Baramulla Review: Tulips, Trauma, And Terror Tie This Netflix Film Together
Baramulla presents Kashmir through a lens of sadness, coldness, and haunting memories. The film’s core themes—trauma, terror, and turmoil—capture the complex reality of life in the Valley.
Co-written by Aditya Dhar and Aditya Suhas Jambhale and directed by Jambhale, the movie delves into militant issues facing Kashmir and seeks to explore the lingering pain of the Kashmiri Pandit community’s troubled past. With a runtime of 1 hour and 52 minutes, the story blurs the lines between reality, psychology, and the supernatural, reminiscent of The Haunting of Hill House.
While the film's narrative occasionally becomes complex, especially near its hurried climax, it maintains an intense atmosphere. DSP Ridwan Shafi Sayyed (Manav Kaul) is reassigned from Reasi to Baramulla to probe the troubling disappearance of six schoolboys in the snowy Valley.
- Ridwan suspects militants are indoctrinating children with anti-India propaganda and abducting them to send abroad for terrorist training.
- The city experiences a surge in stone pelting incidents amid growing unrest.
- Struggling with PTSD, Ridwan arrives in Baramulla with his family—wife Gulnaar, teenage daughter Noorie, and playful son Ayaan—who find the city cold and unwelcoming.
This family, marked by dysfunction, becomes entwined in the larger fractures within the region.
"Trauma is the real horror that people should be scared of and not ghosts," reflecting the film's deeper message about the lasting scars of conflict.
The movie balances a chilling mood with a poignant exploration of psychological and societal consequences in Kashmir, though the dense plot requires close attention.
Author's summary: Baramulla intertwines Kashmir’s haunting past with present turmoil, highlighting trauma's lasting impact while blurring reality and supernatural fear in a gripping, if complex, narrative.