Asvins 2023: Release date, trailer, story, cast, budget, behind the scenes, OTT partner and more

Asvins is a horror-thriller that’s releasing in Tamil and Telugu this weekend. The film marks the directorial debut of Tarun Teja (Mallareddy) and is bankrolled by reputed Telugu producer BVSN Prasad and is presented by B Bapineedu under Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra. Vijay Siddharth scores the music for the film for which M Edwin Sakay is the cinematographer.

A cast featuring a mix of known names, fresh faces

Taramani fame Vasanth Ravi plays the main protagonist in the film which also features Vimala Raman in a crucial role. Muralidaran, Saraswathi Menon, Udhayadeep and Simran Pareek essay other significant parts in the same. Saraswathi is the daughter of well known actor, director, cinematographer Rajeev Menon.

A spine-chilling trailer

The trailer creates just the right element of interest in the viewer as the key characters, who play YouTubers, in the film are on their way to a haunted mansion in UK and experience a series of eerie events. The slick edits, the impressive cinematography, sound design promising an immersive experience that has a mix of horror, folklore and psychology too.

Story

Arjun, Ritu, Grace, Varun and Rahul are a group of friends who head to one of the most feared sites in the UK, as part of a ‘black tourism’ assignment, and the night they’re to spend in the mansion will change their life forever. Is the house haunted? Is their fear more psychological? To what extent will they go to safeguard their lives and of their loved ones?

Budget

While the production house hasn’t officially revealed the budget, the film is expected to have been made under a sum of Rs 2-3 crores. Asvins was shot with a limited crew and a compact bunch of actors who were part of extensive workshops held prior to the filming.

Behind the scenes

Not much of the behind-the-scenes footage has been shared by the team to date. However, the director made Asvins initially as a short film shot during the first COVID-19 lockdown that went viral upon its release, convincing the producers to make a feature film out of it. The makers were impressed with how the director explained his vision behind the film across multiple crafts and the seamless blend of mythological, psychological and horror elements in the story.

OTT partner

Netflix has acquired the post-theatrical streaming rights of the thriller and is expected to premiere the film in the second half of July.

Release date

Originally shot in Tamil, the film was also later dubbed into Telugu. The Telugu and Tamil versions of the thriller will be simultaneously releasing worldwide on June 23. The film was awarded an A - ‘adults only’ certificate by the CBFC.