Dhootha on Amazon Prime Video: Can Vikram K Kumar repeat the 13B magic again?

The horror web show that marks the director's digital debut stars Naga Chaitanya, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Priya Bhavani Shankar and Prachi Desai

The Dhootha team

Director Vikram K Kumar is probably one of the most underrated filmmakers in Indian cinema, be it his novel plots, the technical finesse in his execution and ability to pull off diverse genres with relative ease. His filmography says it all - while Ishtam, Ishq were romantic dramas, 13B was a horror thriller, 24 was a time-travel film, Manam, a reincarnation drama and Gang Leader, an action comedy. His upcoming film with Thank You is a coming-of-age story. And yet his storytelling mettle isn't discussed as much as it should've been.

Now, the filmmaker is set to foray in the digital space with Dhootha, a horror web show on Amazon Prime Video, announced by the platform earlier this week. He reunites with his Manam, Thank You male lead Naga Chaitanya for the project that also stars Parvathy Thiruvothu, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Tharun Bhascker Dhaassyam and Prachi Desai. The show is co-written by Vikram K Kumar along with Dondapati Venkatesh, Poorna Prajna, Sripal Reddy and Naveen George Thomas. The filmmaker is also the executive producer for Dhootha.

Dhootha marks the return of Vikram K Kumar to the horror-thriller genre many years after 13B, that starred Madhavan and Neetu Chandra. 13B is a story of Manohar, who with his family, moves to a 13th floor of a new apartment where he encounters a series of supernatural events. Ultimately, he realises they are haunted by a spirit that uses a television set to communicate its interests. Dhootha's premise too has some similarity to the story of 13B.

As per the plot, stated by Amazon Prime Video during the show's launch, here too, a series of inanimate objects create problems in the lives of a few sinners. It's interesting that on both occasions Vikram has used an inanimate object to create an element of fear - one can't wait to see if he'll push the limits of the horror genre in the Indian industry yet again with Dhootha. The cast looks extremely promising and the OTT platform plans to release the show in August/September. Dhootha is produced by Sharrath Marar under Northstar Entertainment.

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