Amidst all the big-ticket entries, it’s always refreshing to see little nuggets of honest cinema, like the Sivakarthikeyan-produced House Mates. It’s far from perfect, but with just a seed of an idea and a capable ensemble of actors, director Rajavel manages to pull you into his humble world of horror-fantasy for a taut 129 minutes. From the design of the title card and intro credits, to the rest-easy staging and composed indoor shots, everything reflects an intent to stay away from ostentation.
The scares, in a thoroughly engaging first act that sets the tone, are modest yet sincere. In fact, throughout the first half, it is these scares that keep us hooked. It’s bewitching when horror films show how everyday mundane actions, like a tap running or a television switching channels on its own, can bring just as many goosebumps as a CGI monster. This is why you understand Anu (the ever-impressive Aarsha Chandini Baiju shines in her Tamil debut) when she struggles to convince her husband Karthik (Darshan’s performance is rough around the edges) to believe that there’s something strange lurking in their new apartment (I mean, even we wouldn’t jump the gun to exorcise a water tap!). You also understand Karthik’s scepticism: as a young engineer who works to the bone, he is at a pivotal point in his career, and this house was meant to be the foundation for all that lies ahead. With his family not in the picture, he yearned to have a family of his own, and so, he shelled out Rs. 45 lakhs to buy this flat to convince Anu’s father to approve of their relationship.
Kaali Venkat, Master Kendrick and Vinodhini Vaidyanathan in a still from ‘House Mates’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
In the beginning, it’s all straightforward: Anu sees eerie occurrences happen around the house, but Karthik shuns them as mere coincidences. The narrative also intercuts sparsely to show similar events scaring a child (Master Kendrick) at another house, to the dismay of his parents, Ramesh and Viji (Kaali Venkat and Vinodhini Vaidyanathan bring all the laughter). For a good chunk, the film lets you look forward to just one thing in each of these parallel arcs — when and how will Karthik and Ramesh learn that there’s something abnormal about the events happening in their residences?
Housemates (Tamil)
Director: Rajavel
Cast: Kaali Venkat, Darshan, Aarsha Chandini Baiju, Vinodhini Vaidyanathan
Runtime: 129 minutes
Storyline: A supernatural occurence connecting the lives of two middle-class families wreaks havoc
Firstly, Rajavel deserves credit for not overselling some of these beats — especially in how he handles Karthik and Anu’s relationship — and for the subtler subversions, like the one concerning Karthik’s work life. We see how stressed he is at his work, having landed a project that might make or break his career. One naturally expects such a scenario to create friction with his wife, who, from his perspective, is “making a scene out of nothing.” But interestingly, that doesn’t happen here, and Rajavel connects this thread later in a manner you wouldn’t see coming.
An avid film viewer would suspect the film to be more than the threadbare, low-key affair that it lets you assume, but then, the grand reveal does seal the deal. It’s a genre shift the promos had cleverly concealed. The lives of Karthik, Anu, Ramesh, Viji and the child intertwine supernaturally, and this reveal opens up a plethora of possibilities. Sadly, everything goes downhill for House Mates thereafter. You are left scratching your head as to why Karthik, a skilled engineer, cannot figure out the ropes to the new rules set in his home or even carry a pop-culture-level understanding of how this phenomenon works, and needs his nerdy colleague, Senior (Abdool Lee), to expose some basic concepts to Karthik and the viewers.
Aarsha Chandini Baiju and Darshan in a still from ‘House Mates’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Yes, the characters need to serve the plot, but couldn’t they cover some of the many things a layperson would think of while experiencing such unreal phenomena? You ponder the potential of what could have been had these two middle-class families used this occurrence and the knowledge at their disposal to their benefit, before tying up to the climax. But Rajavel insists on caricaturing these characters for gags or to create drama. Except for a comedic bit featuring the Run song ‘Minsaram En Meedhu,’ humour dries out, and you wish the moments of friction between the family had been more innovatively written. Nothing stands out until we get to a climax that ties it all together somewhat satisfactorily.
Nevertheless, House Mates is a modest win for Rajavel and producer Sivakarthikeyan, as it reasserts with conviction that sometimes the most unassuming of ideas, simple but elegantly told, can make for a good watch. It need not be a Conjuring or a Coherence. You can make a competent film from one of those elevator pitches shared among housemates.
House Mates releases in theatres on Friday, August 1
Published – July 30, 2025 01:34 pm IST
