A timely release for the Navratri season, Yami Gautam Dhar’s Nayyi Navelli made all the right noise. The trailer promised the chaos that would predictably unfold when a small-town family discovers that their bahu is a literal daayan. Directed by Balaji Mohan and produced by Aanand L Rai, Nayyi Navelli could have been an entertaining horror comedy had it tried to stick to these genres. But as the film progresses, you realise that you’ve been misled on both counts.

Nayyi Navelli film review: What’s the plot?

The elder son of a traditional Meerut family falls in love with a beautiful, sanskaari, successful woman. Mohini (Yami Gautam Dhar) is the ideal bahu any desi family would want. As soon as she meets the family, she begins solving their individual problems one by one, making each member worship her like a devi. She’s never dishevelled, never tires, and always has a smile on her face. Except when she’s in “daayan” form, which is witnessed by her dewar, Bantu (Anurag Thakur).

The film begins with Bantu and his friend trying to expose Mohini’s reality to the family. Mohini’s husband, Raja (Addinath Kothare), refuses to believe Bantu. The Awasthi family, too, is not easily convinced that their bahu is anything but perfect. But as Bantu shows more and more proof against her, Mohini gives up and shows her true self, which is not exactly “daayan“, but not human either.

The first half is full of laughs as the Awasthi family takes centre stage. Their one-liners and constant griping at each other keep you entertained and also make you believe that Nayyi Navelli might turn out to be a good film after all. However, that misconception is shattered soon.

A promising film that didn’t need so much mythology

Remember Stree? Now that was a horror comedy. Both Stree and Stree 2 could scare you and make you laugh within minutes. But Nayyi Navelli loses itself in sanctimonious preaching and repeated attempts to make the audience see Yami Gautam as a goddess. Soon after the interval, mythology and sentimentality take over, leading to a predictable ending and a realisation that Nayyi Navelli could have been 30 minutes shorter. The villains, Ravana and his accomplice, are given maniacal laughs, right out of a children’s story. There is no nuance, no twist in the fight between good and evil that would make this film worth two hours and 18 minutes of your time.

If the mythological themes had existed merely as background support for a fresh story, Nayyi Navelli would have been one for the film history books. Alas, the writers thought otherwise.

Nayyi Navelli cast: A criminal waste of talent

A cast that includes veterans like Mita Vashisht and Sunita Rajwar deserved better. When you see an unexpected pairing like Mita and Kullu, who could have given hilarious new twists to bua-phupha stereotypes, you expect so much more than what you’re given in this film. Sunita Rajwar, as the matriarch of the Awasthi household, is a delight to watch. Her feminist advice to her daughter during the vidaai and her nod to Marvel’s Avengers bring respite to the overall monotony of Nayyi Navelli. After a while, you just want the dramatic, supernatural fighting to end and watch the Awasthi family instead.

Watch Nayyi Navelli if you have nothing else to do during the school Dussehra break. The film is now running in theatres.

Can you watch Nayyi Navelli with family? Yes. But your time might be better spent watching the neighbourhood Ram Lila.