Lapachhapi

Have you ever watched a film and later felt it was an underrated gem? I certainly felt when I watched a Marathi language film 'Lapachhapi' (meaning the game of hide and seek in Marathi).

This is a horror film that also involved psychological thriller elements. The film takes place in modern day Maharashtra. Heavily pregnant woman along with her husband had to travel to away from the city to evade the gangsters. They travel to their driver's native home which is in a remote village. The home is in the centre of a sugarcane field. Navigateing through the sugarcane field is almost like being in a labyrinth. The driver's wife welcomes the couple. The pregnant woman starts seeing 3 children in the house and backyard. She also starts hearing a mysterious song on radio. The driver's wife informs her that the children are indeed ghosts and the song is sung by another ghost who was her late sister in law. Mysterious events start to occur. The driver's wife starts treating the pregnant women differently. Suddenly the love and care disappears. Later they abandon the pregnant women in that haunted house telling her that if she survived 3 days in that house the foetus would survive. Then becomes the saga of hauntings which later reveal the reality of the events that have occurred in that house and in the sugarcane field. The pregnant woman learns the reality and decides to stand against the driver family. (Note: I had tried to provide the plot summary without spoilers.)

When I first watched this film I realised that how this film tightly binds the reality the friction, the superstition, and the paranormal all at once. This film touches upon sensitive topics such as the treatment a pregnant woman receives, the female infanticide, the superstitions towards the good harvest season, and the false narratives created towards the women who decide to rebel. A lot of scenes shown in the film appear relatable. The atmosphere created in the film is mysterious and eerie. The movie, especially the 2nd half feels like a fever dream. There are many themes that have been used in the films and while watching each scene viewers think about them.

The Script and the screenplay are skillful and tightly bind the entire film. It is one of the fast paced films where we blink and we miss something important. Each scene and each second provides hints towards either what had happened in the past or what would happen in the future. Not even a single scene or a single dialogue has less significance as compared with the entire film. A single tune that plays in the background elevates the scary atmosphere. Overall it is a film that not only is a horror entertainment but a thought provoking project.

This film has an impact on the pop culture. This film was remade as 'Chhori' in Hindi and was released on ott platforms. However I felt that the original film had a deeper impact as compared with its remake.

If you have watched 'Chhori' then I would suggest you to watch the original film lapachapi to understand how huntingly beautiful and thought provoking it is.