DURGAMATI: THE MYTH Remake is unable to reach heights of original thriller

THE Bollywood remake of hit 2018 Bhaagamathie, which was simultaneously shot in Tamil and Telugu, premiered recently on streaming site Amazon Prime.

Rivals plan to frame a seemingly honest politician with the help of law enforcement officers, who hatch a plan to interrogate an IAS officer who has worked with him and is in prison for murder, in an attempt to unearth incriminating evidence. They decide to do the questioning in a haunted mansion to keep the mission a secret and it isn’t long before a spirit possesses the mysterious female inmate. What follows are spooky happenings and a twisted backstory that starts to slowly get unwound.

Despite having the same writer-director, this remake is unable to reach the heights of the original movie it is based on largely due to the absence of stunning lead star Anushka Shetty.

Bhumi Pednekar steps into the same challenging role of a convicted murderer who seemingly gets possessed by a powerful ghost and puts in a spirited effort. Unfortunately, she lacks the gravitas of Anushka and is unable to make it fully believable.

The result is an average film that kind of gets stuck and is unable to hit top gear. There are some unexpected twists, an interesting set up and a unique ending, but it is unable to sustain the initial interest level and gradually starts losing momentum. The rest of the cast, including seasoned performer Arshad Warsi, are also not as good as those that featured in the original.

Although it is unfair to compare the two, it is hard to avoid because Bhaagamathie released in 2018 and is still relatively fresh. Those who haven’t seen the original and like spooky movies will appreciate what the film is trying to do, but will get far more satisfaction by watching the original.