take on the age old genre by having good characters and drama. Padam kandu irikan nice anu, it has an unsettling vibe to it. Padatilea most aspects okke nallatha, especially cinematography okke, but overall edukumbol eniku atinte oru totality kitunilla. Ikka pinne slaying it as usual and baki ullavarum nice, chilarde okke nalla nice stone cold delivery okke undayirunu. Also surprisingly the humour in the film worked quite well for me. Also movie is very stylised for some reason but mostly on ikka, it makes for some really cool scenes but also sometimes its akward and out of place. Padatinu music composerine hire cheytu enu vechu 24 manikoorum chevi adichupona pole vekanam enilla.

Review by Rahul Radhakrishnan

ചത്തിട്ട് revenge അടിക്കാൻ വരണ stereotyped പ്രേത വാണങ്ങളുടെ അണ്ണാക്കിൽ...

Review by arsheeza ★★★½ 3

When this movie's first poster released, I had nothing but doubtful of how the movie comes out (which needs to be said in every posters they released). Of course, it's a Mammootty film but you have to know that every great actors have duds in their career. So, obviously you have to go in the mind headed space to go to the theaters and turns out to my absolute surprise that I enjoyed the film.

Malayalam films has a fair share amount of thriller movies in their catalogue. Some are great and some are bad but when it comes to bad category, it might not turn out to be a good one as you guess it would be because of…

Review by oru_dude

RIP Shashankan’s mental health 🙏

Review by _darkknight_ ★★½ 2

Shashankan: Ithu nthu family anu?

The movie is kinda mid and overrated af. But I kinda like it…it gives me that right kinda investigation, eerie plus action vibes.

Ikkade character felt kinda dumb…idk I didn’t really root for him, neither did I hate him. It’s kinda the right amount to get entertained. Aa dark humor um performance um kidu ayirunu. The movie is pretty good at keeping that rhythm of going down with the vibes and then introducing a nice situation. 

The whole OMG look he is mentally ill and society made him like this- thing didn’t really work for me. The whole mental illness part is just there to justify his actions. I would have liked it more if we…

Review by Arun George ★★★½ 2

Rorschach is the kind of experience that will divide viewers into two: ones who believe this revenge story doesn't need such a detailed storytelling and ones who revel in studying the finer, more minute details à la slow-burn Korean revenge dramas. It reimagines a film like The Chaser or I Saw The Devil , psychologically turns it on its head, and weaves an engaging yarn around it. The level of grey shades differ in each character, and you wouldn't believe how the script accommodates this texturing. A collaboration of the finest order between director Nissam Basheer and writer Sameer Abdul, you'll be left wholly intrigued at how each character, the protagonist included, evolves with every passing scene. The closest attempt in…

Review by din ★★½ 1

me and the bad bitch I pulled from not taking my schizophrenia medication

Review by baazimm ★★★½

this walks on a thin line between a great movie and priest (2021)💀💀💀

i genuinely need more films where its just ikka dripping and being based, literally me thanne 😎😎🙏🙏

Review by Mystic River ★★½ 1

An exceptionally atmospheric first half (hate splitting and judging films by halves but sorry) followed by a second half that slowly starts faltering, but eventually picks itself up by the third act only to fall prey to the overweighing expectations set by the writing in the first half. Honestly, I'm slightly underwhelmed by that predictable revelation.Nevertheless, great cast, acting, score, cinematography, expositions and writing(for the most part). I wish they used Mammootty the actor better. Bindu Panickar, Jagadish and Kottayam Naseer truly shined through.

Review by afrinben ★★★★

Nice padam !! mammootty kampany W kickstart . First half kazhinjappo enikku nalla pedi undayirunnu second half kond poyi oombikumo ennu athrekkum nice ayanu kond poyathu kurachu missing okke vannenkilum honestly second half nalla oru paceil thanne kond poyi, third actum tyuist tyuist onnum illathe statisfy aaki theerthu. Oru vidham main charactersine okke nalla reethiyil thanne dealt cheythittund . Padathinte ella aspectum nicely done , prethyekich direction and background scores padathinte through out ulla oru english song ond, nice nice. Rorschach test nice ayirunnu pakshe kure okke unexplored (issokey). Ikkachi as usual still exploring himself and winning. Padathinu promotion kodukkathath understandable ayirunnu nalla oru take imo.

