Seven flatmates, an Ouija board and a spirit in the house deliver a laugh riot with some serious spooks in the Malayalam film Romancham, streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Debutant director Jithu Madhavan blends situational comedy with eerie overtones, stringing together incidents from his real-life experiences. Starring Soubin Shahir, Anantharaman Ajay, Sajin Gopu, Abin Bino, Siju Sunny, Afzal PH and Arjun Ashokan, Romancham treads the delicate line of horror comedy, making for a riveting watch.

‘Real-life story’ of seven flatmates and a ghost

The film opens with the perspective of Jibi (Soubin Shahir), who wakes up from a week-long coma in the hospital. At first, you see a blurred-out vision of Jibi as he tries to adjust to the situation and then narrates to a nurse how he landed up in the ICU.

The story is told in flashback, taking us back to a rented house in Bangalore in 2007, where seven bachelors trying to make a living are flatmates. The mix includes one with a decent job, one who works part-time at a petrol pump, two who are jobless, two who sit through job interviews without any success, and one who failed in his business.

Jibi, who doesn’t have a job, gets interested in divination after he learns that the ‘Ouija board’ can summon spirits. He brings one home and treats it as a game to get rid of boredom but it soon becomes more than friends having fun, with the arrival of a ghost named Anamika.

Wacky but relatable characters

As in any bachelor pad, the characters are all wacky and yet relatable. This bunch of seven is as untidy and carefree as it gets, house-partying with booze, loud music and disco lights at night and reeling under its after-effects the morning after.

Anantharaman Ajay as Rivin is the responsible one trying to bring a semblance of discipline to the wayward bunch. Sajin Gopu is Niroop, the strong man who takes advantage of his physique. Abin Bino is the prankster Shijappan who wanted to become a dancer.

Jagadeesh Kumar is Soman, an entrepreneur who hit a low with his last venture but hasn’t given up yet. Siju Sunny is the incompetent, lazy Mukhesh who refuses to mend his ways (including giving up on paan masala). Afzal PH plays Hari, who is battling a constant cold with cough syrup and medicines.

While the ensemble cast is on point with their comic timing and banter, it is Soubin Shahir as the unassuming, fun-loving Jibi looking for some excitement who holds the rest of the characters together and churns out a laugh riot.

Curiosity gives way to horror

When the supernatural elements kick in, the script also leaves space for us to doubt what’s happening. It is Jibi’s curiosity that gives way to horror when he convinces his six friends to let go of volleyball and bring in an Ouija board to try and summon a spirit. To get others hooked on it, Jibi takes some steps to convince them of the arrival of a spirit, and Shijappan joins him in the prank.

Things take a spooky turn when a spirit named Anamika actually starts to respond to their call. Their house soon becomes a hotspot in the neighbourhood, with people queuing up to check out the spectre. These new developments throw their regular life into a spin, and after a rather uneasy experience and death scare, they decide to dump the Ouija board and get back to their lives with renewed vigour.

However, once the spirit is summoned, it’s upon her to decide the fate of the house and those who live in it. Strange things start to happen to all of them — Rivin forgets the way back home, Hri loses his job, Soman breaks his leg and Mukesh gets stuck in the bathroom. However, it is Sinu, the newest member who has no knowledge about the situation, who starts acting strangely. Jibi calls Sinu’s mother and asks her to take him home but the strange occurrences don’t end there.

Romancham ends with the promise of a sequel as the spirit of Anamika is believed to be trapped in the house despite all the rituals performed.

Clever use of soundtrack

Sushin Shyam’s background score and soundtrack enhance the eerie mood of the film. The EDM-infused title track introduces us to the house where its residents are having a party, while Athmave Poo is a fun, low-key track that elevates the bizarreness of the spirit-summoning exercise.