Movie Review : Aghathiyaa

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 Aghathiyaa ( Jiiva) is an art director in films who runs into bad luck when a shoot he invested in is cancelled and he has to somehow recover the money he invested on the set.  His assistant Veena (Raashi Khanna) comes up with an idea of converting the old house into a 'scary house' which will attract vistors for a fee, helping them to recover the funds.








The horror house, in Pondichery, is a huge success until one day strange things start happening, which lead them to discover that the house is really haunted by a cruel Frenchman Edwin Duplex and his daughter's ghosts, along with that of his accountant (Radha Ravi).

As Aghathiya gets embroiled into clues that emerge, he discovers a story of betrayal, revenge and greed involving Edwin and a Siddhar medicine practitioner ( Arjun Sarja), his love for Edwin's sister and how Edwin used the Siddhar medicine secrets for his ambitions.

How does all this impact Aghathiyaa's life? What is the connection between the Siddhar's and Aghathiyaa?

The film is a horror thriller with an interesting story at its core. Jiiva plays well with total conviction the part of the baffled man caught between the past and the present.  He shines in the sentimental scenes with his mother (Rohini) as well. Raashi ably  plays out the role of his partner in the business and the duo solve the mysteries together without any time spent on romance or songs.

The references to the glory of ancient Indian medicine and the divine 18 Siddhars are commendably brought out in the screenplay by Pa Vijay the director. Arjun Sarja as the knowledgeable medical reearcher plays his part convincingly with sincerity. Kudos to the costume and art departments for carefully putting together a French touch and gadgets and medicine making utensils of the period setting.

The film is visually appealing and the vfx fot horror elements are done well, adding the novelty of fantasy elements from time to time. 

The final portions seem a tad quickly put together as screen time is spent on various other angles. The final fight thus seems a tad stretched.

The references to ancient medicine,blended with patriotism, faith, family sentiments, a well told different story, good performances and visuals make Aghathiyaa a sound family entertainer.

Rating 3.25/5


*CAST*


Jiiva as Aghathiyaa 

Raashii Khanna as Veena 

Arjun as Siddharthan

Edward Sonnenblick as Edwin Duplex

Matylda as Jacqueline 

Yogi Babu as Yogi Babu



*CREW*


Production House: Vels Film International and WAMINDIA 

Producer : Ishari K. Ganesh, Aneesh Arjun Dev

Writer & Director : Pa.Vijay

Music : Yuvan Shanker Raja

Dop : Dipak Kumar Padhy

Editor : San Lokesh

Art Director : P.Shanmugam

Choreographer : Kalaimaamani Sridhar

⁠Costume Designer : Pallavi Singh, Tina Rosario

DI : iGene

Sound Mixing : Tapas Nayak

Lyrics : Pa.Vijay

Chief Associate Director : S.Guru Surya

Executive Producers : Ashwin Kumar

Creative producer : Prabu

Publicity Designer : Dinesh Ashok

Marketing and Promotions: iHorse

PRO: Nikil Murukan


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