Pechi

Last updated
Pechi
Pechi film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRamachandran B
Written byRamachandran B/ Vaz
Starring
CinematographyParthiban D.F.Tech
Edited byIgnatious Aswin
Music byRajesh Murugesan
Production
companies
Veyilon Entertainment
Verus Productions
Release date
  • 2 August 2024 (2024-08-02)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Pechi is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language horror film [1] written and directed by Ramachandran B. The film stars Gayathrie, Bala Saravanan, with Dev Ramnath and Preethi Nedumaran in supporting roles.

Contents

Plot

A couple is seen strolling happily through Aranmanaikaadu, Kollimalai. As night begins to fall, they set up camp, and the husband, Ram, ventures out to gather firewood. While searching, he comes across a Trishul near a massive tree and attempts to chop off a branch. Despite his best efforts, he struggles to axe the branch, but eventually succeeds, only to be surprised by the presence of an iron nail where the branch detached. He notices a strange protrusion emerging from within the tree. Suddenly, he finds himself unable to speak or call out to his wife, who is sitting at a distance, oblivious to the situation, with her headphones on. A wooden witchcraft poppet falls from the tree hole, leaving him horrified and fleeing for his life from an unseen force. Meanwhile, the wife becomes petrified when she realizes her husband is missing and spots the witchcraft doll, prompting her to scream as the screen fades to black.

A few months later, Maari, a forest guard and part-time guide, receives instructions from his boss, Ashok, to escort his friends into the reserved forest, formerly a government-owned coffee plantation. As they head towards the forest, Maari's daughter stops the car and hands him a sacred amulet. Before entering the forest, they encounter a rugged man driving a pickup, who seems to give them a malevolent stare. Eventually, the five friends, Charan, Meena, Sethu, Charu, and Jerry accompanied by Maari, begin their trek. Meena grows frustrated with Maari as he continually cautions them to behave properly and avoid disturbing the forest. Despite his warnings, they stumble upon a blocked pathway leading to Maayankaadu, a restricted area. Ignoring the warning signs, they clear the blockage, prompting Maari to reiterate his concerns. The friends become annoyed with Maari and demand an explanation for his behavior. Maari explains that the forest has deep-rooted folklore and that the local villagers, who rely on the forest for their livelihood, respect and avoid disturbing the natural balance.

Despite Maari's warnings, the group ventures into the restricted forest, with Maari reluctantly accompanying them. Charu becomes distracted by a noise and wanders away, finding herself at the edge of a cliff, where Maari rescues her just in time. Eventually, they arrive at a viewpoint and set up camp nearby. While attempting to take a photo, Jerry slips down seeing a terrifying figure, and becomes frightened, only to realize he has become separated from his friends. Panicked and distressed, Jerry returns to the camp and claims that someone pulled his leg, but his friends mock him, leading to an argument. Jerry challenges Sethu and Charu to visit the warning board they saw earlier, tie a scarf around it, and record it on their phone as proof. Maari warns them again, but the duo disregards his advice and sets off. Deep in the forest, Charu and Sethu stumble upon a dilapidated house and enter it, discovering a haunting atmosphere and eerie witchcraft dolls. As Charu tries to take a selfie, she is horrified by the sudden appearance of an unknown figure. To their shock, they see Jerry's scarf hanging high on a tree branch.

As time passes, Maari and Charan search for Charu and Sethu at the warning board area, but they are nowhere to be found. They hear Charu's scream and rush towards the sound, only to discover Charu lying motionless. However, it turns out to be a prank, and Charan becomes enraged. When Maari and Charan return to the campsite, they are astonished to find Sethu and Charu already present and realize that no one has accompanied them. Maari reveals that Charu had mistakenly entered Pechi's house and tells the story about Pechi.

Pechi, a woman from a prestigious family, had learned black magic in Kerala and returned to the forest, where she performed satanic rituals and human sacrifices to appease her demonic gods. The villagers, aware of her activities, attempted to capture her but were subdued by her black magic. A saint informed them that Pechi had become immortal and that her human sacrifices were offerings to the demonic god. The saint advised that Pechi couldn't be destroyed, only trapped through invocation. With the saint's help, the villagers successfully killed Pechi, trapped her soul in a wooden witchcraft poppet, and nailed it to a tree, which Ram had inadvertently released earlier. They buried her corpse nearby and performed rituals to confine her spirit within the restricted area, marked by the warning board, to prevent her from entering the village.

