Writer and director Rushikesh Gupte made his feature film debut with the Marathi film Dil Dimaag Aur Batti, which was a spoof of the formulaic commercial Hindi films of the yesteryears. But his next release titled Jarann (his second movie Hazaar Vela Sholay Pahilela Manus hasn’t released yet) falls in the diametrically opposite genre of a psychological cum supernatural thriller.

Jarann revolves around Radha (Amruta Subhash), who stays with her daughter Saie (Avanee Joshi) in a bungalow in a city in Maharashtra. Her husband Shekhar (Vikram Gaikwad) is abroad for work since a year. Radha and Saie once visit the former’s family’s wada (ancestral house) in a village in the state. The house is about to be sold, so this is Radha’s last chance to visit it and enjoy a get together with her parents and relatives.

Radha’s parents had once rented out a room in the house to a black magic practitioner Ganguti (Anita Date). The room where she lived is kept vacant as it still gives an eerie feeling. Soon after Radha visits the house, an incident happens with her and her behavior starts changing.

Jarann sucks you into the world of Radha right at the onset. The film starts off as a black magic supernatural drama but you soon realize that psychology plays a role too. The balance between supernatural elements and psychology is maintained throughout. A past incident featuring Ganguti, which is elaborated later, stands out. The twist revealed at the interval point is interesting and it makes you eager to know what happens next.

For a large duration, the film is not as much story related as it is about Radha’s journey and what all she goes through. But the main triumph of the film lies in the pre-climax and the climatic portions. Just when you think that the film is heading a certain way, the narrative throws in not one but two unpredictable twists. The twists are not just for the heck of it. They not only fit into the story but also provide a kick.

Jarann scores high in the technical department too. The film wouldn’t have been a finely crafted dramatic thriller without Milind Jog’s camerawork, Abhijit Deshpande’s editing and AV Prafullachandra’s background music.

Amruta Subhash carries the film on her shoulders exceedingly well. Playing such a complicated character with whole lot of emotions and moods deserved utmost dedication and that is exactly what she provides. Anita Date succeeds in scaring you as Ganguti. Kishore Kadam provides a mature act as Radha’s psychiatrist. Child actor Avanee Joshi does well. Rest of the supporting actors, however, don’t get too much scope to perform. They chip in with decent acts.

On the flipside, Radha’s work life is shown in one scene. But the audience is not made aware about how her terrible psychological condition affects her profession as that is bound to happen. Also, a lot of the mystery is revealed through dialogue instead of visuals. This stops the film from achieving greater heights. But, as mentioned above, the ending twists, clearly satisfy you.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Director: Rushikesh Gupte

Producers: Amol J Bhagat and Nitin Bhalchandra Kulkarni

Cast: Amruta Subhash, Anita Date, Kishore Kadam, Avanee Joshi, Vikram Gaikwad

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