The village of Raniwada has kept its Navratri garba silent for generations after a wronged witch named Jhamkudi cursed the place, and the curse stirs again the moment the rule is broken. Bablo, a fast-talking real estate fixer, is pulled back from the city, and Kumud, an NRI heir to the royal family, returns to face what the village has buried. Together they must unravel the mystery and free Raniwada before the witch claims it.
Jhamkudi took the sound of Navratri, the dandiya sticks and the garba circles, and folded it into a ghost story. The village of Raniwada has kept its garba silent for generations because a wronged witch named Jhamkudi cursed the place, and that curse wakes again once the rule is broken. Bablo, a fast-talking real estate fixer played by Viraj Ghelani, is pulled back from the city, while Kumud, an NRI heir to the royal family played by Manasi Parekh, returns to face what the village has kept buried.
The real draw is Manasi Parekh, a National Award winner who carries the double role of Kumud and the vengeful Jhamkudi and gives the film its few genuinely eerie beats. Viraj Ghelani, the digital creator making his Gujarati film debut, is looser and funnier than a first-timer has any right to be, and Sanjay Goradia and Ojas Rawal keep the comic engine running. Mid-Day handed it four out of five for the direction, the performances and a music package built around the title track, while still flagging that the logic goes missing in stretches and that the first half drags before the story finds its feet.
Not every critic was won over. Tarun Banker of Loksatta Jansatta found the story, dialogue and script thin and called the camerawork flat, closer to a stage play than to cinema. The honest verdict sits between the two. Jhamkudi is not a tight horror film and never wants to be, it is a festival crowd-pleaser that leans on culture, jump scares and jokes in equal measure, and audiences rewarded it, pushing collections to roughly 25 crore and one of the bigger Gujarati runs of the year. Watch it for Parekh and the party, not the plot.
Verdict
A festival crowd-pleaser that trades tight horror for garba-season fun, lifted by Manasi Parekh and a game debut from Viraj Ghelani.
What works
- Manasi Parekh's dual turn as Kumud and Jhamkudi
- Viraj Ghelani's confident Gujarati film debut
- Weaves Navratri and garba culture into the scares
- Strong music built around the title track
What holds it back
- Plot logic falls apart under scrutiny
- Slow, draggy first half
- Thin script and dialogue
- Flat, theatre-like cinematography
Cast & crew
Writers: Heath Bhatt
Music: Kruz - Aghori Muzik, Shadaab Hashmi, Bandish Project
Cast: Manasi Parekh (Kumud / Jhamkudi), Viraj Ghelani (Bablo), Sanjay Goradia (Babulal Mistry), Ojas Rawal (Ghelchandra), Chetan Daiya (Inspector Omkaar)
Producers: Parthiv Gohil, Manasi Parekh; co-produced by Dhaval Thakkar
Watch the trailer
Play the official trailer on YouTubeMore from Umang Vyas
More Horror Gujarati films
Frequently asked
Is Jhamkudi worth watching?
A festival crowd-pleaser that trades tight horror for garba-season fun, lifted by Manasi Parekh and a game debut from Viraj Ghelani. Kevu Che rates it 3 out of 5.
What is Jhamkudi about?
The village of Raniwada has kept its Navratri garba silent for generations after a wronged witch named Jhamkudi cursed the place, and the curse stirs again the moment the rule is broken. Bablo, a fast-talking real estate fixer, is pulled back from the city, and Kumud, an NRI heir to the royal family, returns to face what the village has buried. Together they must unravel the mystery and free Raniwada before the witch claims it.
What is the IMDb rating of Jhamkudi?
Jhamkudi (2024) holds an IMDb rating of 6.2 out of 10.