Nagavalli

Nagavalli (2010) is a Telugu horror-drama that tries to fuse two legacies: it remakes the Kannada film Aaptharakshaka while also posing as a follow-up to Chandramukhi. The story unfolds in Tirupati, in the big house of Shankar Rao. Years earlier, his eldest daughter Gayathri, a skilled Bharatanatyam dancer, won a portrait of Chandramukhi, also called Nagavalli, as a prize. The painting of the beautiful court dancer, with its fixed accusing stare, quietly alters the mood of the house. By the time the film's present begins, Gayathri and her husband are dead after traumatic incidents linked to the portrait, and the remaining daughters live with both grief and a vague sense that the house itself is haunted by something older than them.

The plot kicks into gear with the engagement of the youngest daughter, Gowri. On her wedding day, a friend faints after seeing a huge snake in the house, and the already superstitious groom panics and cancels the marriage. A snake-charmer called in to handle the serpent dies on the job, and unsettling events begin to multiply: strange noises, visions, mood swings, sleep-walking. Every thread seems to lead back to the portrait on the wall. Out of options, Shankar Rao calls the respected priest and astrologer Ramachandra Siddhanti. Feeling that this case goes beyond routine rituals, Ramachandra seeks help from Dr Vijay, a psychiatrist and former assistant to Dr Saravanan from Chandramukhi, to determine whether they are dealing with possession, mental illness, or both at once.

Vijay enters as the rational investigator. He observes each woman in the household: sensitive Gowri, Gayathri in flashbacks, and cousins Pooja and Hema. Ramachandra is convinced that Gayathri had been possessed by Chandramukhi's spirit and that the current disturbances are an extension of that. Vijay disagrees, diagnoses Gayathri's issues as trauma and post-traumatic stress, and restores her sanity with treatment instead of exorcism. That pushes the focus back onto the living. Slowly it becomes clear that Gowri, the one everyone sees as innocent and fragile, has been acting under another personality. Vijay's research into legends and astrology reveals the deeper story of Nagavalli: a court dancer abducted by Raja Naga Bhairava, a cruel king who killed her lover and had her burned alive when she tried to escape, prompting her dying vow to kill him one day.

Vijay's most disturbing discovery is that this king never died a normal death. Through black magic he has extended his life and now lives as a decrepit but dangerous ascetic, hidden in a cave. The "curse" in the house is therefore not only metaphysical; the original oppressor is still alive. Meanwhile, Gowri's own vulnerability makes her the perfect vessel. Shaken by Gayathri's tragedy, a friend's death and the collapse of her engagement, she becomes obsessed with stories of unusual longevity and with Chandramukhi's legend. A trip to Tanjavur, to Nagavalli's old house, becomes the moment where the spirit fully takes her over. The scenes of Gowri dancing in a trance at night, while the family think it is Gayathri, capture the eerie sense that a dead woman's grief is spilling into another generation, and set up the final act where Nagavalli, inside Gowri, goes to confront the king in his lair.

Venkatesh anchors the film in a dual role as Dr Vijay and Raja Naga Bhairava. As Vijay he is calm and observant, grounding the more outlandish material and giving the investigation a measured tone. As the king he goes for stylised menace, with flaring eyes and stiff, ritualistic movements that suit a man who has lived far beyond his time and refuses to let go. Anushka Shetty, mostly present as Nagavalli in flashbacks and possession states, gives the ghost a human core of humiliation and rage rather than playing her as a one-note villain. Kamalinee Mukherjee's Gayathri and Richa Gangopadhyay's Gowri carry the emotional side of the story, showing different ways women are crushed by expectation and fear, while Shraddha Das and Poonam Kaur round out the younger generation. Avinash's Ramachandra adds dignity to the traditional side of the science-versus-faith debate, even when the script uses him for mild comic relief in his clashes with Vijay.

Thematically, Nagavalli is fairly direct. It once again stages the clash between modern psychiatry and ritual healing, but unlike Chandramukhi or Apthamitra it ultimately validates the supernatural: Nagavalli's spirit is real, the portrait is a true conduit, and the king's survival is not a hallucination. On another level the film is about patriarchy and buried female trauma. Nagavalli is a woman turned into property, punished with erasure for loving someone else. The women in Shankar Rao's house echo aspects of her fate: their worth is judged by marriage prospects, mental illness is hidden as shame, and their pain is subordinated to family honour. The idea that Nagavalli can only get justice centuries later by riding Gowri's body into battle gives the film a bitter feminist undercurrent, even though it restores conventional family order once the ghost leaves and life "goes back to normal".

Visually, the movie aims for polished mainstream horror. Shyam K Naidu's cinematography uses the Tirupati mansion well, filling it with long corridors, shadowy staircases and half-lit rooms where the portrait always seems to watch from the background. The colour palette and lighting shift when Nagavalli's influence is strongest, and the close-ups of the painting's eyes are effective, if sometimes overused. The cave where Naga Bhairava hides, with torches, rocky walls and a storm-driven climax, pushes the film briefly into fantasy territory. Gurukiran's music recycles some motifs from earlier films and adds Telugu-flavoured songs and stings that try to balance suspense, sentiment and light comedy. The CGI serpent and the lightning-struck sword in the finale are serviceable but clearly artificial, which may blunt their impact for modern horror audiences used to subtler effects.

