strand of similarity between Yaavarum Nalam and Arundhathi. While the former gives an urban sophisticated dimension to horror, the latter returns to haunted castles, blood thirsty spirits, reincarnation and exorcism.

The movie begins with Arundhathi (Anushka) returning to her native village from the city. The village welcomes her with mysterious happenings and air of impending doom. She senses that there is something wrong but is not able to understand it. That is when she comes across a Muslim cleric (Sayaji Shinde) who specializes in exorcising spirits. He warns of great perils that await her and warns her against staying in the village. But the city bred mind refuses to accept the words of an exorcist, she stays on. Spending more days in the village she starts hearing the age old folklores of her ancestor, a brave princess who ruled the province many years ago.

Flashback…. A young princess (Anushka) reigns in the palace, she is loved by the people of her land. The same family also has a young man (Sonu Sood) who seems to be the odd one out in a group of nobles. He is a philanderer having no respect for women and other people. His atrocities know no limits and it is decided by the princess that an end needs to be put upon this. Thus begins a long and deathly encounter between the princess and the man. It see-saws as the man is beaten up by the people and left to die in a forest. But he returns years later with many more demonic powers, much more difficult to stop. How the princess stops his deathly walk, binds him for eternity and what makes her reincarnate years later to finish the job forever, forms the crux of the movie.

Woven around a premise that reminds us of ancient folklores, granny’s tales and myths, Arundhathi is a gripping narration. There is no room for easy breathing, as the director plunges straight into the main plot, the tension and excitement that begins there does not die down. We have seen horror films before, based on such themes, but it is the scale of picturization that makes a mark here. The visuals are grand, majestic and chilling, all at appropriate times. K. Sendhil Kumar’s camera has done justice to the requirements of such a script. Excellent use of visual effects is something that one cannot miss in the movie. Koti’s background score is the strength of the movie. If there is one thing about the movie that can upset you, it is the amount of blood and gore. Literally, the movie is stained with blood, that coupled with the constant tension in the narration can be a deterrent for women and children.

The movie has got some strong performances. Anushka does well, impressing in a couple of well shot duel sequences, so does Sonu Sood and the rest of the cast. The dubbing department has done a quality job, there are not many places where it is plainly obvious that this is a Telugu movie, and the heavy Telugu flavor has been mitigated to a large extent. Vaali’s lyrics have done the same for the songs.

Overall, Arundhathi is an old school horror movie with all the mythical and supernatural elements that we have heard as part of folklore. It has a gripping narration, great visuals and is enjoyable if you are willing to submit yourself to the storyline. This is not the kind of movie for the intelligent audience who care about logic, like to ask questions and are absolutely against superstitions. Go for it if you love a spook, no matter what the story.

Verdict: Old school horror, new age film making