Pindam is a primitive and regressive horror flick

Cast: Sriram, Eeswari Rao, Kushee Ravi,  Avasarala Srinivas and others

Director: Saikiran Daida

Ratings: 1.5 stars

Probably, inspired by gripping horror flicks like ‘Arundathi,' and "Masooda', young director Saikiran Daida wanted to make a true-blue horror flick to scare the shit out of the audience. But he totally relies on thrills and chills over a proper story and narration to leave audience in despair. He  believed that audiences could be glued to their seats by just shooting in night scenes, people with lanterns, eerie ghost appearances and with heavy background score. He repeats them every night like a speech-impaired girl uttering words to stun her sister, while Sriram is pushed into a well and stuff and a rocking chair. However, it becomes repetitive and gives a déjà vu kind of feeling after some time and takes the sting of the eerie proceedings. Until a professional exorcist (Eeswari Rao) arrives to relieve the haunted house from ghosts and she also takes more time than necessary to wriggle the house out of evil spirits.

Later, the director is caught in which religious practice he has to handle possessed girls and he brings in Christianity and Muslim reciting's and rounds up with a puja for Durga (Hindu Goddess) to save the family from ghosts which is quite unnecessary and time wasting effort. But his flashback episode, where he shows a new kind and brutal female infanticide in a family becomes hard to digest. A ruthless father’s behavior is barbaric and regressive and director could have chosen something more relatable and believable issue.

The film begins with exorcist (Eeswari Rao) who coolly saves a girl possessed by her grandfather by asking the girl’s father to serve a dish her grandfather likes and the issue resolved. When she talks about tough case in her career, she recalls the pain and anguish of a doting family(Sriram &family) who moved in a haunted house and face lot of music thereafter. She arrives at the house and finds more ghosts stuck in a nearby tree and also suffers an attack. Will she able to help the family and the speech impaired girl from evil spirits? Check out in theatres

Actor Sriram who was seen in films like ‘Okkari Okkaru’ and ‘Aaduvari Matalaku Arthaley Veruley’ plays a lovable father and tries hard to protect his family and does a good job. He is supported by his wife (Kushee Ravi), who is pregnant and worried about her two other girls, who are facing the wrath of invincible ghosts and fits the bill. Easwari Rao plays a ghost-buster and does a better job than others. While Avasarala Srinivas is wasted in a forgettable role.

Cinematographer Sathish Manoharan’s mood lighting and camerawork are laudable, while music of  Krishna Saurabh enlivens the proceedings at times but becomes repetitive thereafter.

Director Saikiran Daida wanted to arrive with a supernatural thriller in Tollywood but his dreary narration and regressive flashback portions tests audience patience barring a few spine-chilling moments. The makers warned that the film is not advised for pregnant woman, but frankly speaking, the clichéd movie is harmful for even healthy audience.