In this weekly column, Reel Retake, we compare the original film and its remake. In addition to highlighting similarities, differences, and measuring them on a success scale, we aim to explore the potential in the story that inspired the idea for a new version and the ways in which a remake could possibly provide a different viewing experience. Can do. And if so, analyze the movie.
The film is in focus this week in the Malayalam supernatural-horror film Ezra (2017) and its Hindi remake, Diabbuk.
What is Ezra about?
Ezra blends folklore and horror on the background of the social issue of discrimination based on caste and religion. The film opens with a mysterious looking box containing a carving of an antique vendor’s shop. It is shown to hold demonic powers as it kills a worker in the shop itself. Police are trying to find out the reason behind the murder of the youth but no clue has been found.
We are introduced to Ranjan Mathew (Prithviraj Sukumaran) and his wife Priya Raghuram (Priya Anand). They move from Mumbai to Kerala after marriage. Priya then buys the mysterious box from the antique shop. Paranormal experiences start as soon as you open it. Ranjan invites his uncle Samuel to his house, who took care of him as an orphan. Samuel learns that something is wrong and immediately tells Ranjan that the mysterious looking box is a dibbuk box with the name Abraham Ezra written in Hebrew. Ranjan starts to learn more about Daybuk. She has been told that Dybbuk only covers people with mental illness or children under three years of age. Ranjan learns that Priya is pregnant and learns that her child will be possessed.
In his quest to save the family, he learns more about Abraham Ezra and learns about their tragic love story. In the flashback, we are shown that Abraham’s love for Rosie could not be fulfilled as they belonged to different religions. Rosie dies by suicide while she is pregnant with Abraham’s child, without her knowing that he was the child’s father. Abraham is paralyzed after an incident and his father vows to take revenge and uses black magic to wreak havoc. He euthanized and put his son’s soul into a dybuk box, which when opened would free Abraham’s spirit that would have been with him and perish. A wooden dummy is buried in place of Abraham’s body and the body is thrown into the sea by his father. Thus the diabbook box is created which eventually finds its way to Ranjan.
In the climax, it is revealed that not Priya and the child but Ranjan was captured by Dybuk due to his mental state being a grown-up. Ranjan is banished and the diabuk box is thrown into the sea just as Abraham’s body was dumped. The two men find the box and plan to open it.
Where does the potential lie?
Director JKK Ezra gets the right tone for the mysterious and dark atmosphere he is trying to create. From the outset, the detailed cinematography, which works mostly in the shadows, invites us into the terrifying world. On the contrary, we are shown the happy couple Priya and Ranjan, played by Priya and Prithviraj, who become weak because of their love and bond. The stakes go up when it is revealed that they are going to be expecting a child and now the paternal instinct begins to Ranjan.
The blend of modern urban life, the need to explore folklore and the politics inherent in a tragic love story has the potential to invite and absorb the audience in itself. Ezra packs it in with a great score and supernatural elements to make it a great viewing experience. The tone varies but it only helps to bring out the narrative in the most spectacular way. Prithviraj’s performance keeps the interest going till the end.
The film is filled with some clichés like exorcism scenes, dark magic storylines and the question whether the supernatural elements will ever come back to haunt us, but you can always ignore them as the story becomes engaging with each passing stage. She goes. It is not filled with fear at every turn but the strength lies in its tone and pervasive sense of foreboding.
What’s with the Hindi remake, Diabook?
Emraan Hashmi reprized the role of Prithviraj and Jay K re-directed. The tone turns dire at the colonial bungalow in which Sam (Hashmi) and Mahi (Nikita Dutta) decide to stay. All ingredients are retained from the original without adding freshness. What is lacking in the Hindi version is the visual effects and cinematography, which were far more effective and atmospheric in Ezra. In the short run, Dybbuk retains all the major plot points but the essence of the original is missing. In fact, while Ezra is rooted in political history, Dybbuk is free from any such comment.
The short duration of the remake manages to keep up with all the major horror material as well as the twists before the climax. Some scary scenes have been recreated in the new version as well. But Ezra’s essence never permeates the drab. There are familiar horror tropes that will make you go, ‘Oh, no!’ Every time you see them setting the stage. In terms of acting, Emraan has done this genre many times before and there is nothing new in his acting here. He is only following the lead of the director and does not bring any innovation in the character he is portraying.
success meter
Even though Ezra isn’t one of the most acclaimed horror movies, it’s certainly fresh in perspective and the winning quality here is how a message is hidden in the most unlikely of genres. In Dybbuk, unfortunately, the film done twice doesn’t make much of an impact or scare.
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