In ways more than one this release can be seen as an experiment. In times like these when most filmmakers choose grandeur over content and prefer to impose templates in place of artistic visuals, it is worth a pause and a nod of appreciation.
I must however hasten to add that most virtues of the film stop there and do not travel to be tested on qualitative grounds. Ashwin Saravanan thus comes up with a rather bland ghost tale. What can further be said to the advantage of the film is that beyond a point the ghost tale does not jar on your sensitivities.
Dr. Jospeh Bernad ( Vinay Rai) and members of his family wife Susan (female superstar, Nayantara) daughter Anna (Hanya Nafi) and father-in-law Samuel (Satya Raj) are spending quality family time and discussing the future prospects of Anna, pursuing a course in Music in London, when a call from his hospital disturbs not just the rhythm but everything in the life of the happy household.
The call must be around March of 2020 when Covid struck so unkindly. The family loses Covid warrior Dr. Joseph. While adults are resigned to the tragedy, little Anna invokes the spirits to speak to her Dad only to be drawn into a vortex of ghosts and evil spirits.
Given the intro to the world on which she has no control she inadvertently if naively too invites an evil spirit to be a resident of the house they are all confined in thanks to the pandemic lock down.
The family too has to go through the usual games of the ghost namely rains outside accompanied by lightning, over the top background noises including thunders and sheiks of victims, the victim turning pale and screaming her lungs out, not to mention dark nights and creaking windows and flying window curtains.
The surviving family members initially unaware of the adventure of Anna when called upon unwittingly to play a part see reasons to get the Exorcist in place. In walks the Exorcist (Anupam Kher) who starts off with twin apologies: one that the sessions to drive away the spirit must be virtual and cannot be real and secondly that he is not familiar with Telugu.
IN the 90 plus minutes (no interval) film the film maker labours around the stereotypical images of driving away ghosts and ensures that all ends well for the family with the little girl back to her music and guitar. None in the case deserve any mention. While some including Nayantara are a disappointment, veterans like Satya raj and Anupam Kher have nothing much to do or deliver.
The film fails to invoke the customary thrill or fear and end up rather flat on the face. This ghost is very persuasive. One session is all it takes for a departure. Cliched scenes like the inverted cross a shabby room with ominous signs of the evil spirit in action rob the script of its limited mileage.
Those who look out for a chance to see a ghost film or are interested in the genre can see it from a generic interest. The only other reason one can see the film is to silently salute the director for not going overboard and respecting the time of the viewer.
