BENGALURU: Cultural miscommunications, family secrets, and the lingering echoes of trauma... all of these elements make for a perfect drama-thriller. Audible, the provider of original spoken-word entertainment and audio books, has launched its newest title Buri Nazar, an Audible Original thriller, starring Supriya Pathak Kapur, Sayani Gupta, and Rithvik Dhanjani.
Usha (Supriya Pathak Kapur) is convinced that the evil eye, a curse that brings continuous misfortune, was cast upon her daughter, Pallavi (Sayani Gupta), in the womb. What else could have possibly left her driven, career-oriented daughter edging closer to 30 without a prospective husband? Determined to set Pallavi on the right path, Usha arranges date after date with potential suitors, but fails. In an unexpected turn of events, Pallavi becomes her own matchmaker when she meets and quickly falls for Sandeep (Rithvik Dhanjani), a young Indian-American entrepreneur. And though she expects her mother, Pallavi is distraught and confused to find her mother growing increasingly suspicious of Sandeep’s motives and true identity.
Told through a series of phone calls and voicemails, this story penned by award-winning playwright Madhuri Shekar, and adapted into Hindi by Noopur Sinha, transitions seamlessly from a light-hearted family dramedy to an unexpectedly supernatural thriller. With a cast of well-rounded characters, sharp, natural dialogue, and a shocking edge-of-your-seat climax, Buri Nazar is a tale with a twist.
Talking about her experience of narrating an audio show for the first time, Kapur said, “Playing the role of Usha and emoting the complex feelings of a loving but worried mother who just wants to protect her child using only my voice was an exciting challenge that I have thoroughly enjoyed.”
Gupta, who has essayed the lead role of Pallavi in the audio show, said, “Growing up listening to radio plays, and my father being part of the All India Radio, I have always been attracted to and intrigued by voice work. I enjoy doing it tremendously. It’s amazing to learn the range of emotions you can portray and tell a story with its nuance using just your voice, which is very powerful.”
Further, she said, “Audio storytelling is a craft in itself, and the scope is fascinating. I have thoroughly enjoyed playing Pallavi and loved the banter with my mother and the romance with the boyfriend. Buri Nazar is an extremely unpredictable story that I know will have our listeners at the edge of their seats.”
It’s been a great exprience for Dhanjani who says, “Playing this multi-faceted character using only the power of my voice has been incredible.”