It was the title that first piqued everyone’s curiosity. The teaser, trailer, and minimum pre-release promotions built up excitement. Finally when Diés Iraé hit theatres on Halloween, the wait turned out to be worth it, making it a hat-trick of box office hits for director Rahul Sadasivan.
After an unsuccessful debut with the 2013 sci-fi thriller, Red Rain, Rahul turned things around for him by exploring shades of horror in Bhoothakalam (2022) and Bramayugam (2024). Diés Iraé , a slow-burn horror flick, has also been lapped up by the audience.
“The response has been overwhelming,” says the director. The films is about an uber-rich young architect, Rohan, played by Pranav Mohanlal. Life turns upside for him after one his friends from college, Kani, dies by suicide and he visits her home. Soon Rohan is left to deal with an invisible, powerful figure at his home, whom he presumes to be Kani. He sets out to solve the mystery with the help of Madhusoodanan Potti (Gibin Gopinath), Kani’s neighbour who belongs to a family that practised occult. The investigation leads them to unnerving, dangerous situations.
The title was a subject of discussion from the start and the makers had even put up a social media post on how to pronounce it. Diés Iraé, a Latin phrase meaning ‘the day of wrath’, is a hymn about the Last Judgement, often sung at the mass for the dead. It comprises four notes and the arrangement creates a feeling of gloom and despair.
“While searching for a title after finishing the story I came across this phrase and felt that it would perfectly fit one of the characters in the film,” says Rahul, adding that revealing further details about the character would be a spoiler. “I am happy that people have understood what it means and are pronouncing it correctly.”
Commenting on the disclaimer that the film is based on some true incidents Rahul says, “Those who’ve watched the movie will know that obsession is an underlying theme and I have been inspired by some stories in this regard. I fictionalised those real incidents.”
Pranav Mohanlal in Diés Iraé
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Rahul had written the story much before Bramayugam, with Pranav in mind. “I thought it will be interesting to cast him as a grey character in a horror film. He has the swag and style to become Rohan and he pulled it off beautifully with his mannerisms and body language. His agility came in handy, so too his background as a musician. He was also looking forward to do something out-of-the-box when we reached out to him.”
Rahul says horror is a genre that always enthused him. “I find it exciting to tap into fear, an emotion that is subjective. In my design of things, I keep the characters rooted and bring depth to them so that when something unforeseen or unpredictable happens, their vulnerability comes across. I plan the whole thing in such a way that the audience are on the edge of the seat.”
He cites the example of the staircase at Rohan’s opulent home. “When he walks down the stairs in the initial scenes, he exudes the body language that proclaims he is rich, does not care about anything and believes he is above everyone. But the moment he realises there is someone at his house, he hesitates to walk up the same stairs. Metaphorically, there is someone/something above him that he cannot understand.”
Rahul Sadasivan, filmmaker
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Everything is planned to the T in his films, Rahul says. “In my script, I pay attention to even the minutest detail, from the music to the silences that shape the scene. My storyboard has a lot of sketches, thanks to my animation background. Then I discuss with my crew and by the time the shoot starts, there is clarity about everything,” says Rahul. He adds that Diés Iraé was shot in just 28 days, thanks to the planning.
He is grateful that he had an illustrious team that stood by him. Like cinematographer Shehnad Jalal, with whom he worked in his previous two films. He also mentions composer Christo Xavier, sound designer Jayadevan Chakkadath, production designer Jothish Shankar, editor Shafique Mohamed Ali, sound mix by MR Rajakrishnan among others.
“It is easy to work with people who understand my vision and the world I create. It is a collective effort. The producers were also on the same page. They placed the film well in the market, by going for campaigns in red keeping with the theme, and releasing it on Halloween.”
Rahul is pleased that performances by the actors Gibin Gopinath, Arun Ajikumar and Jaya Kurup are getting noticed. “I wanted freshness in the cast and that’s how they came in. In Gibin’ case, I wanted to use the sadness in his eyes, which was needed to make his character look vulnerable and helpless. I have seen Jaya chechi’s work and felt that she was apt to bring the unpredictability factor in the narrative. As for Arun, I have known for him for sometime (his firm, Aesthetic Kunjamma has designed posters for Bramayugam and Diés Iraé). Although I have not seen his films, the umpteen discussions I had with him helped to develop his character arc.”
What was the exciting part of the shoot? “The climax. Especially how that intense scene ends and Rohan is ready to let go of everything. On the whole, the movie turned out to be exactly how I wanted it to be.”
Pranav Mohanlal in Diés Iraé
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Talking about several unanswered situations in the movie, Rahul observes that he has left it for the audience to interpret. He also did not rule out the possibility of a sequel featuring characters of his movies, since Diés Iraé makes reference to Bhoothakalam and Bramayugam (through Madhu’s lineage).
Has he ever thought of trying any other genre? “I want to explore the horror genre further. I like this world-building exercise, where I place the characters and experiment. Basically, I want each character to leave an impact irrespective of the number of scenes. As in the case of Arun, who has just three scenes but his performance is being talked about.”
Published – November 05, 2025 03:37 pm IST
