Tumbbad is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language period folk horror film directed by Rahi Anil Barve [mr].
Starring Sohum Shah in the lead role as Vinayak Rao, it follows the story of his search for a hidden 20th century treasure in the Indian village of Tumbbad, Maharashtra.
The director, Rahi Anil Barve, began writing the script based on a story a friend had told him about in 1993, by the Marathi writer Narayan Dharap.
Vinayak Rao tells his son Pandurang about the Goddess of Prosperity, the symbol of endless gold and grain, and the mother of all the Gods.
However, the residents of Tumbbad built a temple for Hastar's worship, provoking the Gods who cursed the village with incessant rain.
The old woman still lives, with a tree growing out of her body, and offers to tell him the secret of Sarkar's treasure if he ends her suffering.
He trains his son Pandurang in retrieving Hastar's coins and takes him to Tumbbad, warning him not to bring a dough doll for the practice.
Hoping to secure as much gold as possible before they lose the mansion, Pandurang suggests stealing Hastar's entire loincloth by luring him with multiple dough dolls.
Pandurang refuses, and after putting him to sleep by invoking Hastar's name, burns him and leaves Tumbbad, thus ending the cycle of greed.
Director Rahi Anil Barve [mr] said the title is derived from Shripad Narayan Pendse's Marathi novel Tumbadche Khot.
"[14] Barve wrote the script based on a story his friend had told when they were in the Nagzira wildlife sanctuary in 1993 "which made him crap his pants.
"[15] Barve took the story's basic premise about a scheming moneylender and another of his works, about a girl left alone with her grandmother who is possessed by a demon, and began writing a screenplay.
"[22] The film shows Hastar who, according to mythology stated in the movie, was banished to the womb of the mother goddess for being greedy for food and gold.
[42][43] Tumbbad's title track was composed, arranged and produced by Ajay–Atul; it was sung in Hindi with lyrics written by Raj Shekhar.
The website's critics consensus reads, "Tumbbad has everything you never knew you needed in a cliché horror romp that is very pleasing to the eye.
"[60] Raja Sen called the film "an ambitious one, artistic and attentively made, reminding me of the trippy stylings of filmmaker Tarsem Singh.
"[61] The Indian Express's Shubhra Gupta called it "highly unusual, visually stunning, a richly atmospheric concoction of genres and themes.
[66] Rediff.com's Sreehari Nair observed that "our apprehensions are raised lazily and we wait like masochists for the manipulations to arrive, but what we get instead is a single-line moral.
"[67] Namrata Joshi gave a positive review and wrote: "The atmosphere, landscape, and themes in Tumbbad are accentuated by a sense of Gothic dread and an eerie expectancy of the diabolical.
"[68] Suparna Sharma of the Deccan Chronicle noted that the film has "the beauty and horror of imagination, and it stalks you gently, long after you’ve left the theatre.
"[69] Reuters' Shilpa Jamkhandikar said that the "true star here is Barve, who takes what could have been a regular horror film and elevates it to another level.
"[70] Stutee Ghosh of The Quint wrote: "It excels is in its ability to weave together a formidable canvas with fear, fantasy and folklore blending in seamlessly to give us an unrelenting ominous journey.
"[71] Anna M. M. Vetticad wrote: "The joy of watching Tumbbad comes from the fact that Barve and his co-writers offer no answers, making this a delightfully intriguing film.
"[73] Jai Arjun Singh called the film "spooky, majestic and affecting, and these qualities come from the set design, the use of music, and the evocation of a place that is like a breathing thing, corroding the thoughts and actions of the people in it.
"[74] Lee Marshall of Screen International called it an "initially atmospheric yarn let down by weak stock characters and a long veer into fright-free period drama in its over-long middle section".
"[32] J. Hurtado of Screen Anarchy had a positive response and wrote: "A slow burn whose finale is wonderfully unexpected and yet fitting, Tumbbad is a great film and hopefully the start of a new trend in India.
[54] Dread Central's Jonathan Barkan wrote that the film "is more focused on the horror of human behavior than it is on creaking doors and the terror of what lurks in the dark."
[77] Matt Donato of /Film wrote: "Mad creature-feature designs, Academy-worthy blends of color and pristine optical packaging, despicable character work meant to provoke heartlessness traded for materialistic grandiosity – Tumbbad is a full genre package seasoned with a pungent foreign kick.
"[78] Trace Thurman of Bloody Disgusting wrote in his review: "With a compelling story of greed that spans more than 30 years, a memorable monster and some truly beautiful cinematography, Tumbbad is not to be missed.
[4] On 28 August 2024, Sohum Shah shared an intriguing image from the film with the caption "Chilling with Hastar", leading to speculation about a re-release.