Psycho Movie Review

Auteur Mysskin is back in style with such an unflinching determination in his latest release Psycho, which has hit theaters today. Starring Udhayanidhi Stalin, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Nithya Menen in significant roles, Psycho is as brutally uncompromising as anything we’ve ever seen in the psychological thriller space in Indian cinema.

Mysskin’s showcases his unabashed filmmaking effort with great panache and in full glory. While the apparent homages to celebrated American legends Alfred Hitchcock and Sylvia Plath are quite visible on the screen, Mysskin doesn’t fail to leave his bonafide pet tropes and idiosyncratic shots that make his filmography dazzle and stand out among the rest in contemporary Tamil cinema today.

A series of barbaric murders of young women shock the city of Coimbatore. When the police force, headed by Aadukalam Naren and Director Ram find out that the killer is a psychopath, the latter abducts Thaagini (played by Aditi Rao Hydari), whom the visually-challenged, kind-hearted Gautham (played by Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is an ardent follower of Buddha), loves secretly by stalking her. How Gautham finds out the psychopath and whether he saves the life of Thaagini or not forms the rest of the story.

While Mysskin carefully demonstrates the minute details that go into the making of a psychopath, he stays away from spoon-feeding audiences. Can love and humanity transform a psychopath? Mysskin answers this question, which Western films usually steer clear of in their majority of movies, with proper justification, sensitivity, and in a detailed fashion.

At moments when you expect heart-pulsating moments, Mysskin shuts the audiences down with his poetic wide, top angle, and long shots that deliver the mood of the scene with great subtlety.

Udhayanidhi Stalin, as Gautham delivers one of his best performances in the film, and he’s quite a surprise in the role of a visually-challenged music conductor. While Aditi Rao Hydari appears angelic throughout the movie and turns in a lovable performance, Nithya Menen steals the show with her loud expressions and dialogue delivery. As Mysskin recalled in his interviews, Nithya Menen is an acting machine. 

The cinematography by Tanveer Mir finely captures the atmosphere required for a psychological thriller. His red-soaked, sepia-toned frames blend well the film’s theme of blood and violence. Isaignani Ilaiyaraja’s stellar background score adds more tension to the ambiance, and the master once again proves why he’s still the best in the business.

Toting up, Psycho is a taut thriller and a compelling psychological study from Mysskin, who adds one more feather to his cap. It’s also yet another film that lets the audiences enjoy Mysskin’s craftsmanship, storytelling finesse, and deft filmmaking skill.   Psycho Movie Review by Only Kollywood

Psycho Movie Review Rating: 3.5/5