Bhavana plays lead in brother Jaiiddev's directorial, The Door

Bhavana is playing the lead role in a horror thriller, titled The Door, directed by her brother, Jaiiddev. The genre seems to be popular in Malayalam at the moment, with various types of horror movies hitting theatres, from the comedic Romanchan to the romantic Neelavelicham and the creepy Vichithram.

“This is more a thriller, with a pinch of horror in it. I basically like thrillers and while working on this story, felt it had a scope for horror, so I added that. Also, people love a combination of these genres,” says Jaiiddev.

While Jaiiddev had earlier made Pattinapakkam, this is his first time he is directing his sister, who plays an architect. “Bhavana has great screen presence and is effortless as an artiste,” he says. The film, which is being made in Tamil and will be dubbed in Malayalam, other south Indian languages and in Hindi, also features Ganesh Venkatraman, Priya Venkat, Kapil Velavan, Sriranjini among others.

Has Jaiidev ever seen a ghost? The writer-director explains that he is spiritually inclined and has experienced ghostly presences. “I have seen ghosts, because as part of my interest and curiosity, I have spent time in haunted places. I have not been disturbed or fearful of the experience, but in one instance, I learnt that if I had spent more time in a particular place, it could have been dangerous,” he says. He brings these ideas, of what happens if there is a ghostly presence, into the movie “in a subtle manner”. “Romancham got it right in suggesting that rats die if ghosts inhabit a place; that is a reality,” he says. Goutham G is the DoP of the film and music is by Varun Unni.