Though it is a horror film, Mantram has a very good message for the society which you do not expect in such films. Apart from scaring people with ghost scenes, the film also has an emotional drama that show the negative side of the society and also human life. Little carelessness can lead to great disasters, the film explains. But it does it with the help of horror. That is its speciality. It is not an easy thing to do. Director SS Sajjan has managed to do a great job in bringing together two kinds of narration into one.
The first half of the film is about the strange things happening in an old and large house. A newly married husband and wife are romancing but unknown to them there is a ghost lurking. The ghost also beings to get into the bodies of other family members. When they seek help they come to know that the ghost is neither good or bad. The priest says that he has never encountered anything like this ghost before in his life. A Muslilm Mouli and a Christian church father also try to help him. But the strange things begin to become stranger. The brother of the heroine and his friends come to the village to help the family. But they too fall into trouble.
The second half of the film changes the narrative completely. It would be best enjoyed on screen. Suffice to say that it is one of the best stories to be seen in Kannada films. It calls for a strong stomach to see this story in the second half. But it is perfect match for the horror story that comes before it. In the end there is a heat wrenching incident and the message given to the audience is good.
There are a lot of newcomers in the film including the director and producer. Sajjan and Amar Choudary have decided to make a good film with a message and they should be appreciated for it. There are also a lot of new actors in the film. Gaurish Akki plays a small but significant role. Ravi Basrur gives good music. Mantram is an unusual kind of horror film. It deserves to be appreciated for the stand it takes against a dangerous social problem in India. There are no solutions in sight but the film raises excellent questions about it.