Kaali Khuhi
Ratings: 3.4/5
Duration: 1hr 30 min
Language: Hindi
Genre: Horror
Director: Terrie Samundra
Writer: Terrie Samundra, David Walter Lech, Rupinder Inderjit
Producer: Armit Chhabra, Ramon Chibb, Sanjeev Kumar Nair, Anku Pande, Kamal Magan Patel, Sreeram Ramanathan, Karen Tenkhoff
Music: Daniel B.George
Cinematography: Sejal Shah
Editing: Sanyukta Kaza
Art Direction: Sameer Vidhate
Release Date: 30 October, 2020
Streaming On: Netflix
Star Cast: Shabana Azmi, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Riva Arora, Satyadeep Mishra, Leela Samson, Hetvi Bhanushali, Rose Rathore, Samuel John, Pooja Sharma, Jatinder Kaur, Sukhwinder Virk, Tejinder Kour, Amita Sharma, Satnam Singh, Chand Rani
Plot:
The film revolves around the girl Shivangi who is 10 years old who is trying to save the village where her family resides from ghosts.
Review:
Both dead and alive- drive events in the supernatural horror drama Kaali Khuhi. Terrie Samundra’s debut feature is seen largely through the wide and increasingly terrified eyes of 10-year-old Shivangi (Riva Arora). Compelled to return to her father’s ancestral village in Punjab after her grandmother (Leela Samson) falls ill, Shivangi meets a girl her age (Rose Rathod) and another girl who isn’t from this world (Hetvi Bhanushali).
The story is set in rural Punjab, which is presented as desolate, dark and quietly horrific. The colour palette is grey. The 95-minute narrative, written by Samundra and David Walter Lech, doesn’t leave the mysteries to unfold till the end.
One of the keepers of the secret is Darshan’s aunt Satya (Shabana Azmi), who has conveniently recorded her experiences in a readily available book. The relationship between Shivangi’s parents Darshan (Satyadeep Mishra) and Priya (Sanjeeda Shaikh) is very fragile and provides another clue into the past horrors.
There aren’t many men in the movie. Besides one man who gives the ghost child a ride on his bicycle, the only other prominent male character is that of Darshan, Shivangi’s father played by Satyadeep Mishra. Mishra is implicated as a perpetrator of violence in the film’s plot though it is indicated that he was only five when his sister was murdered.
In Kaali Khuhi also, the well is a graveyard and the scary elements in the film are too predictable to make anyone jump out of fear. DOP Sejal Shah succeeds in creating an unnerving atmosphere. The film has been shot beautifully- the vast fields and narrow lanes of the village all seem to be adding something to the mysterious air created in the film. The screenplay, written by Terrie and David Walter Lech, doesn’t do much for the genre. It’s seems pushy. The dialogues, by Rupinder Inderjeet, are borderline matching the mood of the film.
It is clear that Kaali Khuhi was meant to be a horror tale with a social message. Its intentions are commendable but not the execution.