Although skeptical, the friends decide to leave the forest immediately. Jerry remembers his missing camera and returns to retrieve it, accompanied by Maari, who is actually the impersonated Pechi. Jerry ends up in Pechi's house and screams for help. Maari and Charan search for Jerry but find a camera recording of Ram and his wife's brutal murder instead. They return to the campsite, where Sethu and Meena accuse Maari of killing Jerry. Sethu chases Maari where he enters the restricted area, but the sacred amulet protects him, while Sethu gets killed by Pechi who is impersonated as Jerry. Pechi kills Charu in front of Charan and Meena. Meena is trapped in Pechi's house but is unharmed. Maari rescues Charan and Meena and urges them to descend the hill quickly, assuring them that the amulet, gifted by the saint to his forefathers, will protect them from demonic forces. During their escape, Meena is pulled away into the restricted area, and Charan leaves Maari behind to search for her. Although unable to find Meena, Charan remains unaffected, clutching the sacred amulet that had come loose from Maari's neck during a scuffle. Charan returns to find Maari dead but somehow flees the forest. He comes across a car and the rugged man from earlier encounter is driving it, who seems to help him inside the car, but is shocked to see Meena inside. However, he is beaten by the thug and taken to Pechi's house, where he is tied up.

It is then revealed that Meena, a bloodline descendant of Pechi, had intentionally befriended Charan, Sethu, Charu, and Jerry. Her grandmother who wakes up once Pechi is released from the tree, knows that 13 more human sacrifices from Pechi are needed to satiate the demon. For that, Meena with the help of the thug, assists Pechi by bringing people to the forest for sacrifice and also kills Maari. Back to present, Charan is left tied while the two exit the house, while Pechi makes her appearance. The film concludes with the completion of 6 human sacrifices and 7 remaining in Pechi's account. Once Pechi's quota is fulfilled, Meena's own human sacrifices will commence, perpetuating the sinister cycle. The film ends with another group of people entering the forest in search of the previous trekkers.

Cast

Production

The film is based on an eponymous short film directed by Ramachandran written by Vaz [2] The film was produced by Gokul Benoy, Shaik Mujeeb under the banner of Veyilon Entertainment & Verus Productions. [3] The cinematography was done by Parthiban D.F.Tech [4] while editing was handled by Ignatious Aswin and music composed by Rajesh Murugesan. [5]

Release

Theatrical

The film was released on 2 August 2024 in theatres. [6]

Home Media

The film will have its digital premiere on the streaming platforms Prime Video and Aha Tamil from 20 September 2024. [7]

Reception

Abhinav Subramanian of The Times of India gave it two-and-a-half out of five stars and wrote, "Pechi offers some chills but struggles in delivering a coherent supernatural tale." [8] A critic from Hindustan Times Tamil gave the film three out of five stars and wrote that it is a one-time watchable film and it will give new experience to horror fans. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Marmadesam</i> 1996 Indian TV series or programme

Marmadesam was a 1996-2001 Tamil mystery anthology television series telecasted between 1996 and 1998 on Sun TV and then on Raj TV between 1999 and 2001 lasting 5 seasons. It has been re-telecasted on Vasanth TV since 3 August 2015, Monday through Friday at 7:30 PM and also in Sun TV from 27 July 2020, Monday through Friday at 10:30 PM.

<i>Bharathi Kannamma</i> 1997 Indian film

Bharathi Kannamma is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Cheran, starring R. Parthiban and Meena. The film marks Cheran's debut as a director and screenwriter. It was released on 15 January 1997 and emerged a success, winning three Filmfare Awards South including Best Film – Tamil. The film was remade in Kannada as Usire (2001).

<i>Sethu</i> (film) 1999 Indian film

Sethu is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film, written and directed by Bala in his debut. The film stars Vikram and Abitha. The score and soundtrack were composed by Ilaiyaraaja, with cinematography by R. Rathnavelu and editing by Raghu Baabu.

