Assam’s ‘Bakor Sadhu’ in popular Tamil comedy horror film series ‘Aranmanai’

Assam’s popular folklore, ‘Bakor Sadhu’ is now featuring in popular Tamil comedy horror series Aranmanai 4 directed by Sundar C starring Tamannaah Bhatia and Raashii Khanna in the lead roles.

Director Sundar C, in an interview, said that he was fascinated by the Assamese folklore and was determined to use it in his film.

The fourth part of the popular horror franchise draws its inspiration from the Baak, a shapeshifting Assamese demon that lives near waterbodies and feasts on fish.

As per belief, the vicious water demon not only feasts on fish, but it also kills humans by drowning and then assumes the identity of its victim and goes on to live with the victim’s family, attempting to kill them, too.

Aranmanai 4’s story starts from an unnamed village in Assam, where a priest and his daughter travel by boat to a temple during a festival. During the journey, the daughter is injured, and her blood spills into the river, which releases Baak.

The demon kills the daughter and assumes her identity. However, the priest traps Baak’s soul and forces it to take his daughter’s place permanently.

As the story unfolds, the audience is exposed to several sinister acts of Baak, which are carried out in a small village in Tamil Nadu. Baak goes on a killing spree to regain its full strength.

Popular Assamese actor Rupam Baruah has essayed the priest’s character, and his performance has been appreciated by both viewers and critics.

The use of folklore in Indian movies is not a new concept. However, on most occasions, the use of these folk stories has been state-specific. This is one of the rarest occasions when Assamese folklore has been adapted by the makers from Tamil Nadu, a state which itself has a treasury of folk stories.

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