Latest news with #Gehrayee
Time of India
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Inspired by her Bengaluru days, Bollywood director made a horror film on black magic. What happened next will shock you
In 1980, celebrated filmmaker Aruna Raje , a six-time National Award winner, brought to life Gehrayee — a psychological horror-thriller steeped in the unsettling world of black magic . But what many don't know is that this chilling story was rooted in her very own backyard — literally. Long before the camera rolled, Raje's curiosity about the occult was piqued by strange happenings at her home in Bengaluru . Every morning, her mother would discover lemons doused in turmeric or vermilion in their garden — a chilling hallmark of black magic rituals. At first, it was unnerving. Later, it became the seed for a film that would haunt not just screens, but her life as well. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Artificial Intelligence Data Science Data Analytics Healthcare Digital Marketing Product Management Leadership Cybersecurity MCA Others PGDM CXO Finance healthcare MBA Public Policy Design Thinking others Data Science Project Management Technology Management Degree Operations Management Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Exec Cert Prog in AI for Biz India Starts on undefined Get Details 'My father was a freedom fighter who became a politician,' Raje said in a recent interview with Bollywood Crypt, 'so finding such things in our garden wasn't entirely unusual. Black magic and politics, strangely, often crossed paths.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Only 2% Traders Know this Powerful Intraday Strategy thefutureuniversity Learn More From Strange Findings to Script Readings Raje, along with her then-husband Vikas Desai and iconic playwright Vijay Tendulkar , transformed these personal encounters into cinematic narrative. Gehrayee was born out of deep research. The trio interviewed tantrics , psychologists, and families who had experienced unexplained phenomena. One particularly gripping tale made its way into the script: a young Catholic girl believed to be possessed by the spirit of a Muslim woman from Lucknow. 'She would suddenly speak flawless Urdu and even recite poetry,' Raje recalled, still in awe of the stories that surfaced. The incident went on to shape the character later played by Padmini Kolhapure in the film. You Might Also Like: Bhavani Ward 1997 is now on OTT: When and where to watch Telugu horror drama A Film That Haunted Its Makers But delving into the occult came at a cost. As warnings poured in from tantrics and well-wishers alike — urging them not to tamper with such energies — Raje and Desai remained firm. 'We thought we were just telling stories. How bad could it be?' she reflected. As it turned out, worse than they imagined. Soon after Gehrayee released, life took a harrowing turn. The couple divorced. Raje lost her nine-year-old daughter to cancer. Rumours spread like wildfire that the film's subject had brought misfortune — a whisper campaign fed by viewers' own unsettling experiences. 'People would call us saying their food spoiled after watching the film or strange things started happening in their homes,' she said. 'They wanted tantrics' numbers. But how could we tell who was real or fake?' Gehrayee, starring Anant Nag, Sriram Lagoo, and Amrish Puri in a cameo, was not just a film — it became a cultural enigma. It reminded audiences of the thin, trembling line between fiction and the forces we cannot explain. For Raje, it became a haunting chapter in her storytelling journey — one born from a city garden, shaped by forgotten rituals, and sealed by real-life tragedy. You Might Also Like: She earned more than top Bollywood stars, even refused 'Mughal-e-Azam' but today few remember India's first 'Lady Boss'
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Director of Amrish Puri-Padmini Kolhapure horror film was warned not to dabble in black magic, received complaints from audiences who watched it
Long before Shaitaan, director Aruna Raje, the recipient of six national awards, made a horror thriller film titled Gehrayee (1980). Co-written by the renowned playwright Vijay Tendulkar, the film was based on a family's experience with black magic. While writing the film, Aruna said that she met several tantrics. She was warned not to dabble in black magic, and she admitted that life took a turn for the worse afterwards. In a recent interview with Bollywood Crypt, Aruna Raje shared, 'Vikas Desai and I considered ourselves as storytellers. We were open to any story that was engaging, that's exciting–if it is exciting us, it might excite the audience.' She revealed that the idea of Gehrayee came to her from a personal experience. 'When I used to live with my family in Bangalore, every day, my mother would find something in the garden. Some little lemon with haldi or kum kum on it. People would practice black magic–especially in politics.' She shared that her father was a freedom fighter who eventually became a politician. 'So it was not unheard of to find all these things in our garden.' She continued, 'When I got a chance to make something, I was like 'Why don't we make something concerning black magic. And, then we started doing research. Interestingly, Vijay Tendulkar was with us on this script. So, there were three of us writing the script. We interviewed a lot of people. We came across very interesting stories.' Aruna said that the character played by Padmani Kolhapure was inspired by a story she was told during the research phase. 'We found a person who was actually possessed by a strange character. The person possessed was a Catholic, and the person who possessed her was some Muslim girl from Lucknow. What surprised us was that when the girl was possessed, she would speak superb Urdu. She would do sher-shayari. It was so inspiring to hear these stories that showed things like this are actually happening.' She added, 'So many people were in touch with us. We met so many black magicians and white magicians. The film just grew and grew until we finalised a direction for it.' ALSO READ | Bollywood's leading action director survived on Re 1 for meals, worked as spot boy to Ajay Devgn's father, wasn't paid But her experience wasn't entirely positive. 'Another important thing is… we shouldn't dabble into these things personally. Mostly because we don't know the outcome. Everybody has warned us: 'Don't do this film, all sorts of things will happen to you'. We were not so superstitious, so we would always say, 'Arey, they are only retelling stories. We are only making a film.' We made the film anyway, but things did go bad. They would go bad anyway, I suppose.' Just a couple of years after the film, Aruna divorced her husband. She lost her nine-year-old daughter to cancer. Recalling incidents from after the film's release, Aruna shared, 'People were scared. After the film was released, we got hundreds of calls–people saying this problem is happening, the food got spoilt, something else has happened. They would ask for help and contacts of tantrics and mantrics. But, we couldn't do that. We couldn't give them phone numbers. We didn't know who are phony and who are real when it comes to tantrics.' The film starred Anant Nag, Padmini Kolhapure, Sriram Lagoo, and Indrani Mukherjee. Actor Amrish Puri had a guest appearance in the film.
