Mercury is a story about five longtime friends who come together for a high school reunion. They are out for a fun drive at night, when the drive turns into a terror and their lives turn upside down!
Mercury is the first silent film to come post Kamal Hassan’s 1987 cult silent film Pushpaka Vimana or Pushpak.The plot has been beautifully weaved. However, while it has been established that the five friends are maimed from mercury poisoning, the whole history of the actual mercury poisoning that took place in Kodaikanal, which forms the background of the film, has not been explained well.
The first half of the film is very engrossing and is an out and out thriller that keeps you on the edge of the seat. It gives us a good dose of chills, screams, and everything one can expect from a thriller! This is something that is difficult to expect from a silent film. But the film’s background score as well as the brilliant performances by the actors; Deepak Paramesh, Shashank Purushotham, Anish Padmanabhan, Indhuja, and Gajaraj. manages to send that chill down your spine!
In a film with absolutely no dialogue, it’s the background score that plays a huge part in the film. Background scores and musical soundtracks are often overlooked even though they play an integral part in the movie-watching experience. But the gripping background score by Santhosh Narayanan in Mercury truly impresses.
Director Karthik Subbaraj’s craftsmanship is undeniable. There are some great visuals in the film.One of the scenes that I thought was beautifully shot was the dance sequence between Anish Padmanabhan and Indhuja in the form of a shadow play reflected in the fog, has been artistically shot.
It is great to see Prabhudeva do something very different from his dance films. Prabhu Deva as the protagonist, clad in a dhoti, manages to scare the daylights out of you!
The film is a spooky delight but there are many loopholes in the film. Maybe avoiding the horror angle in this thriller, would have worked better for the film.
All said and done it’s not easy to take risks and make something different so go watch Mercury for a silent experience that leaves you screaming out loud!
Read Also: There Were Many Firsts For Prabhu Deva In Mercury
