Durgamati Movie Review: A loud, overlong horror-thriller

Twisty movies need to play out in a twisted universe. Films like Primal Fear and The Usual Suspects are classics not just because their protagonists get away, but because they inhabit a world that lets them get away. Such is rarely the case in Indian cinema, though. In a culture where words like ‘insaaf’ (justice) and ‘imandari’ (honesty) still hold genuine cinematic sway, it’s only a matter of time till a film spills its beans.

I was borderline sold on the concept of Durgamati, a remake of the 2018 Tamil-Telugu hit Bhaagmathie, when it became clear which way the wind was blowing. Chanchal Chauhan (Bhumi Pednekar), an honest IAS officer under arrest for murder, is hastily shifted to Durgamati Haveli, a secluded mansion in the middle of nowhere. There, she is interrogated over a few days by a team of CBI officials and cops. They want her to tattle on a powerful minister, Ishwar Prasad (Arshad Warsi), whom she used to assist. But before the operation can proceed, strange occurrences begin to happen. Chanchal, it appears, gets possessed by Durgamati, the spirit of a despotic queen whose mansion it is. She turns increasingly violent—slithering backwards into dark rooms and shouting manically in Arabic—though the cops keep on with their little experiment.