Baramulla Review: Manav Kaul Faces Spirits Born From Kashmir’s Troubled Past

In Kashmir’s Baramulla, young children begin vanishing mysteriously, each disappearance marked only by a lock of hair left behind. DSP Ridwaan Sayyed (Manav Kaul) is transferred to the town with his family to investigate. What initially appears to be a possible militant connection slowly shifts into something far more sinister, something that defies logic and lives in the space between myth and memory.

Baramulla Review: Discussion

Director Aditya Suhas Jambhale, fresh off Article 370, returns to the Valley with another story steeped in politics, paranoia, and now, the supernatural. The story is by Aditya Dhar, with Jambhale himself handling the screenplay. The movie features Manav Kaul, Bhasha Sumbli, Ashwini Koul, Arista Mehta, and several others.

The film opens with an eerie sequence: a child goes missing as a local magician performs his act, immediately becoming the main suspect. After taking charge, DSP Ridwaan dedicates himself to uncovering the truth that lies beneath the fear and superstition that grip Baramulla. The first hour focuses on world-building: we see the background threat of terrorism, the family’s quiet struggles, and the slow rise of dread. It’s an intense setup, sometimes overstuffed, rarely dull.

As the narrative enters its second half, the supernatural elements begin to unravel themselves better. The tension rises, the jump scares land better than expected, and the film begins to resemble a true horror mystery rather than a political thriller. The dark grey palette, the hazy hills, and the eeriness in the air lend the story a menacing, claustrophobic atmosphere, the kind of visual feeling you’d associate with old-school horror. There’s a noticeable strangeness to how the camera captures Kashmir… hauntingly beautiful, yet always ready for something unexpected.

The final act ties the threads together, revealing what causes the haunting and why the spirits seek vengeance. Without spoiling much, Jambhale connects the supernatural horror to the historical wounds of Kashmiri Pandits, and he does it with sensitivity. There’s no heavy-handed propaganda, no vilification of any community. Instead, the film acknowledges both sides: the culprits and the protectors, from within the same social system.

That said, the film does test your patience. At times, the mystery lacks depth, and the visually striking payoff comes across as predictable. But when the climax arrives, a mix of emotion, horror, and action, the execution keeps you invested. The shifts between past and present are handled skilfully, with the editing and cinematography working in harmony to deliver a satisfying conclusion.

Manav Kaul once again proves his mettle with a quietly powerful performance. His Ridwaan is measured, intense, and human. Bhasha Sumbli as Gulnaar delivers a deeply affecting performance, especially in the later half where the emotional and supernatural come together. The rest of the cast supports the film well.

Baramulla Review: Final Thoughts

In the end, Baramulla is not a groundbreaking horror, but it’s an immersive and thought-provoking one. It blends real-world trauma with supernatural folklore and gives Kashmir a texture that’s both mystical and menacing. The Netflix film is uneven but ambitious.