''Akam'' (English: ''Inside'') is an Indian Malayalam language thriller

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

film written and directed by Shalini Usha Nair. The film is a contemporary retelling of

Malayattoor Ramakrishnan K. V. Ramakrishna Iyer, better known by his pen name, Malayattoor Ramakrishnan (27 May 1927 – 27 December 1997), was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature, cartoonist, lawyer, judicial magistrate, and Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of ...

's classic psycho-thriller novel ''

Yakshi ''Yakshinis'' or ''yakshis'' (यक्षिणी sa, yakṣiṇī or ''yakṣī''; pi, yakkhiṇī or ''yakkhī'') are a class of female nature spirits in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious mythologies that are different from devas and ...

'' (1967). The story is about Srini (

Fahadh Faasil Fahadh Fazil (8 August 1982) is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema and has appeared in few Tamil and Telugu films. He has acted in more than 50 films and has received several awards, including a Nati ...

), a young architect, who starts suspecting that his beautiful wife Ragini (

Anumol Anumol is an Indian actress, predominantly acting in Malayalam and Tamil films. She appeared in Malayalam movies such as ''Chayilyam'' (2014), ''Ivan Megharoopan'' (2012), '' Akam'' (2011), '' Vedivazhipadu'' (2013) and ''Jamna Pyari'' (2015). ...

) is a

yakshi ''Yakshinis'' or ''yakshis'' (यक्षिणी sa, yakṣiṇī or ''yakṣī''; pi, yakkhiṇī or ''yakkhī'') are a class of female nature spirits in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious mythologies that are different from devas and ...

. The film was shot in and around

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

and its surrounding suburbs.Saraswathy Nagarajan (25 May 2012)
"Shanghai beckons"
''The Hindu''. Retrieved 15 December 2012. It premiered at the 8th

Dubai International Film Festival The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ar, مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي) is the leading film festival in the Arab region. The 12th edition of DIFF took place from December 9 – 16, 2015. In 2018, the DIFF announc ...

in December 2011."Akam premieres at Dubai film fest"
. ''

Screen India ''Screen'' was an Indian weekly film magazine published by Indian Express Limited. Established in 1951, it was owned by The Indian Express Group. The magazine was acquired by Star India in 2015 and subsequently ceased publication. The magaz ...

''. 30 December 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2012. It was also screened at the

Shanghai International Film Festival The Shanghai International Film Festival (, French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai''), abbreviated SIFF, is one of the largest film festivals in East Asia. "China's biggest film festival" according to the Hollywood Reporter. Nex ...

and

International Film Festival of Kerala The International Film Festival of Kerala (abbreviated as IFFK) is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy ...

. The film released in theatres on 26 April 2013.

Plot

Srinivasan is a young architect. He is happy when he gets a good job and a beautiful girlfriend, Tara. But then an accident disfigures him. Tara leaves him and Srinivasan, now sans his confidence, withdraws into his shell. Then he meets the beautiful Ragini who is willing to accept him despite his disfigurement. They get married, but after a while, he doubts the true identity of this woman. He doubts that this woman is human. From there the story develops.

Cast

as Srini *

as Ragini *

Prakash Bare Prakash Bare is an Indian theater and film actor focusing on Malayalam, English and other south Indian language productions. Starting with the 2010 Malayalam film Sufi Paranja Katha, Prakash has acted in more than 30 films directed by some of ...

Shelly Kishore Shelly Kishore is an Indian film and television actress. She is known for her role Shalini in '' Kumkumapoovu'' and in ''Thanga Meenkal'' and Usha in ''Minnal Murali''. She received a Kerala state television award for best actress in 2006. E ...

Sajitha Madathil Sajitha Madathil is an Indian film and theatre actor. Her performance in Joy Mathew's feature film '' Shutter'' (2012) won her the State film award for second best actress. She is the head of the department of Acting at the K. R. Narayanan N ...

Critical reception

Veeyen from Nowrunning.com says: "Somber and extremely suspenseful, the illusory texture of its narrative turns out to be of a class of its own."

Film festival screenings

The film was screened at the following festivals: * December 2011:

* December 2011:

* June 2012:

(World Panorama section)

References

External links