Jatadhara is an engaging, visually striking supernatural thriller that successfully merges commercial spectacle with artistic expression. It begins with a mythical narrative of how hundreds of years ago, with absence of banks or safe deposit vaults, when people used to store and hide gold and valuables beneath their homes to safeguard their hard earned wealth from dacoits. The introduction goes back and forth from the current day seminar on paranormal phenomenon and ghosts by the Indian Paranormal League where one attendee stands out declaring that he strongly believes that there are no ghosts.
The film’s central concept, blending the ancient legends of the Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple’s hidden treasures with a modern-day conflict between faith and science, is undeniably intriguing. However, directors Venkat Kalyan and Abhishek Jaiswal struggle to maintain a balance, resulting in a narrative that feels both overstretched with lore and underdeveloped in execution.
“If I see it then I will believe in ghosts,” believes the Ghost hunter Shiva who adorns sacred threads on wrist as a matter of faith.
While in present day during a Lunar eclipse on the Full moon night that coincides with alignment of 9 planets. This particular segment that transcends to the mythological and spiritual depiction of Shiva performing the Shiv Tandaav transporting him to the Kailash and his encounter with the Divine. This is an awesome visualization, probably the highlight of Jatadhara.
Sudheer Babu, as the skeptical ghost hunter Shiva, delivers a convincing performance. But the standout performances come from Sonakshi Sinha and Shilpa Shirodkar. Sonakshi Sinha if fearsome and commands a dominating presence as the vengeful spirit Dhana Pishachini. Divya Khosla is adorable as Shiva’s friend and Shilpa Shirodkar as the manipulative aunt is quite impressive.
The most impressive introductory entry is that of Dhan pisachini (Sonakshi Sinha) that is depicted with scary visuals of an Owl, the crow and Hyena. This demonic evil spirit that years for sacrifices and more sacrifices scares the hell out of you. Particularly at one stage when this evil enchantress years for the blood of humans and even the newborn child.
The film’s cinematography captures stunning visuals of the temple architecture and rituals, creating an immersive world. The background music creates an additional impact, while for those seeking a break, there is an item song Pallo Latke.
Jatadhara is a visually ambitious supernatural thriller that ultimately buckles under the weight of its own expansive mythology and a meandering screenplay. Despite a committed cast and some striking technical elements, the film falters at few instances to deliver a cohesive or consistently engaging experience, leaving a sense of an interesting premise gone astray. With a run-time of 2 hours 15 minutes, it could have been chopped atleast 15-20 mins.
Cast of Jatadhara:
Sudheer Babu as Shiva (Ghost Hunter)
Sonakshi Sinha as Dhanapisachini
Divya Khossla as Sitara
Shilpa Shirodkar as Shobha (Shiva’s aunt)
Rohit Pathak as Balraj (Shiva’s uncle)
Ravi Prakash as Vasu (Shiva’s biological father)
Indira Krishnan as Devi (Shiva’s biological mother)
Subhalekha Sudhakar as Head priest
Rajeev Kanakala as Shiva’s father
Srinivas Avasarala as Manish Sharma (Indian Paranormal League)
Shreya Sharma dancer in the item song ‘Pallo Latke’
Credits of Jatadhara:
Production house – Zee Studios, Sudheer Babu Productions
Producers: Prerna Arora, Aruna Agarwal, Rajiv Agarwal, Sagar Ambre, Umesh Bansal
Director – Abhishek Jaiswal, Venkat Kalyan
Story – Venkat Kalyan
Creative Producers – Ujjwal Anand, Kussum Arora
Music Director – Rajeev Raj
Cinematographer – Sameer Kalyani
Production Designer – Prabhat Thakur
Art Director – Sandhya Sharma
