Athidhi

Athidhi Web Series Review - Neither thrills nor Chills

Disney Plus Hotstar's horror thriller titled, Athidhi starring Venu Thottempudi and Avanthika Mishra as the lead actors is out on the digital streaming platform on September 19th. The series even marks a digital debut for the actor. Amdist good expectations, the show is out on the OTT platform. Let's see how it fares.

Story:

Ravi Varma (Venu Thottempudi), a writer, lives in a mansion along with his paralyzed wife, Sandhya (Aditi Gautam). On a rainy night, a mysterious woman named Maaya (Avanthika Mishra) comes to Ravi’s house and asks him if she can stay in the mansion that night. Ravi agrees to the same and lets her in. On the other hand, a YouTuber named Savari (Venkatesh Kakamanu), who generally makes videos on ghost hunting, gets petrified after seeing a ghost.

He, too, seeks shelter in Ravi’s mansion. Savari sees Maaya and he believes she is not a human but, indeed of a ghost. He suggests to Ravi that they should leave the mansion soon in order to save their lives. Who is this Maaya? What is the mystery around her? What did Ravi and Savari do then, forms the crucial crux.

Analysis:

The story takes off right from the opening scene without any delay, and the key characters are neatly introduced. The horror factor in the backdrop makes things interesting initially.

Venu Thottempudi delivered a subtle performance in this horror thriller. The way he emoted in key sequences is so good, and the series proves he is still capable in doing a designed by characters. Avanthika Mishra gets a meaty role and she performed quite convincingly.  She looked so good and also there is a message that was given to society through her character. Venkatesh Kakamanu was adorable in the role of a YouTuber. His simple yet effective portrayal leaves an impact.

Neninthe fame Aditi Gautam is decent in her given role. Ravi Varma and Bhadram did fine job. The background score was in apt with the horror theme of the series. There are a couple of short stories within the series and they are canned effectively. The story of the series is very good on paper, but the same was not transferred effectively onto the screen. There was a huge scope for delivering thrills through jumpscare moments and other horror effects but the execution lacked the punch. The spooky effects didn’t work as intended as makers tilted towards cliched scenes.

The biggest drawback  is the way the twists are revealed. The series relies heavily on these twists, and had they been executed in a fair manner the impact would have been a much  better. One can guess the twists coming from a mile away due to the way a few scenes are presented and this is where the show falls flat.

Adding to it, the way the series ends is disappointing. Story -wise, a lot happens in the last episode, but things are rushed for no reason. Some scenes ended abruptly as  more detailing was required for a couple of  aspects.

Kapil Kumar’s background score is neat and the impact of a few scenes got better due to his score. The cinematography by Manojh Katasani is appealing. The series runs at a fast pace but as the show nears the end things look rushed up. The production values are fine.

Coming to the writer-director Bharath he came up with a good story, but he could have done a better job regarding the presentation.

The subject’s potential but is not used properly as the show doesn’t succeed in delivering the thrills and chills.

Verdict:

On the whole, Athidhi is a regular horror thriller that lacks proper high moments in the narrative part. The subject’s potential to explore in an even better manner but is not executed as the show doesn’t succeed in delivering the thrills or chills.