Choo Mantar

Choo Mantar, a unique blend of horror and comedy in the world of Kannada cinema, takes the audience on a new and interesting cinematic journey. Directed by director Navinath and produced by Tarun Shivappa, the film was released on 10 January 2025. The film stars Sharan in the lead role, playing the role of a renowned paranormal expert ‘Dynamo’. He is accompanied by strong performances from actors like Aditi Prabhudeva, Chikkanna, Meghna Gaonkar, Prabhu Mundkur and Rajni Bharadwaj. The story of the film revolves around a scary and mysterious mansion called ‘Morgan House’, where Dynamo and his team go in search of hidden treasure. But this place is linked to a haunted past and the tragedy of greed. The film presents horror and comedy in a balanced way, with VFX also being used prominently. Shot in various locations like London, Sri Lanka, Kerala and Uttarakhand, the film is full of entertainment along with grandeur. Choo Mantar offers an interesting family horror-comedy experience.

Choo Mantar Story

The film ‘Choo Mantar’ is a horror-comedy, the story of which revolves around a famous paranormal expert “Dynamo” named Gotham. Gotham along with his team—Akanksha, RJ and Nakul—goes to Morgan House, a haunted place, in search of a treasure. The place is considered mysterious and scary, but they are unaware of its dangerous history.

The story goes back to the British era, when an English tax collector named George Morgan tortured the village people and secretly converted their tax money into diamonds with the help of his associates. Morgan falls in love with Mogra, a beautiful village girl who was an orphan and raised by the villagers. Mogra marries him too.

However, the story takes an unexpected turn when Mogra, in a fit of greed, murders Morgan so that she can own everything. Morgan shoots her while dying, and the spirits of both inhabit the mansion.

Now in the present, when Dynamo and his team enter the Morgan House, they not only have to find the treasure but also deal with the spirits that reside there. The film has a perfect mix of scares, laughter, and suspense, which keeps the audience hooked till the end.

The film ‘Choo Mantar’ is an entertaining experience that blends traditional folklore with a modern presentation. The story manages to scare as well as tickle the audience.

Movie Review

The audience’s reactions to the film “Choo Mantar” have been mixed, but one thing is clear that this film definitely creates curiosity and emotional attachment in the audience. The experience of a viewer tells that this was his first horror film which he saw in the cinema and he was completely mesmerized. He thoroughly enjoyed every scene of the film and praised the acting ability of all the actors. According to him, the film has a wonderful mixture of all emotions like curiosity, fear, laughter and sadness, which keeps the audience engaged for the entire two and a half hours. Even after the end of the film, he had a desire to watch it again, which makes it clear that this experience was very special for him.

On the other hand, a review by a viewer named Chintan Mehta presents a critical view on some aspects of the film. According to him, the first part of the film, especially the story shown in flashback, is well crafted and keeps the audience engaged. But the second part was not shown as seriously and he felt that the director did not handle the second half of the film with as much dedication. According to him, the film could have been presented as a true horror thriller if the fear and suspense were portrayed better instead of humor. He called the acting average and the film moved fast at places because he found some scenes to be dragging. He also questioned how the title of the film “Choo Mantar” actually relates to the story, which remained unclear to him.

However, he did express hope that the director will learn from the previous mistakes and give a better presentation with a better cast and a strong story in the next part of the film i.e. “Choo Mantar Part 2”. He wished the filmmakers all the best and urged them to try to live up to the expectations of the audience in the future.

Conclusion

“Choo Mantar” is an entertaining horror-comedy film that presents the audience with various shades of mystery, fear and emotions. While the first half of the film connects the audience deeply to the story, some weaknesses are seen in the second half. The performances of the cast are satisfactory and the technical aspects, especially the VFX, are commendable. Though the title and tone of the film may confuse some viewers, it is still a one-time watch. If the director improves upon the sequel, the series may become even more popular among the audience.