Balaji Mohan’s horror-comedy Nayyi Navelli has an interesting idea about patriarchy and female agency, but a confused screenplay, clumsy genre shifts and excessive mythological drama turn it into a frustrating watch. Yami Gautam tries to hold things together, but there is little she can do to save a film that loses its way halfway through.
Set in Meerut, the film introduces us to an eccentric family, a suspicious younger brother and a seemingly perfect woman whose presence begins to unsettle the men around her. There is room here for a good horror-comedy, perhaps even one that says something interesting about patriarchy and the way society treats women who refuse to conform.
Unfortunately, director Balaji Mohan has other plans. What starts as a quirky family mystery gradually turns into a noisy supernatural drama before plunging headlong into mythology. By the time the film reaches its climax, the original premise has all but disappeared beneath a barrage of divine weapons, roaring monsters and heavy-handed sermons.
The story revolves around Raja Awasthi (Adinath Kothare), whose wife, Mohini (Yami Gautam Dhar), appears almost too good to be true. She is beautiful, intelligent, composed and seemingly capable of handling every situation with effortless grace. The women in the family adore her, crediting her with helping them break free from their restrictive lives. The men, meanwhile, cannot quite understand how an ordinary fellow like Raja managed to marry someone so accomplished.
Raja’s younger brother, Bantu (Anurag Thakur), is the only one who believes there is something sinister about Mohini. Convinced that she is a daayan (witch), he sets out to prove his suspicions to the rest of the family. His evidence comes from a series of strange incidents, mysterious flashbacks and the disturbing trail of injured or dead men associated with her.
Much of the first half revolves around Bantu’s attempts to convince his family, with the terrace becoming an unlikely courtroom where everyone has an opinion and nobody is willing to listen for too long. The domestic squabbles and eccentric personalities occasionally generate a laugh, while the mystery surrounding Mohini gives the story just enough intrigue to keep it moving.
Anurag Thakur’s comic timing brings some life to scenes that would otherwise feel repetitive. The family, too, has its moments, especially when the women dismiss Bantu’s allegations and defend the woman who has helped them reclaim some control over their lives.
Mohini's independence makes the men uncomfortable, while the women see her as a liberating influence. Raja himself begins to question his good fortune, wondering why a woman so far above his perceived stature would choose him.
As Mohini's true identity comes to light, the Ramayana takes centre stage. References to Rama, Ravana and Hanuman begin to dominate the narrative, transforming what was a small-town horror-comedy into an elaborate battle between good and evil. The film spends less time developing its characters and more time explaining the mythological significance of what is happening.
The problem is not that the film draws from Indian mythology. The problem is that Nayyi Navelli does very little with that material. The change in genre also weakens Mohini as a character. Initially, she is an intriguing figure whose calm exterior conceals something the audience cannot quite understand. But once the mythological elements take over, she becomes less of a character and more of a vehicle for the film’s message.
The feminist thread that initially gave the story some bite is gradually pushed aside by a conventional good-versus-evil conflict. Mohini spends much of the latter half explaining things to the other characters, turning the narrative into a series of lectures.
The technical execution makes matters worse. Mohini's airborne movements and exaggerated action sequences lack the impact the film clearly hopes to achieve. Evil characters suddenly acquire monstrous features, while brief appearances by zombie-like creatures add to the confusion rather than the horror.
The climax takes this excess to its logical conclusion. Shiva’s trident, Hanuman’s mace and Rama’s bow all make appearances as the film piles religious imagery onto a story that has long since lost its emotional grounding. The spectacle becomes increasingly loud, but the drama never catches up.
The performances are similarly let down by the writing. Yami Gautam begins well. She has the screen presence to hold the audience’s attention. But as Mohini transforms into a mythological warrior, the character loses much of her earlier appeal. Adinath Kothare does a decent job as Raja, particularly when his initial confidence gives way to confusion. Mita Vashisht and the rest of the supporting cast have their moments, but the script offers them little to work with.
G.V. Prakash Kumar’s background score does little to help. The relentless volume quickly becomes exhausting.