Ahalya (2015) User Reviews

Bollywood should move on to Short Movies concept.

[Abby_qadir · 9/10 · 7 August 2015]

After watching this short film I have google'd the word "Ahalya" because I was totally unaware about the concept behind it, and I found this

"""In Hindu mythology, Ahalya (Sanskrit: अहल्या, IAST Ahalyā), also known as Ahilya, is the wife of the sage Gautama Maharishi. Many Hindu scriptures say that she was seduced by Indra (the king of the gods), cursed by her husband for infidelity, and liberated from the curse by Rama (an avatar of the god Vishnu).""""

The short movie was brilliant with it's core meaning, Mr Sujoy Ghosh has made a brilliant attempt to make this. It is really shocking for me that how could a 14 minute movie made me so much enthralled with it's story. Radhika Apte being the hot chic was also sincere in her act.

Bollywood people surely needs to move on to the short movies concept!!!

Sujoy Ghosh is the master of suspense/thrillers

[harshit_pande · 9/10 · 24 June 2016]

In general, we are not very used to short films but now as the new filmmakers are full of new ideas and know their craft well enough, it is the right time for this cinema to make a mark. So here it is, AHALYA. Made within a duration of a bit less than 15 minutes, this film is a perfect combination of a good story and reasonably great direction by Sujoy Ghosh. Also, the acting of all the three lead actors goes well with the drama. The suspense which is revealed in the last minutes is breathtaking and beautifully executed. Finally, I would say this film will bring about an era of short films which is here to stay. Overall, 9/10 for this one.

My Take on this Masterpiece !!

[pitakchakma-80771 · 7/10 · 23 March 2022]

Main Characters of the Storyline

1. Inspector Indra Sen (by Tota Roy Chowdhury) 2. Mr Gautom Sadhu (by Soumitra Chatterjee) 3. Ahalya (by Radhika Apte)

Side character 1. Arjun (Ayushman Mitra)

To me, the short film is an open canvas where we can draw the conclusion whatever we like. While watching the short film I was attracted to its connection to Hindu mythology. And Now i will try to explain my take on it.

Basic Summary of the Short Flim:- From the start we are meet with Inspector Sen trying to solve the mystery of the sudden disappearance of Arjun. With some lead, he came to Mr Sadhu's resident to get some clues about the case where he is greeted by Ahalya (whom later we find out, is the wife of Mr Sadhu), a very beautiful young lady in her 20s. And from the start of it, we can see that Inspector Sen was attracted by her charm. After meeting with Mr Sadhu (A famous artist in his 60s) and talking about the case, we get to know that Mr Sadhu is an interesting character. He seems to be pretty bold and youthful even in his old age. During their conversation, we see Ahalya was somewhat trying to seduce Sen,which seems to be working and intentionally left her phone there so that maybe Sen can have an excuse to come to her room. Here, we are introduced to a magical stone (which was very similar to the Magical stone Lord Indra had and according to Mr Sadhu is the main reason behind the disappearance of Arjun) that has the power to shape-shift and Mr Sadhu was challenging Inspector Sen to try it and have sex with Ahalya. At first Inspector Sen was pretty hesitant but finally gave in to his lust and he faced it's consequences by being trapped into a prison of a doll.

Mythological Aspect To understand it fully we need a basic crash course on Lord Indra and Ahalya. Lord Indra is know to be the king of Gods and is also depicted in not only Hinduism but also in Buddhism and Jainism as a very powerful god. He is know as a great warrior who defeated Vritra, but also infamous for his pride, curiosity, and adulterous activities, but also for his tendency to test people at any given opportunity. On the other hand In Hindu scriptures there are some debate about Ahalya, but most experts believe that she was extremely beautiful and had love affair with lord Indra and because of it she was cursed by her husband Gautama. In the film, I think Mr Sadhu is Lord Indra and Ahalya is here to help Lord Indra trying to test how dutiful and incorruptible Inspector Sen is. And due to inspector Sen's failure to pass lord Indra's test he gets punishment in the form of Infinite imprisonment in a doll shape prison, where he will suffer for infinity like the other six people before him.(whom we have seen in the initial part of the film as 6 dolls). To also add to my hypothesis, in the film we don't get to know the full name Ahalya, which may be hidden intentionally to not reveal that Mr Sadhu or Lord Indra is not her real husband because she doesn't have Mr Sadhu's last name. And she may have the blessing of Lord Indra to be always youthful. But I believe the power of trapping people in dolls belongs to Lord Indra alone because he is known as one of the finest artist in the world (for his doll works), and he mentions multiple times in the film that the dolls were his creation alone in which Ahalya played a vital role.

Some can ask, what could have happened to Inspector Sen if he had rejected his temptations? I think Lord Indra would have been very impressed and given him some form of blessing (could be fame, wealth, good health, happiness etc) as we have seen in many incidents in the Hindu Scriptures.

I really enjoyed the film, specially the darkish tone and great cinematography. The film gets easily 7/10 from my end.

Excellent Short Thriller Film! Radhika Apte is Gorgeous and so is the Script!!

[prerna2526 · 10/10 · 24 July 2015]

Sujoy Ghosh steals the show with his amazing direction. Though the film has only a handful of characters. They all play there part brilliantly well. Radhika Apte as Ahalya aptly sketches out the portrayal of a seductive, bold and mysterious woman.