<i>Chirutha</i> 2007 Indian film

Chirutha (transl. Cheetah) is a 2007 Indian Telugu-language action film directed by Puri Jagannadh and produced by C. Aswani Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies. The film stars debutants Ram Charan and Neha Sharma, alongside Prakash Raj, Ashish Vidyarthi, Tanikella Bharani, Sayaji Shinde, Daniel Balaji and Brahmanandam. The film revolves around Charan, a youngster, and his pursuit of revenge against Mattu Bhai, a crime boss who killed Charan's parents.

<i>Dil Ek Mandir</i> 1963 Indian film

Dil Ek Mandir is a 1963 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by C. V. Sridhar and written by Raj Baldev Raj. The film stars Rajendra Kumar, Meena Kumari, Raaj Kumar and Mehmood. The film's music is by Shankar Jaikishan. All the songs of this film were hits and were loved by everyone. The film was a major hit and ranked fifth on the box office collection list. The film is a remake of Sridhar's Tamil film Nenjil Or Aalayam (1962), and was itself remade in Pakistan as Insaniyat in 1967.

<i>Panchatanthiram</i> 2002 film by K. S. Ravikumar

Panchatanthiram is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language black comedy film co-written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar. The story is written by Kamal Haasan with the dialogues by Crazy Mohan. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Jayaram, Ramesh Aravind, Sriman, Yugi Sethu, Simran and Ramya Krishnan, with Urvashi, Aishwarya, Sanghavi, Vidhya Venkatesh, Devayani and Nagesh in supporting roles. It loosely adapts from the 1998 film Very Bad Things with new elements added to it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kajal Aggarwal</span> Indian actress (born 1985)

Kajal A Kitchlu, known professionally as Kajal Aggarwal, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Telugu and Tamil films, as well as some Hindi films. She is a recipient of three South Indian International Movie Awards along with four Filmfare Awards South nominations. Aggarwal is considered as one of the highest paid actresses in South Indian cinema, according to various media reports.

<i>Palayathu Amman</i> 2000 Indian film

Palayathu Amman is a 2000 Indian Tamil-language devotional film directed by Rama Narayanan. Meena plays the lead role as goddess Amman, while Ramki, Divya Unni, Charan Raj, and Vivek play supporting roles.

<i>Chandirani</i> 1953 Indian film

Chandirani is a 1953 Indian swashbuckler film directed by Bhanumathi and produced by P. S. Ramakrishna Rao under the Bharani Studios banner. The film was shot simultaneously in Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi languages. It stars Bhanumathi, N. T. Rama Rao, S. V. Ranga Rao and Relangi. Bhanumathi also wrote the story while Ramakrishna Rao scripted the film. The film's music composers were C. R. Subburaman and M. S. Viswanathan.

<i>Muppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal</i> 2012 Indian film

Muppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language romantic psychological thriller film directed by Elred Kumar starring Atharvaa and Amala Paul, while Jayaprakash, Anupama Kumar, Santhanam, Yashika and Nassar played supporting roles. The music was scored by G. V. Prakash Kumar. The film opened to mixed reviews, but had a successful 100-day run. This movie was dubbed in Hindi as Meri Dhadkan The film was later also screened at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival in a non-award ceremony, winning acclaim.

<i>Racha</i> (film) 2012 film by Sampath Nandi

Racha (transl. Chaos/Uproar) is a 2012 Indian Telugu-language masala film directed by Sampath Nandi and produced by Megaa Super Good Films. The film stars Ram Charan and Tamannaah Bhatia, alongside Ajmal Ameer, Mukesh Rishi, Dev Gill, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Nassar and R. Parthiban. The film marks the Telugu debuts of Ajmal Ameer and R. Parthiban. The music was composed by Mani Sharma, while cinematography and editing were handled by Sameer Reddy and Gautham Raju respectively.

Vaimaye Vellum is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language crime film directed by P. Vasu. The film stars Parthiban and Rachna Banerjee. It was released on 14 February 1997.

Kinnaram is a 1983 Malayalam comedy film directed by Sathyan Anthikkad. The film is the story of two bachelor friends who fall in love with the same girl. The film stars Nedumudi Venu, Sukumaran and Poornima Jayaram in the lead roles.

