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| Daayam | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Prasanth Vijay |
| Written by | Indu Lakshmi |
| Produced by | Jessy P |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Rakesh Dharan |
| Edited by | Christy Sebastian |
| Music by | Varkey |
Production company | One Pixel Revolution |
| Distributed by | ManoramaMAX |
Release dates | MAMI Mumbai 2023[1]
|
Running time | 81 minute |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
Daayam (Inheritance) is an Indian Malayalam language film written by Indu Lakshmi, directed by Prasanth Vijay and produced by Jessy P. The film stars Aathira Rajeev, Pradeep Kumar, K.R. Aromal, Rithudev Ayyappan, Harikrishnan, Bala Shankar and others.
Daayam was premiered at MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023 and International Film Festival of Kerala 2023.
Plot
[edit]![[icon]](/everything/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (September 2026) |
Cast
[edit]- Aathira Rajeev as Kalyani
- Pradeep Kumar as Vijayraghavan "Raghu" Nair, Kalyani's father
- K.R. Aromal as Ansar
- Rithudev Ayyappan as Unni
- K.P.A.C. Boben as Senior Police Officer
- Jithesh Damodar as Keshu
- Amrutha Elizabeth as Hema
- Ranjini George as Laila
- Harikrishnan as Syam
- Bala Shankar as Dasan
Production
[edit]The film was planned during Covid-19 pandemic and decided on in-house filming, but was delayed.[2]
Release
[edit]The film was premiered at MAMI Mumbai 2023 and International Film Festival of Kerala 2023.[3][4]
Critical reception
[edit]Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV stated "The beauty - and the power - of Daayam stems from the nuanced depiction of the gradual changes that Kalyani undergoes as the world creeps in on her and a recipe book she has inherited from her mother reveals to her the need to read between the lines and decipher what the dead woman has left unexpressed."[1] S.R. Praveen for The Hindu observed "Prasanth captures the mood of the house, making us feel the presence of the absent mother. He handles the subject almost the same way as Kalyani deals with grief, in a gentle, almost unnoticeable manner, punctuated by a few emotional bursts that never go overboard."[5] Nirmal Jovial of The Week noted "The film delves into the pain of confronting the hypocrisy of an "idol", unveiling the true nature of the character and the resulting insecurity it instils in the teenager. Towards the end, the audience witnesses her decision not to submit but to confront these challenges."[6] Sajin Shrijith of The New Indian Express noted "Though sufficiently dialogue-heavy, Daayam also remembers that some moments work better in silence."[7] Princy Alexander of Onmanorama opined "The painful reality of authority, power dynamics at the workplace and home, sexism and victimisation also is deftly handled in this one-hour 21-minute movie."[8]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Chatterjee, Saibal (2023-11-10). "Daayam Review: Subtle And Mellow Study Of Bereavement". NDTV. Archived from the original on 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
- ↑ Binoy, Rasmi (2023-12-13). "Prasanth Vijay's Film 'Daayam' Unravels Kerala's Gender Paradox Amidst Grief and Patriarchy". The Wire. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
- ↑ Shriijth, Sajin (2023-12-12). "Daayam (Inheritance) Movie Review: Grief, secrets, and a recipe for chaos". Cinema Express. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
- ↑ "| MAMI Mumbai Film Festival". MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023. 2023-10-26. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
- ↑ Praveen, S.R. (2023-12-10). "IFFK 2023: Prasanth Vijay's 'Daayam' explores grief and coming to terms with it". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
- ↑ Jovial, Nirmal (2026-12-08). "Daayam review: A coming-of-age drama with a refreshing twist". The Week. Retrieved 2026-09-23.
- ↑ Shrijith, Sajin (2023-12-15). "Grief, secrets, and a recipe for chaos". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2026-09-24.
- ↑ Alexander, Princy (2023-12-14). "Prasanth Vijay deftly handles family complexities, people's power dynamics in 'Daayam' | Movie Review". Onmanorama. Retrieved 2026-09-23.