“Silence is the most powerful scream,” the first silent-thriller in Indian cinema, Mercury, starts with these words. However, while watching this latest Karthick Subbaraj flick, one wishes there was a little bit of silence somewhere in the movie. It is a noisy film with no dialogues. And this stylised horror eco-thriller film is confused about its own identity. Still, the movie, which is dedicated to the victims of corporate greed, should be appreciated for its uniquely nuanced presentation of social realities.
The plot revolves a group of five deaf-mute youngsters—all living victims of mercury poisoning from a chemical firm, Corporate Earth, in 1992. They face a bizarre night of horror in the abandoned factory of Corporate Earth, closed down after a court order; the building still stands, vacant and in disrepair. The story is a fictionalised version of the highly publicised mercury poisoning in Kodaikanal, allegedly by Hindustan Unilever Limited, resulting in several deaths and serious disabilities. The factory was subsequently closed down in 2001. The incident opened up a lot of debate on the issue of corporate negligence.
In the movie, the youngsters head off for a late night ride. They accidentally hit a man, resulting in his death. The group dumps the body in the ghostly Corporate Earth premises. From there, horror takes centrestage. But, if one would compare the director's debut feature film, Pizza, which also belonged to horror genre, Mercury is a disappointment. The film lacks the anticipatory quality, and it fails to connect with the audience. A more focused presentation from the perspective of the youngsters would have served the purpose in Mercury. But, Subbaraj opted for a more plain one. The scenes inside the factory where the youngsters are chased by the character played by Prabhu Deva have us confused— is the latter a zombie or a case of malevolent spirit possession?
There aren't any striking images, and the chase does not offer any adrenaline rush. The editing by Vivek is below average, nowhere near his earlier works in Subbaraj's Jigarthanda or Amal Neerad's Big B. The cinematography is exploratory. But, it lacks to complement the mood of horror. Music by Santhosh Narayanan oscillates between the apt and irritating—there is literally zero seconds of silence in this silent movie.
The fantasy elements towards the end of the film are executed well, technically. There is a huge disconnect with the plot since many crucial scenes—conveyed in the sign-language—do not convey anything sensible due to lack of good imagery. Moreover, there are no subtitles for the same.
The evil spirit, after causing the maximum damage, goes back into the factory, abandoning the bodies it possessed. This may be taken as a symbol of the spectre of haunting corporate greed, even after long years. But, only Karthik Subbaraj himself could narrate the entirety of his plot!
Rating: 2.5/5
Direction: Karthik Subbaraj
Written by: Karthik Subbaraj
Starring: Prabhu Deva, Samantha Reddy, Deepak Paramesh, Shashank Purushotham, Anish Padmanabhan, Indhuja
Music by: Santhosh Narayanan