Nayyi Navelli review: Witchful thinking, wasted potential in Yami Gautam's film

Nayyi Navelli movie review: Bantu accuses Mohini of being a daayan after finding her performing a forest ritual. The promising horror-comedy loses balance as mythology overwhelms its stronger first half.

In Short

• Nayyi Navelli mixes Indian folklore, family drama, comedy and supernatural horror
• The first half sets the tone with mystery and humour
• The story centres on Mohini, suspected as a witch by her brother-in-law Bantu

Yami Gautam Dhar’s Nayyi Navelli has an interesting idea at its heart. What if the woman who seems to have brought peace and happiness into a dysfunctional family is actually a daayan (witch)? Or, as the film soon makes clear, what if the family has been looking in the wrong direction all along? There is enough here for an entertaining mix of Indian folklore, family drama, comedy and supernatural horror. The problem is that the film, directed by Balaji Mohan, cannot quite decide how to bring these elements together.

The first half sets the tone well. It introduces an eccentric family, a suspicious brother-in-law and a series of strange incidents that make you wonder what is really going on. There are funny exchanges, odd rituals and just enough mystery to keep you interested. But the second half loses its grip. As the story gets deeper into mythology and supernatural powers, the humour and horror begin to feel less balanced, and the film struggles to deliver on the promise of its premise.

The story begins at a wedding in Meerut. There is a wedding happening, but Raja (Addinath M Kothare) is preoccupied with the disappearance of his wife, Mohini (Yami Gautam). Meanwhile, Mohini’s brother-in-law, Bantu (Anurag Thakur), follows her into a forest, where he finds her performing a ritual. With the help of a priest, he brings her back and locks her inside a room.

Bantu soon calls a family meeting and makes a startling claim: Bhabhi aka Mohini is a daayan. His brother is understandably unimpressed, especially since his wife has brought some much-needed happiness into their lives. But Bantu insists that he is not speaking metaphorically. He believes there is something supernatural about her, and he is ready with what he considers evidence.

This is where Nayyi Navelli is at its most entertaining. Bantu recalls how Mohini seemingly transformed everyone's lives after entering the family. A grandmother’s knee pain disappeared after Mohini touched her feet, while Bantu himself went from struggling with his law exams to becoming a lawyer. He also points out the strange things Mohini does, including riding a bike with no light on a deserted road at night and seemingly having a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

The film gets some of its best laughs from Bantu’s suspicious mind and the family's absurd attempts to make sense of Mohini. His arguments are often ridiculous, but his delivery gives them life. Anurag Thakur's comic timing is a major asset here. His retorts land well, and the Lakshman Rekha sequence is one of the film’s funniest moments.

There is also a more thoughtful idea running beneath the comedy. Mohini makes the women in the family, who have remained unseen and unappreciated despite doing so much for everyone else, feel important and confident. She challenges the way they are treated and encourages them to recognise their own worth. It is a welcome point, and it gives her character a purpose beyond being the mysterious woman at the centre of the plot.

However, the film becomes less engaging when it starts explaining its supernatural world. The story introduces the Kaal Sheel, a stone linked to Raavan and Mandodari, and a larger threat involving Raja. The family’s old mansion, we learn, has a connection to the mythological couple. Raja’s birth under the same nakshatra as Raavan also becomes significant, as dark forces seek to use him to bring Raavan back. Also, Mohini's supernatural powers are largely unexplained.

There is plenty to work with here, but the mythology begins to take over the film. The shift from a quirky family comedy to a more elaborate supernatural battle is not always smooth. The second half feels stretched, and the film relies on familiar horror-comedy tricks without finding enough new ways to use them. The comparison with films such as Stree is hard to avoid, but Nayyi Navelli lacks the same control over its humour, mystery and world-building.

The horror, too, is uneven. Raja’s transformation into a demon, with bloodshot eyes, fangs and bulging green veins, looks exaggerated. The film often seems more interested in showing supernatural spectacle than building genuine tension. Some of the repeated confrontations also begin to lose their impact.

Yami Gautam gives a committed performance as Mohini. She looks equally convincing as a woman who can be warm and reassuring and one who has a fiercer side. There is an intriguing quality to her presence, and she makes the character worth watching even when the writing leaves her with little to do beyond reacting to the next revelation.

Addinath M Kothare is effective as Raja in the emotional scenes, but the character spends so much time howling and displaying his anger that the performance becomes repetitive. Sunita Rajwar, Mita Vashist and Prateek Pachauri do well in their respective roles, while Kullu adds to the film's eccentric family dynamic. But it is Anurag Thakur who leaves the strongest impression. Whenever the story threatens to get carried away with its own mythology, Bantu's comic interruptions offer a welcome dose of levity.

Nayyi Navelli also marks GV Prakash Kumar’s Bollywood debut as a music composer. The soundtrack and background music fits the film’s colourful and slightly eccentric world, mixing desi sounds with contemporary beats. However, Phata Patakha is the one song that stands out; the rest do little to stay with you after the film ends.

At its heart, Nayyi Navelli has an appealing idea. It has a promising lead performance and a supporting actor who knows how to make a scene work. But a good premise can only take a film so far. The first half makes you curious about where the story is headed; the second half makes you wish it had found a more convincing way to get there.

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