| Bhayanakam | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Jayaraj |
| Screenplay by | Jayaraj |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | Sureshkumar Muttath |
| Starring | Renji Panicker Asha Sarath |
| Cinematography | Nikhil S. Praveen |
| Edited by | Jinu Sobha Afsal A. M |
| Music by | Vaisakh Somnath |
Release date |
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| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
Bhayanakam (English: Fearsome) is a 2018 Indian Malayalam–language period drama war film directed by Jayaraj, produced by Sureshkumar Muttath, and stars writer-turned-actor Renji Panicker and Asha Sarath. The film is an adaptation of two chapters from Takazhy Sivasankara Pillai's epic Malayalam novel Coir (1978).[1] The production design for the film was carried out by artist K. M. V. Namboothiri.[2] The film is the sixth movie in director Jayaraj's "Navarasa Series".[3]
The story is set in Kuttanad and its backwaters in central Kerala during the World War II and revolves around a postman, who delivers money orders at homes of those who have joined the army. When the war intensifies, he starts bringing in telegrams declaring people dead and he slowly becomes an omen of death.[4] The film was praised by the critics for acting performance of the lead (Panicker), the production design, and cinematography.[2][3] The Times of India, giving a rating of four starts out of five, called the film "a stunningly crafted poetic story of a postman and a land that is stricken by the fear of death".[3]
The film won three awards—Best Direction, Best Adapted Screenplay (Jayaraj) and Best Cinematography (Nikhil S. Praveen)—at the 2018 National Film Awards.[5] The film also won Best Music Director (M. K. Arjunan) and Best Colourist at the 2018 Kerala State Film Awards.[6][7]