Aakruthi review: Aakruthi promises a refreshing horror drama

Keeping aside the run-of-the-mill saas-bahu drama, Kannada TV recently aired a new horror show on Monday, August 24. Produced by K M Chaitanya, the show has created a lot of buzz even before its launch.

The adversities that ‘

Aakruthi

’, a cursed painting have levelled upon the lead characters of the show forms the crux of the story.

The show has already introduced it's interesting characters. While Tanvi Rao plays the female protagonist named 'Divya' in the show, Pavan Kumar and Prakyath are seen playing the male protagonists. The duo portrays the characters of Balaji Jayram and Yashwanth respectively.

While Yashwant dreams of being a successful actor, Balaji has his own plans for his future. A budding journalist, a freelancer, a mind full of positive thoughts, and an aesthetic describes Balaji's character. However, his connection with the old bungalow and his family members just can not be ignored. Balaji's father Jayaram owns the old bungalow and is aware of all the stories related to it. He tactfully manipulates Prajwal and sells the bungalow to him.

Divya's character highlights how a young girl tries hard to strike a balance between her studies and extracurricular activities like Bharatanatyam. Her introduction showcases how her parents Prajwal and Chaithra, pamper her by executing a surprise birthday at midnight and shower her expensive gifts.

However, a dark spell is cast on the happy family when Prajwal decides to purchase an old bungalow in a far off place amidst nature. Having purchased the bungalow without any prior research and knowledge of its past, he finds the painting of Aaktruthi in the bungalow. This incident sets pace right for the story.

Inclined over the painting, Prajwal decides to take the painting home. But little did he know that he was putting his family at risk. The family slowly starts to experience bizarre experiences.

While the show opens with an old lady narrating a story of 'Aakruthi' in her granddaughter's dream, it has already given a peek into the characters of the story that will be connected in future.

Creepy locations in and around the village, cold nights, haunted house, orthodox beliefs, possessed doll and paranormal occurrences take the viewer back to a story that happened two centuries back.

Adeptly crafted scenes build enough curiosity about the story and eventually trace the horror atmosphere in the show. The graphics and background music are indeed a value addition. They create a psychological tension and build the suspense as the story slowly seeps in. Gripping performances with subtlety are worth mentioning. Although the male protagonists had limited screen time so far, their absence is hardly felt.

Overall, the opening week of the show has set a pace to the show to unveil more mysterious making the show a promising affair for the telly audience.