Film Review: Diya – A horror film sans the scares

Director Vijay is known for including silent undertones in his films where visuals speak more than characters. The sequence of events which leads to the story is an interesting watch in most of his films. The director employs the same method in his latest film Divya (previously titled Karu). The film follows a mystery of sequences that has minimal dialogues, this is probably when visuals speak the most. Although the film makes for an interesting watch, the predictability of the story is one of the downsides of the film.

As the previous title suggests, Diya is centred around a foetus, and as the story progresses, the story revolves around an abortion. The film explores the concept of abortion from the eyes of an aborted child who is on a mission to avenge those who are responsible for her death. Until one day when she goes after the life of her own father.

The film is treated with horror elements right from the start of the film. From the spooky sound effects to the warm tones used in the film, director Vijay scores well in setting the right tone for the movie. However, despite this, the film doesn’t compel you completely. The horror tropes employed to kill each character is something we’ve seen in many films. The film doesn’t give a clear idea around the ethics behind the anti-abortion stance. The film introduces us to characters such as Santhana Bharathi however, due to his inconsistently written role we don’t seem to care much about them. RJ Balaji’s comic track in the film didn’t seem to gel with the serious tone of the film, however it did act like a relief to the otherwise predictably story.

Sai Pallavi makes a smashing debut in this film. Her subtle performance combined with her natural looks work wonders for her character and the film. Another superb element of the film is the terrific background score by Sam CS, which is haunting and eerie, perfect for the film. The climax is what makes the film special.

It would be interesting to know the kind of Tamil films Sai Pallavi chooses later in her career.