If you’ve been enthralled by the tale of Lord Shiva and the ten thousand elephants, you might want to give Durgamati – The Myth a chance. Directed by Ashok G and starring Anushka Shetty, the film blends historical drama with horror. It has a running time of 2 hours and 35 minutes, so you should be able to catch it on Prime Video if you’re a movie buff.
While Durgamati tries to raise important issues, it doesn’t really succeed at it. Rather, it feels like it’s enmeshed in its own myth. It’s so densely populated with plot points and themes that it’s hard to discern a clear point of view. And while the film does have a few positive elements, they’re mostly confined to the mediocre storytelling style.
As a remake of Bhagaamathie, Durgamati – The Myth is a good choice for fans of the original, as both films are set in the same world. It’s also a good way to see how these two films differ from each other. In fact, the sequel is even better, and there’s a chance you’ll even enjoy it more than the original.
While it’s true that life is stranger than fiction, the horror-thriller genre is for mysteries that are unsolvable. And while there are several elements that work to make Durgamati stand out amongst its competitors, it ultimately fails to make an impact. The film is a Hindi remake of the Tamil-Telugu horror film Bhaagmathie, and its duration is the same at 2.5 hours.
In my Durgamati the Myth review, I’ll try to be as fair as possible, so that you can judge whether it’s worth watching or not. As a remake of a South Indian film, the story is more engaging, but isn’t as sophisticated or as entertaining as the original. I’d recommend it, but not if you’re a horror movie fan! If you’re an Indian, however, it’s better than nothing, but this film is definitely worth a watch.
If you’re an IAS officer, you may be wondering what kind of role Durgamati plays in this film. This isn’t your typical movie-goer. In the original, the IAS officer was an alleged murderer, and she’s now being held for murder. This story is just as tragic and engrossing, but this time, a woman’s fate is at stake.
The film’s performances are solid. Bhumi Pednekar and Arshad Warsi both put in strong performances, and the supporting cast also does well. The story may move slowly – the original ran for two hours and eight minutes, and this version is only a few minutes shorter. But the film’s background score, dialogues, screenplay, editing, and VFX are excellent. The movie’s main cast are all great, but the film’s pacing isn’t perfect.
