After directing popular TV serials like Marmadesam , Naga opts for a similar genre for his big screen debut. The story is about a couple Bala and Revati, and their little son Anand, who come from Chennai to their ancestral home in the village, and realise that their house is haunted. Labelled as a supernatural thriller with a comic touch, the film however neither generates fear nor laughter. In fact it leaves you with no feelings at all. It has quite a few sub plots with characters entering, leaves you with a narration that is bland and juvenile at places.
The ghost here is benign and protective of the family.
It first manifests itself to Anand (a cute Master Aryan) who watches with mild curiosity as an unseen presence chops a carrot, boils milk, or rocks him on the swing.
Then it is Revati (Chaya), who realises that there is something not quite right about the house. And finally, it is Bala (Nanda) who reluctantly has to accept the truth. Mild whipping or a scare is given to Bala’s tormentors, like his betraying friend (Krishna), or the gangster who comes down from Chennai with his goons to extract his pound of flesh. It is Nanda’s second tryst with the horror genre ( Eeram ) and the actor adequate in his role.
Chaya Singh, an actress with great emotional prowess is wasted here, the character’s claustrophobic bouts carried to ridiculous and laughable lengths. And for some untold reason, Bala too is shown having a similar attack. Debutant Megavarnapanth as gangster Sasikant with a perpetually hoarse voice looks promising.
The good moments are few and far between.
There’s the hilarious scene where a tricky house-broker shows the haunted bungalow to a potential buyer, the latter taking to his heels after a discomforting experience.
The film reminds you of Bhoothnath , and a couple of other sub standard super natural films by Ramgopal Varma.
Shanker’s S Pictures has established it’s credentials as makers of decent family entertainers, varied in concept and genre, giving opportunities to fresh and lesser known talents. But some of it’s recent films have failed to excite, despite the producer’s good intentions.
Ananthapurathu Veedu , neither exciting nor even mildly interesting, falls in that list.