<i>Poo</i> (film) 2008 film directed by Sasi

Poo (transl. Flower) is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Sasi, based on the short story, Veyilodu Poi written by Thamizh Selvan. The film, produced by Moser Baer and Nesagee Cinemas, stars Srikanth and Parvathy Thiruvothu in the lead roles. The music was composed by S. S. Kumaran with cinematography by P. G. Muthaiah and editing by Mathan Gunadeva. The film released on 28 November 2008 to positive reviews and won several awards as well.

Shaik Jani Basha, known professionally as Jani Master, is an Indian dance choreographer who predominantly works in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Hindi films. He choreographs in various dance styles, with a focus on Western and folk styles. He received a National Film Award, three Filmfare Awards South and three SIIMA Awards.

<i>Maari 2</i> 2018 film directed by Balaji Mohan

Maari 2 is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Balaji Mohan. It is a sequel to his 2015 film Maari. Dhanush, besides producing the film under his company Wunderbar Films, also stars as the title character, continuing his role from the first film. The film also stars Tovino Thomas,Sai Pallavi, Krishna and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar. The music was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, the cinematography was done by Om Prakash and editing by Prasanna GK. The film was released on 21 December 2018 and received mixed reviews from critics, becoming a box office failure.

<i>Vinaya Vidheya Rama</i> 2019 Indian Telugu action film

Vinaya Vidheya Rama is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language action film written and directed by Boyapati Srinu and produced by D. V. V. Danayya. The film stars Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Vivek Oberoi, and Prashanth. The music was composed by Devi Sri Prasad. The film revolves around Konidela Ram Charan, an angry young man who sets out to destroy a dictator in Bihar, after the lives of his loved ones are threatened and his elder brother gets killed.

Ragasiya Snehithane is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language horror thriller film written and directed by Sujo Visanth. The film stars Lakshmi Rai along with newcomers Vasanth, Vijayraj, Prakash, Kandan, and Sriram, with Jayasurya, Charan Raj, Mahanadhi Shankar, Sethu Vinayagam, Hemalatha, Gowthami Vembunathan, M. S. Bhaskar, Pandu, Crane Manohar, and Bava Lakshmanan playing supporting roles. The film had music by John Peter. The film was released on 22 August 2008 after many delays. The film's title is based on a lyric from the song "Snegithane" in Alai Payuthey (2000).

<i>Kaari</i> (film) 2022 Indian film by Hemanth

Kaari (transl. Effective) is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language sports action drama film written and directed by Hemanth, in his directorial debut, and produced by S. Lakshman Kumar under the banner of Prince Pictures. The film stars M. Sasikumar, Parvathy Arun, J. D. Chakravarthy and Balaji Sakthivel, with Aadukalam Naren, Ammu Abhirami, Redin Kingsley and Nagineedu in supporting roles. The music was composed by D. Imman, and cinematography and editing handled by Ganesh Chandhrra and T. Shivanandeeswaran, respectively.

Maari is a 2022 Indian-Tamil language Supernatural television series, starring Ashika Padukone, Adarsh HS, Sona Heiden, Sadhana and Shiva Subramanian and Directed by V. Sadhasivam. The main plot of the series was taken from Bengali language Zee Bangla's series Trinayani, which aired from 4 March 2019 to 26 July 2020.

References

  1. "Gayathrie Shankar Was Wonderful To Work With: Gokul Benoy". Times Now. 2024-07-24. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  2. Features, C. E. (2024-07-23). "Pechi gets a release date". Cinema Express. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  3. "'பேச்சி' மூலம் கதையின் நாயகனான பால சரவணன்". Virakesari.lk. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  4. "Pechi". The Times of India. 2024-07-29. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  5. Features, C. E. (2024-06-15). "Sivakarthikeyan unveils Pechi's first look, reveals release window". Cinema Express. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  6. தினத்தந்தி (2024-07-13). "ஹாரர் திரில்லர் 'பேச்சி' படத்தின் டிரெய்லர் வைரல்". Dailythanthi.com (in Tamil). Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  7. CE Features (2024-09-19). "Pechi gets OTT release date". Cinema Express . Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  8. "Pechi Movie Review : Visually striking, narratively weak". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  9. Navaneethakrishnan, Stalin. "Pechi Movie Review: 'அரண்மனை 4 மிரட்டலை மிஞ்சியதா அரண்மனை காடு?' பேச்சி திரை விமர்சனம்!". Tamil Hindustan Times (in Tamil). Retrieved 2 August 2024.