I am a sucker for slow paced revenge dramas ningalum angane aanel theercha aayum kaanu .

Review by Akshay Kannan ★★★★ 7

Rorschach is clever at manipulating the audience most of the times, but at rate occasions it does lead to some plot holes and logical questions. It relies heavily on Mammokka's performance to deliver the punch or elevation and he does it with a sheer elegance.

Similar Films

Select your preferred poster

Upgrade to remove ads.

Letterboxd is an independent service created by a small team, and we rely mostly on the support of our members to maintain our site and apps. Please consider upgrading to a Pro account —for less than a couple bucks a month, you’ll get cool additional features like all-time and annual stats pages ( example ), the ability to select (and filter by) your favorite streaming services, and no ads!

• ENGLISH HINDI MALAYALAM TAMIL TELUGU KANNADA BENGALI  

Rorschach Malayalam Movie

Director Nissam Basheer's Rorschach is an unusual Malayalam thriller, and I mean that in a good way. Right from the title to the music by Midhun Mukundan to the visual grammar of the film, Rorschach is unconventional for Malayalam cinema. Some may call it genre-bending cinema for the twists and turns in the plot that subvert cliches.

The protagonist of Rorschach is Luke Antony, played by Mammootty. Luke walks into a police station on a rainy night in a village and files a missing complaint for his wife. However, this is a man shrouded in mystery. The villagers wonder where he is from and whether he even has a wife. It does not take us long to realize that Luke is in the village with some ulterior motive.

Basheer explains how and why Luke is there through a series of flashbacks instead of an info dump, which makes the character that much more intriguing. We learn that Luke has been through white torture and that he is experiencing a deep sense of loss. He is a man on a mission who descends into madness slowly, yet steadily.

Most revenge thrillers focus a lot on the protagonist and the antagonist and include a lot of mano-a-mano moments between them, but some are more complex. Take a movie like Thazhvaram, for instance. In Thazhvaram, Mohanlal's character goes to a hill station to find the man responsible for his wife's death and kill him. The plot seems quite straightforward, but the execution is complex. Rorschach is similar in that it is straightforward in its plotting but complex with regard to its narration.

This means that the supporting characters here have a lot of depth and satisfying arcs. Sameer Abdul's layered script packs in potent themes, such as people with greed and single-mindedness who go to great lengths to achieve what they want. You have to pay careful attention to know why some people survive here while others fall by the wayside after the mayhem that follows the arrival of a stranger in the village.

As suggested earlier in the review, Rorschach has a visual language that is so out-there for Malayalam cinema. Rorschach is sometimes a bit showy in terms of how it is presented visually, but the overall output is fascinating. Take, for instance, the scene where a character puts a cigarette into a dead man's skull. Nimish Ravi's camera splendidly captures the eeriness of the moment and gives us a constant sense of foreboding that permeates the remote house at the heart of the plot. Even the scenes with a man in the mask have a visual grammar that gives an extra dimension to the idiom, "a ghost from the past".

If Rorschach has some holes as a thriller, it is probably because the aim here is to be as unconventional as possible. What makes the film more compelling is the performances. As Luke Antony, Mammootty is flawless in how he portrays a man consumed by obsession who slowly descends into madness. Kottayam Nazeer gets to showcase his acting chops as he aces the role of an elder brother with a sense of conscience. Grace Antony again excels in the role of a strong-willed woman who gets to make a lot of big calls. But the one who walks away with the film is Bindu Panicker, who is terrific as the mother in a family who molds her children into human beings with a similar thought process to hers.

Rorschach Movie Review: Mammootty captivates in a refreshingly twisted gothic revenge thriller

Rating: ( 4 / 5).

A few months before the release of Rorschach , I had heard little whispers of its plot from a couple of industry insiders. I found the concept interesting, and I was curious not only to see how director Nisam Basheer -- who made his debut with the polarising Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha -- would pull it off but also how Kerala audiences would react to it. Now, I'm not someone who looks at the initial reactions on social media before writing a review -- because I don't want anyone else's opinions colouring my own -- so I'm not aware of others' Rorschach experience. I'm only sure of mine: fulfilling, not only because it tickled the film buff in me that loves an unconventional genre fusion but also because the makers have pulled it off without making it seem too inaccessible. Oh, and I promise not to spill any spoilers.

