Trishul Thejasvi’s film Mala follows a young Indian woman named Reema (Indigo Sabharwal) as she travels to a property she’s inherited on a remote island. She brings three friends with her to explore the resort that her Aunt left to her in her will. Robert (Nikhil Kamkolkar), the property manager, meets them and brings them to the resort. The young people are unfamiliar with the island, and surprised to find that they are cut off from all communication with the outside world.
Bizarre occurrences start as soon as they set foot on the island. They are sure they are being watched, but Robert assures them there is nothing to worry about. Robert is obsequious, but in a sinister way. As he installs her into her Aunt’s old room, Reema questions him about her death. His answers are evasive, but he hints that the authorities’ conclusions about how she died are wrong.
When Reema opens and reads scrolls she finds in a cabinet, one of them is addressed to her, beseeching Reema to undue a curse and right the wrongs that were done from meddling with the forces of darkness. That night the ersatz Scooby gang hear screaming on the beach. Reema discovers the source is a bonfire ritual, with white robed attendees who scatter when she calls out. They seem to be trying to sacrifice an infant in the fire. She rescues what she thinks is the baby, which turns out to be a doll when her friends look at it.
“… Reema explores the resort that her Aunt left to her in her will …”
When they confront Robert, he disavows all knowledge, but then invites them to a ceremony conducted by indigenous islanders to cleanse evil spirits from the island. It becomes clear that the islanders believe Reema to be a vessel for a supernatural force, as perhaps her Aunt was. She and her friends begin working through the scrolls and meeting with the island Shaman (Raw Leiba) to discover the true occult nature of her inheritance.
Mala shot in Casey Key Resort in Florida as the main backdrop for the abandoned resort and tropical island. The scenery is beautiful and peaceful, providing a jarring contrast to the occult darkness Reema encounters. There’s an “Evil Dead at the beach” vibe. The mystical documents they find are decorated with Indian art, and the actors are mostly Indian, except the Shaman who resembles Wes Studi. Most of the film moves at a leisurely pace, kicking into high gear with strong horror elements in the last act.
The performances are amateurish and stiff, but adequate. The cinematography is naturally stunning in the tropical setting. Golden hour sunset on the beach is hard to beat. Mala is not high art cinema, but it is entertaining and different from the usual low budget fare as a result of the Indian cultural aspects. That said, it is not a Bollywood film, it is thoroughly American, which makes it a fascinating hybrid of styles.
Learn more at the official Mala website.
"…entertaining and different"
