Athidhi (2023) [Bengali-Hindi]

Ravi Varma (Venu Thottempudi), a Athidhi writer, lives in a mansion along with his paralyzed wife, Sandhya (Aditi Gautam). On a rainy night, a mysterious woman named Maaya (Avanthika Mishra) comes to Ravi’s house and asks the latter if she can stay in the mansion that night. Ravi agrees to the same and lets her in. On the other hand, a YouTuber named Savari (Venkatesh Kakamanu), who generally makes videos on ghost hunting, gets petrified after seeing a ghost.

Unexpected guests enter a loner’s house and life, unleashing a series of horrific events. Everyone becomes a suspect and a victim. He, too, seeks shelter at Ravi’s mansion. Savari sees Maaya there, and he believes she is not a human but, indeed, a ghost. He suggests to Ravi that they should leave the mansion soon in order to save their lives. Who is this Maaya? What is the mystery around her? What did Ravi and Savari do then? This is what the series is about. The story Athidhi takes off right from the opening scene without any delay, and the key characters are neatly introduced. The horror factor in the backdrop makes things interesting initially. Venu Thottempudi delivered a subtle performance in this horror thriller. The way he emoted in key sequences is so good, and Athidhi proves he still has it. Avanthika Mishra got a neat role, and she performed quite well. She looked so good, and also, there is a message that was given to society through her character. Venkatesh Kakamanu was adorable in the role of a YouTuber. His simple yet effective portrayal leaves a mark. Neninthe beauty Aditi Gautam is decent in her given role. Ravi Varma and Bhadram did what was expected of them. The background score was in accordance with the horror theme. There are a couple of short stories within the series, and they are effective. The story of the series is very good on paper, but the same was not translated effectively onto the screen. There was a huge scope for delivering thrills through jumpscare moments and other horror effects, but the execution lacked the punch. The spooky effects didn’t work as intended, as makers resorted to cliched scenes.