a scene from the series Tholumdan
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
When little Appu begs his mother to tell him a bedtime story, she scares him by saying that if he does not sleep, Tholumdaan will take him away. Madan, a terrible creature, apparently, hides in the darkness, kidnapping men, killing them and wearing their skins to live as humans. According to him, many such Tholumdaans live as men.
Appu, who is waiting for his father, a soldier, to return from the battlefield, believes the story. But when his father arrives home, completely hurt, hurt and emotionally broken, Appu wonders whether his father is real or Tholumdaan.
three part series, TholumdanA blend of folklore with an individual’s emotional trauma after a war, in this case the India-China war of 1962.
a scene from the series Tholumdan
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Writer, screenwriter and director of the work Richie KS says, “The triumph of Tholumadaan is one of the many stories I heard from my late mother, Renuka. He loved making up stories and even claimed to have seen stories Kuttichathan (A ghost in folklore). Maybe that’s why I became a storyteller,” says Richie.
The series deftly weaves a folktale setting with the mental state of a soldier. Her appearance, outburst and breakdown unsettle and frighten the son, who imagines his father to be Tholumdan. “We don’t usually discuss men’s mental health. Here, the soldier is broken from within and his emotional outbursts affect the boy and the entire family. “That vulnerable situation is juxtaposed against a folktale that includes elements of horror,” explains Ritchie.
a scene from the series Tholumdan
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Tholumdan Leaves behind many relevant questions. For example, when darkness prevails in our mind and surroundings, do we become Tholumadaan?
Ritchie states that in some parts of Kerala, Tholumdaan or Chapilla Bhootam is a character associated with the Thiruvathira festival in the Malayalam month of Dhanu (December–January). “The character visits houses wearing a mask of dried leaves [usually plantain leaves] They would tie it all over their bodies and sing songs. “There are different stories surrounding this statistic,” says Ritchie.
He says that after hearing many such stories from his mother, he was planning to bring them in animation format. it was then KandittundAnimated short film on evil spirits of Malayalam folklore. “The success of the work encouraged me but I didn’t want to do anything like that. So I decided to choose one of the many stories he told. The plan was to make a short film. But once I realized the story wouldn’t fit in that format I turned it into a series,” says Richie, who has directed a few Malayalam short films and a Tamil music video.
Richie KS | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Richie says it was director-producer Krishnanand who helped him pitch and present the work on multiple platforms. “It was planned as an OTT release. But after waiting for more than a year, I backed out. That’s when I met Krishnananda. They liked the work and I incorporated some of their suggestions,” he says. Krishnanand is the executive producer Tholumdan.
The cast stars Aryan Wilson, Shiona S. George and Arun Sethumadhaav. While Kailash S Bhavan is the editor, the cinematography is by Vinod M Ravi. Vishnu Das has given the music.
Richie is pleased that the work is getting attention. “The main point was when Lijo Jose Pellissery called me and appreciated the work.”
This series is streaming on the YouTube channel of AVISIO Entertainments.
published – January 16, 2025 01:21 PM IST
