Ghost stories back to spook Telugu audience

With the much-hyped ghost story ‘Geetanjali Malli Modalaiyindi’ set for release in March, it looks like spooky thrillers are back in the reckoning. Earlier, ghost stories that spun box office magic include ‘Virupaksha’, “Masooda’, ‘Maa Oori Polimera 2’ and to some extent ‘Oori Peru Bhaivarakona’. “I believe that well-made spooky thrillers always work,’ says famed writer Kona Venkat, who has cast pretty actress Anjali to play a dreaded ghost in this film. He claims that women's ghost stories score over their male counterparts because of a better connection with the audience. "Even in epics and Puranas we read about spirits like Saakini and Daakini and also local tales about a woman walking in a white saree at midnight or another girl was seen near a dilapidated well are well-known myths in real life. Fortunately or unfortunately ghost stories revolved around women. Hence, actresses playing a ghost in a movie is more relatable and believable to the audience and we do it,” he points out.

On mixing myth with ghost stories, producer Anil Sunkara says, “Even our ghost story ‘Oori Peru Bhairvakona’ did well because it connects ‘Garuda Puranas’ to justify the presence of spirits in this world. Why some spirits hover around even after death and it talks about vengeance being unresolved."

Talking about upcoming sequels like ‘Virupaksha 2’ and ‘Maa Oori Polimera 3’, Anil Sunkara adds, “The advantage with ghost stories is that it is a bit easy to design sequels since spirits have no place or time restrictions and could come back at their will if they had a valid reason,’ he points out.

However, essaying the role of a ghost has its pain and stress. “We go through a lot of mental stress and body pain for all those screams and unusual antics and end up with sleepless nights,” says actress Nandita Swetha, who played a ghost in ‘Ekkadi Pothovu Chinnavada and her upcoming film ‘O Manchi Ghost’. “Even my family and friends used to point out differences in my behavior and also talk about unusual expressions on my face. Unlike other roles, we tend to carry the role to our home as it seeps into our daily lives. Frankly, it takes three months to wriggle out of the ghostly act to become normal again,” she informs.