Vels Film International Ltd. and Wide Angle Media India’s Aghathiyaa (dubbed from the Tamil film of the same name; UA) is a horror film.
Aghathiyaa (Jiiva) is low on luck. His girlfriend, Veena (Raashi Khanna), asks him to convert a palace in Puducherry into a scary house, but he loses money even in that enterprise. He then starts delving into the history of the palace and is shocked with the findings. He learns that ages ago, Jacqueline (Matylda) used to love Siddharth (Arjun Sarja), a Siddha medicine researcher. Siddharth had been appointed by the then French Prime Minister to find a cure for bone cancer. Siddharth had cured Jacqueline with Siddha medicine. Who was Siddharth? What is his relationship with Aghathiyaa?
Pa. Vijay has written a story and screenplay, both of which fail to cut ice with the audience. The struggles of Aghathiyaa are simply not shown because of which the viewers don’t feel empathy for him. Besides, going by his lifestyle, it doesn’t appear as if Aghathiyaa is hard-pressed for money. The drama goes back and forth between 1940s and 2024, but the stories in both the timelines are not engaging enough. In short, the drama lacks intrigue and thrill. Dialogues are ordinary.
Jiiva is okay in the title role. Arjun Sarja is alright as Siddharth. Raashi Khanna looks pretty but doesn’t get much scope to perform, as Veena. Edward Sonnenblick overacts as governor of Puducherry. Matylda does an ordinary job as Jacqueline. Yogi Babu is fairly nice. Redin Kingsley passes muster as Aghathiyaa’s friend. Rohini is quite nice as Aghathiyaa’s mother. Charles is so-so as Aghathiyaa’s father. Radha Ravi is ordinary as Seshathri. VTV Ganesh is average. Azhagam Perumal, Nizhalga Ravi (as Umar Abdullah), Indraja Shankar (as Priya) and the rest provide routine support.
Pa. Vijay’s direction is hardly any better than his script. Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music is more functional than anything else. Lyrics are commonplace. Dances don’t appeal much. Background music ought to have been better. Deepak Kumar Padhy’s camerawork is fair. San Lokesh’s editing is loose. Dubbing is okay.
On the whole, Aghathiyaa is a poor show all the way.
Released on 28-2-’25 at Gem (daily 1 show) and other cinemas of Bombay thru Cinepolis India. Publicity & opening: poor. …….Also released all over. Opening was weak everywhere.