Director: Nisam Basheer

Cast: Mammootty, Grace Antony, Bindu Panicker, Jagadish, Sharafudheen

What is Rorschach ? Well, many things. Off the top of my head -- part revenge thriller, part gothic ghost story, part dysfunctional family drama, part dark comedy, and part crime noir... I might find more on a revisit. Anyway, it's incredible how all of these elements come well together in Rorschach ; but look beneath the veneer of genre-blending, and we see three different families with ideological and temperamental differences and an astonishing capacity for evil. By the time we get to the finale, most of these characters evolve into people they were not at the story's beginning.

In the opening scene, when Mammootty's Luke Antony walks into a police station and reports being in an accident and his wife missing, we and every character who comes into contact with him believe him. But we'll soon learn there is a much larger story behind it. Luke isn't hasty to tell it, and neither is the film. It wants to go at the same pace as him. It throws at us disparate images that at first glance seem disjointed, but if you're patient and attentive enough -- don't look at the phone and complain later -- everything will begin to make sense. You'll see the significance of some juxtaposition choices or why some scenes were so brief and sparse with the revelation of information.

I mentioned earlier about Rorschach being a portrait of families. The film gives us more information about them than it does about Luke, and I don't mean this in a negative way. The title ' Rorschach ' also makes sense once the end credits roll. Luke was on a mission, but his arrival also brought out the distasteful facets in some individuals. In that sense, its behaviour is similar to that of a Western. You know, the story of that lone mysterious stranger arriving at a small town to shake things up? 

In Rorschach , we learn about a family with a devilish streak running through them for generations. They carry it around like a curse. At one point, a mother declares that her children are her carbon copies and they are capable of everything she is. As this mother, Bindu Panicker gives us a profoundly unsettling performance that eerily recalls Jacki Weaver from the Australian crime drama Animal Kingdom. And there is Jagadish as a quietly functioning police constable whose true intentions, once evident, gives his character a whole new dimension. It takes a while for him to say something, but when he does, he makes you more curious. It's the most impressive I've seen the actor in a long time. 

The film's storytelling, too, reflects the idiosyncratic nature of its protagonist. Rorschach reveals information about Luke in an incremental fashion. Sometimes the film catches us off guard by simultaneously running past and present events from his life. There are films where this approach -- where no title card informs us which event is past or present -- failed miserably, but in Rorschach , it works perfectly. It's a classic case of relying more on visual storytelling than exposition. That said, the film has its share of moments where the characters say things that guide us, but at the same time, the script is careful not to say it all at once and ruin the fun. Just as he does with every character he meets, Luke taunts us until it's time for him to tell us what happened in his life and his plans. 

The only information we know about Luke initially is that something tragic has befallen him. And then we ask: Who is he? How can he fight so well? What's his interest in two particular families? Why does he want to live in a haunted house? Why is he using someone's skull as an ashtray? We get the answers, all in good time, but it also doesn't forget to keep some things open-ended. That's where the fun is, right?

Speaking of fun, for a film about unlikeable characters and tragic events, Rorschach is not overwhelmingly depressing -- at least, not for me. It seems to relish its dark energy and revel in its gothic environment, just like its leading man. And Mammootty plays Luke with a measure of mischief, creepiness, and daring that you begin to remember some moments from Vidheyan , Thaniyavarthanam , Bhoothakkandi , or Munnariyippu .

Cinematographer Nimish Ravi, who has already proved himself adept at working comfortably with dark subjects ( Luca, Kurup ), once again demonstrates his supreme abilities in Rorschach with a work that's remarkably not repetitive. He bathes characters in enough shadows and amber to make them seem like they are Satan's children. Blacks and greys dominate the colour palette, starting with Luke's luxury car. His residence resembles more of a grim mausoleum than a home -- like a sort of 'limbo' in which 'the man in black' can pronounce his judgement. 

I also found the choice of using English songs in the soundtrack -- by Midhun Mukundan, who recently worked on the brilliant Kannada gangster drama Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana -- refreshing. The makers' attempt at ignoring the usual tendency of having music "relatable" for Malayali/Indian audiences is admirable. Perhaps this choice suggests a character trait of Luke. What if these are his favourite songs? After all, we are in his world, aren't we?

Related Stories