From a neutral standpoint, Nagavalli works best in its core mystery and in the way it links personal trauma with an old legend. The question of who is possessed keeps the first half engaging, and the late revelation of the still-living king adds an extra layer beyond the usual haunted-house template. The cast are committed, and when the film slows down enough-especially in the trance-dance sequences-it finds a genuinely haunting mood. At the same time, it suffers from familiar problems of long, star-driven South Indian horror-comedies: at around two hours and forty minutes it feels bloated, with comedy tracks and heavy exposition that dilute tension and undercut the atmosphere. The tone sometimes jumps abruptly between horror, melodrama and broad humour, which can make the experience uneven.

As a remake of Aaptharakshaka, Nagavalli follows the original very closely in plot and structure: the cursed portrait, the misdirection over who is possessed, the realisation that the tyrant king is still alive, and the stormy showdown all return almost beat for beat. The main differences are cosmetic-the Tirupati setting, a slightly larger and noisier family ensemble, Telugu star casting-and the explicit link to Chandramukhi through Vijay's backstory and the use of the Chandramukhi name. The Kannada original benefits from Vishnuvardhan's farewell presence and a somewhat tighter, more atmospheric tone, and it generally feels like the stronger, more cohesive film. Nagavalli, taken on its own, is a competent and occasionally gripping horror thriller with enough plot, mood and star power to entertain, especially if you enjoy this small shared universe of haunted portraits and vengeful dancers, but it rarely improves on the material it adapts and sits a step below its predecessors in overall impact.

Firstly Manichitrathazhu is one of the great films that was produced in India. This particular movie is its remake yet it doesn't fail to entertain. There are some remake-movies that are better than the originals in its entirety but that point is not covered here. Sometimes it's all about fun and entertainment and the film doesn't fail in this regard. Here, the point is that audiences will get a good fun-time with this film and feel entertained with most of the movie. It will also make you feel respect the traditional-cultural values of india and mainly the representation of the plots will make you feel good and positive most of the runtime. This is apart from the comical role and funny themes which is also in parallel with the suspenseful set up.

I would write the serious stuff for Manichitrathazhu, but will be a bit relaxed for this film as it weighs heavy in delivering entertainment primarily. The same story of the vengeful dancer, waiting to destroy the ruthless king, again possesses one of the daughters of a well to do family. Here too Iswar, disciple of Bradley intervenes with a lot of charming traits who impresses not only young girls but also married couples. The attempts to make viewers confused about something sinister really is going on reflects the pure childlike thoughts, which make me love this film even more. The classical dance, the historical events, the psycho spiritual themes, the mystery of the centenarian and the thrilling will get you engaged throughout it. The film has a lot of genres mixed into one, where the protagony is confident enough to solve problems as easy as pie. And he does it through his intelligence, dedication, respectfulness and playfulness. He concludes the film by the statement- "Always be positive. That's my Motto". Through various suspenseful subplots the hero solves the issues at hand paving the way for happy ending leaving a smile in all the characters including you. The film progresses fast but doesn't lose the grip of thrill or the mood, rather retains that flavor until the end.

Here too, the film shows the necessity of Imbibing both scientific temper and spiritual values, showing that both complements each other. Though at first the psychologist didn't agree with the Pandit but in the end they reconcile by dint of their experiences. It's an optimistic themed movie watchable with family. If you are not serious-minded and you need to watch a movie then go for this one. You will get the fun. If you are seeking relaxation from the stress of the day this movie is a must watch too. 8/10 for its entertainment value. An 80/100.

A storyline that is the extension of Chandramukhi has the same formula but dulls in comparison to the first movie.

Venkatesh was fascinating to watch. He was given enough opportunity to showcase his talent, which without a doubt was amazing. His range of emotions was versatile, and of his characters had their own feel.

Anushka came in the second half and she was amazing. Her dancing was full of grace and despite her small screen time, her character was etched well.

Avinash was good as a Acharya.

Shraddha Das & Richa Gangopadhyay both acted well. Their characters were given enough screen time to develop and help the story progress.

Kamalini Mukherjee's character was okay. She neither added nor took away from the movie. Unfortunately she was not given enough scope to fully develop her role in the film.

Poonam Kaur and Sujitha were not necessary for the film. They had only a small part to play and were not necessary for the film.

All the other characters were okay. The comedy scenes with Brahmanandam were not really funny, even though Venkatesh was good at delivering his dialogues.

The songs and background score were adequate. The cinematography was nice but the screenplay was okay. The build up to the climax was okay, but the actual climax was so-so.

The positive aspects of the film were the story line, Venkatesh, Anushka and Avinash. The rest of the cast could not measure up to the original cast of Chandramukhi.