Aaviri

Aaviri (2019)

Summary:

After the accidental death of their elder daughter, Raj and Leena move into an old house with their younger daughter, Munni. Munni soon starts seeing the ghost of her deceased sister, who tries to drive her away. However, as Munni eventually disappears, a shocking truth is revealed: Leena is possessed, and the ghost is not their daughter Shreya, but a vengeful spirit named Janhvi, seeking retribution for her own death at Raj's hands.

Plot (Movie Story):

The film opens with Raj (Ravi Babu) and his wife Leena (Neha Chauhan) reeling from the accidental death of their elder daughter, Shreya, due to her father's inattentiveness (implied to be related to asthma/allergy). To cope with their grief and start fresh, they decide to move into an old, palatial house with their younger daughter, Munni (Baby Sri Muktha).

Soon after moving in, Munni begins to exhibit strange behavior. She claims to see and interact with the ghost of her elder sister, Shreya. The ghost, unseen by the parents, seems to be trying to drive Munni away from the house, leading to several unsettling incidents. Munni frequently tries to run away, but her mother, Leena, always manages to stop her and send her back to her room, largely dismissing Munni's claims as childhood imagination or grief.

The house is equipped with CCTV cameras, yet the parents, particularly Raj, are surprisingly oblivious to the strange occurrences involving Munni. They often attribute her actions to being a mischievous or difficult child. It takes an external "exorcism expert" (who looks more like a gangster, as per some reviews) to finally look into the CCTV footage and realize something supernatural is indeed at play.

As the mysterious occurrences escalate, Munni eventually disappears from the house one day. The parents are frantic, and the focus shifts to finding her. It is then that a shocking twist is revealed: Leena, the mother, is actually possessed by a spirit. Raj, along with the exorcism expert, tries to communicate with this spirit to find out where Munni is.

The true identity of the ghost is then unmasked. It is not Shreya, but a woman named Janhvi (Priya Vadlamani). Janhvi repeatedly blames Raj for her death and for separating her from her parents, hinting at a dark secret from Raj's past.

A crucial flashback then reveals the horrifying truth. Janhvi had come for an interview as an executive assistant, and Raj, attracted to her, hired her. He began leaving small gifts on her desk, expressing his affections. On the eve of a major company merger, Raj confronted Janhvi, questioning why she was avoiding him and his gifts. Janhvi, clearly uncomfortable, declared she did not reciprocate his feelings and tried to leave the office. Raj, in a desperate attempt to convince her, got into her car. As Janhvi tried to exit the car, Raj pulled her back by the seatbelt, accidentally strangling and killing her. To cover up his crime and ensure the company merger went through smoothly, Raj meticulously hid Janhvi's body and erased all CCTV footage that could incriminate him.

Janhvi's ghost has returned, seeking vengeance on Raj. Her motive is to make him feel the same pain and separation that her parents felt when they lost their daughter, by killing Munni, Raj's remaining child.

After admitting his guilt, Raj and the exorcist plead with Janhvi's spirit to reveal Munni's location. Janhvi, however, passes out before she can give the full details. While they frantically try to revive her, Raj hears Munni's voice coming from a mysterious box that was previously shown to be trapped with Janhvi's presence. He quickly unscrews the box and finds Munni inside. It is also revealed that Munni did not eat the chocolate bars (which contained nuts, to which she is allergic) that were placed with her, thus saving her life.

The film concludes with Munni's rescue, bringing an end to Janhvi's haunting, and leaving Raj to confront the consequences of his past actions.

Cast:

• Ravi Babu as Raj
• Neha Chauhan as Leena
• Baby Sri Muktha as Munni
• Priya Vadlamani as Janhvi
• Himaja as Kamala (babysitter)
• Bharani Shankar
• Mukhtar Khan
• Kasi Viswanath

Crew:

• Director: Ravi Babu
• Writer: Ravi Babu (Story, Screenplay, Dialogue), Satyanand (Screenplay)
• Producer: Ravi Babu (for Flying Frogs)
• Music Director: Vaidhhy
• Cinematography: N. Sudhakar Reddy
• Editor: Marthand K. Venkatesh