Baramulla review: Manav Kaul's haunting ode to loss, memory and exile

Baramulla Review: Manav Kaul's Haunting Ode to Loss, Memory, and Exile

Manav Kaul delivers one of his most compelling performances in Baramulla, a Netflix film that explores horror not through ghosts but through grief, memory, and the pain of exile. It is a chilling reflection on loss and belonging in the Kashmir Valley.

Baramulla is not a typical spooky film. It avoids jump scares and shadows, focusing instead on a deeper horror: the trauma of separation, the loss of identity, and being uprooted from the land that once embraced you.

The story, crafted by Aditya Dhar and director Aditya Suhas Jambhale, follows DSP Ridwaan Sayyed (Kaul), a determined officer investigating a series of mysterious disappearances in Baramulla, Kashmir. Children vanish without a trace, leaving only their scissor-cut hair behind.

As Ridwaan’s investigation unfolds, what begins as a procedural thriller transforms into a multilayered exploration of history's unhealed wounds and the buried cries of displaced people.

Memory as the Source of Dread

Baramulla creates its sense of dread not from supernatural elements but from memory itself. The narrative starts with a procedural and political tone but soon turns inward, focusing on anguish, remembrance, and revelation.

“Baramulla is far more unsettling than a typical horror; it confronts the horror of losing one's identity and being torn from a homeland.”

Themes of Exile and Pain

Grief and exile replace traditional horror tropes.
The film addresses the traumatic legacy of displacement in Kashmir.
Focuses on the emotional and historical scars rather than supernatural thrills.

Summary

Manav Kaul’s Baramulla portrays a powerful meditation on loss and displacement, transforming a mystery thriller into a profound reflection on memory and exile.

India Today — 2025-11-07