Other two actors in the lead do a great job as well. Tota Roy Chowdhary as the Inspector is evidently noticeable with his work. The veteran actor, Soumitra Chaterjee looks convincing enough too in his role as the husband.

For me, quite satisfactorily the film presents a different (and preferably the better) take on the legend of the blissful marriage of Rishi Gautam & Ahalya, the lustful deceit by Indra and an impaling verdict for the duped wife, as told and retold with the epic tale of 'Ramayana'.

One of the best Shorts!

[mrpratyushpanda · 10/10 · 9 July 2022]

Wonderful Scripting...Character names have reference to hindu mythology...such a beautiful interpretation. Indra, Ahalya, Goutam...loved it fully...The direction of the story will hold you to the last...very unpredictable conclusion...loved everything about it...

A nice mystery short by Sujoy Ghosh

[Peter_Young · 6/10 · 5 October 2023]

Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, this mystery short is a captivating episode which turns out to be one of many. The film is set in one house and the buildup of the story is effectively displayed, starting with very well portrayed sexual tension between the young police inspector who visits the place and its resident Ahalya, the gorgeous young wife of a much older artist.

The legendary Soumitra Chatterjee is excellent in a nicely ambiguous performance, and so is Tota Roy Chowdhury, who plays the increasing confusion of the moment really well. Obviously, Radhika Apte is awfully attractive as the young wife and does enough with her presence. It is her role that gives the film its core message of the natures of temptation.

Inspired by the Ramayana, the story and characters are well adapted into this modern-day yet classic setting, which is quite pretty, and successfully serve this metaphoric allusion. The mystery keeps growing gradually until it reaches its climactic highpoint. Despite the chilling conclusion I somehow expected a stronger, more cathartic resolution to the story.

Stuck In The Middle

[mihai_alexandru_chindris · 6/10 · 15 April 2018]

It wasn't a thriller at all. At least, it got a few things right, like the soundtrack, the plot and the action. It is quite annoying the fact that it's both in Indian and English. You start losing interest. Anyway, the main character was my point of attention. He did his job well and had a really good interpretation.

Sujoy Ghosh, a Ray Fanatic!

[alekhyadas · 4/10 · 26 July 2015]

It's not a review in some sense, but I would like to represent my views on his short. I'm following Sujoy Ghosh's work from the beginning and I'm a fan in a way after watching Kahaani. Who isn't? So, in Kahaani there are few references from Ray. Like the 'Running Hot Water' which was liked by audiences all over was taken from Ray's Joy Baba Felunath. The film also makes several reference to Satyajit Ray's films such as Charulata and Aranyer Dinratri. Everything is fine till now, it's completely okay to take some references. Even I thought Kahaani's climax being similar to Taking Lives is just a coincidence. But after watching ‪Ahalya‬ which is totally lifted from Professor Shonku o Aschorjo Putul, I am pretty sure that Sujoy Ghosh mimicked that scene as well. At least give an acknowledgment, so that more people can read the original story.

So Ahalya is actually a great idea, if you aren't aware of the original ray story. Average watch for me.

• facebook.com/iamAlekhyaDas

Generic, nothing out of the ordinary

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 19 August 2015]

"Ahalya" is a 14-minute short film that was released actually not too long ago. It is about a police officer who comes to a house in order to find out what happened to a missing person. He is welcomed warmly by the owner and his very young wife. But are things really the way they seem? In my opinion, the three actors were possibly the best thing about this film. They create interesting characters, but unfortunately most other components are not on par. The director is Sujoy Ghosh and he is the writer as well, but I cannot say I am too impressed by the script. Turning humans into dolls isn't exactly a new plot anymore, even if the very final scene was kind of nicely done. It was all predictable the moment the police officer saw these dolls on the table and how one of them fell to the ground. I remember seeing an episode of the television series "Charmed" maybe a decade ago that had a similar plot. And there was another pretty bad moment of writing, namely because all of a sudden the cop wants to arrest the old man because of his story. What did not fit either was the whole turning into the old man plot. He was supposed to become a doll, why the story with the strange magic stone and seeing himself as the old man in the mirror. This film started nicely, ended nicely, but most of the scenes in between weren't too great. Not recommended.

Blatant copy

[samvizir · 24 August 2021]

The writer director has blatantly copied the entire concept of Room 8 and garnered accolades for himself.

Disbelief

[himeshpande · 13 October 2018]

Indra gets stuck in a doll due to his disbelief in magical powers which an artist and his wife posses

dolls

[Kirpianuscus · 3 September 2022]

You suppose the end , simmilar to Alma by Rodrigo Blaas. But you are seduced by beautiful work of. Soumitra Chatterjee, provoked by the relation older husband - young wife and , maybe, you ignore the meaning of title.

So, you is perfect victim of the charm of this beautiful crafted Indian short film about a policeman , the dissapear of a model, a cup of tea and a stone with magical virtues and falling dolls .

The end is , so, less surprising, remembering the price of pleasure based on apparences.

Inspired by one of Ramayana episodes , it is a perfect portrait of simple weakness of man . And about his curiosity .

So, just fascinating story, admirable acted and proposing, in soft , precise manner, its moral.