Anya’s Tutorial is a bi-lingual web series on Aha, an OTT platform streaming Tamil and Telegu content. The Regina Cassandra and Nivedithaa Satish-starrer is directed by Pallavi Gangireddy. This is Gangireddy’s directorial debut. The seven-part web series has a very promising beginning and offers a unique take on the horror genre, which is unheard of in the Indian film industry. Horror films are usually a breeding ground for cliches. Anya’s Tutorial clubs horror with psychological trauma and child abuse. The plot is enthralling in the first few episodes but leaves viewers bamboozled towards the end and simply falls apart. While Hindi horror cinema seems to be losing its authenticity entirely, Anya’s Tutorial tries to salvage the reputation of the genre but does not make the cut.
Good casting, questionable plot
The Telegu drama has a topsy-turvy plot. At first, Anya’s Tutorial captivates viewers and leaves them on edge, the suspense is omnipresent and nailbiting. Regina Cassandra is brilliant as the crafty villain Nivedithaa Satish delivers as the troubled Lavina. The series begins with a scenario typical of the genre- the protagonist moves to a house that is inhabited by a lingering spirit. As usual, the spirit makes itself known by flickering lights, clanking pots and pans, and breaking things. Writer Sowmya Sharma could have skipped the cliches here. Lavina (Nivedithaa Satish) and Madhumitra (Regina Cassandra) play sisters who have a strained relationship owing to a terrible childhood and an absentee mother.
What makes the first half of the series still stand out are the modern elements, it is not your regular 1900s haunted house film, people are not in disbelief about the existence of spirits and their malicious intents. The story is set during the nationwide lockdown due to Covid when Lavina’s Lives start trending, and her popularity skyrockets. Lavina’s Instagram debut and the ghost of a figure lingering behind her are caught on camera. But this suspense does not last long, the plot quickly spirals downwards, and the ending becomes painfully obvious and predictable. Even the character development goes from bad to worse. Here is how unappetizing it gets – from subtle and convincing scenes of hushed whispers and lingering shadows, Anya’s Tutorial advances to the protagonist teleporting, levitating, and hanging mid-air. What started with Lavina’s followers viewing the spirit in her house live and her nonchalance toward it, goes on to become a horror yard sale with pentagons, voodoo dolls, black candles, locks of hair, and exorcism chants.
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It needed a Take Two
Anya’s Tutorial would have been a fantastic watch had the writer and director focused on the series as a whole and not just the beginning. It tries to do too many things – and in horror, the subtle is sublime. The cracks in the narrative, haphazard climax and the attempted cliffhanger do not gel well together. Despite a stellar cast and convincing performances by Nivedithaa Satish and Regina Cassandra, the storyline simply ruptures.
(Edited by Neera Majumdar)