Dahan

Rating: 3.5 stars Synopsis: A disgraced IAS officer Avni Raut takes charge of bringing development to the town of Shilaspura. But the village is built on brutal history and it is haunted by the folklore of an inhuman sorcerer. Will Avni uncover the mystery of Shilaspura? Dahan review: Bollywood has churned up mundane horror flicks, and the fan base of the genre felt cheated. However, 2018's film Tumbbad made a striking entry, and it revived the genre by giving the perfect mixture of ancient mythology with horror. Dahan, a 9-episode web series is an attempt to take you on an unpredictable ride of a cursed land, where beliefs-disbeliefs, facts-superstition, and good-evil submerge. The basic plot of Dahan boils down to a fight between superstition and facts. But the plot is multi-layered with distinctive characters, and their subplots. Avni Raut (Tisca Chopra), a disgraced IAS officer embarks on a journey to Shilaspura, a fictional town in Rajasthan. Avni is assigned to supervise, and overlook the mining of a site in the town which is funded by a private corporation. A widower Avni with his teenage boy Anay arrives at Shilaspura, and she finds out that the town is riddled with superstitions, and the people of Shilaspura worship and fear the deity Ridhiyakan. For ages, Shilaspura is under the threat of Ridhiyakan and his inhuman army of Raakan. Whenever someone tried to conduct mining at the site, they got possessed and ended up creating havoc in the town. As the story progres...

In its first episode, There’s a lot here that could work well for a supernatural thriller. The tussle between blind faith and development, clan rivalries, the blurred lines between mental illness and superstitious beliefs of possession, the impact caste, class, gender and education have on a person’s life, the opposition between science and myth – all this is good fodder, especially with a cast that includes talented actors like Chopra, Dahan holds the viewer’s attention. Directed by Vikranth Pawar and Jai Sharma, Dahan is sublimely eerie at times. Cinematographer Arkodeb Mukherjee draws out the tension between the real and imagined through haunting visuals: Dead fish rise to the surface of a lake; faces smeared with purple gulal stare unblinkingly as a woman is brutally exorcised. His use of a high fish-eye lens traps characters into frames that seem to collapse onto them, turning it into a prophetic metaphor. Sunil Nigvekar’s production design gives life to Shilasthal, the temple that harbours the severed head of Ridhiyakan and whose fire keeps dark spirits away (it’s a multi-purpose space). Mukherjee and Nigvekar help establish Dahan’s central conflict and a recurring dread as we wonder whether the rising Raakan is proof of a supernatural force or if there’s a pragmatic explanation for what’s happening in Shilaspura. Consequently, when after all this, Dahan goes on to flop face-forward, it feels doubly disappointing. Despite Mukesh Tiwari as the corrupt cop with a golde...

Holika Dahan 2022: Holika Dahan 2022: All you need to know about the dos and don'ts for celebrating Holika Dahan(Milind Saurkar/HT Photo) Holika Dahan holds a lot of significance for Hindus. So, if you are ALSO READ | Happy Choti Holi 2022: Best wishes, images, messages and greetings Holika Dahan is celebrated by Hindus all over the country.(Pixabay) Holika Dahan Dos And Don'ts 1) According to Drik Panchang, choosing the right muhurat for Holika Dahan is very important. Holika Puja is done before the Holika Dahan. Additionally, Holika Dahan must be done at the correct time, as not doing so might bring misfortune and suffering. 2) Put nutritious food items such as peanuts, sesame seeds, dry coconut, wheat and grams, mustard seeds, sugar into the fire with cow dung cakes. It is believed to clear all negative energies. Later, you can use the leftover ash as manure for the land. 3) Avoid lending money on the day of Holika Dahan as it is not considered auspicious. It is believed that if you give it to someone on this day, then you end up facing financial problems. 4) Many people keep a fast till the evening on the occasion of Choti Holi. One must eat satvik food items along with fruits and dairy products while observing the fast. Offer water and rice to the moon to break the fast. Afterwards, one can eat delicacies prepared for Holi like Gulgule, Malpua, Puri and vegetables made without onion and garlic. ALSO READ | Holi 2022: How to protect your eyes from colour? Expert offers...

It begins badly for Indian Administrative Service officer Avni, as it does for Dahan: Raakan Ka Rahasya. The Disney+ Hotstar series is a severely stretched yarn with a single skein: don’t dig too deep, for you never know what you might unearth. Despite not having enough material for nine episodes – a full-length feature film would have worked just as well – Dahan overcomes its initial clumsiness to deliver an intermittently engrossing allegory about human greed. Labouring under the twin shadows of a corruption allegation and her husband’s suicide, Avni (Tisca Chopra) requests a transfer to Shilaspura. A mining project in this village in Rajasthan has been stalled by protests. A section of the village, led by the messianic godman Pramukh (Saurabh Shukla), believes that the mine conceals the lair of a blood-thirsty demon. Avni’s arrival in Shilaspura along with her sulky son Anay (Rohan Joshi), who blames her for his father’s death, quickly establishes two things. One is that the writ of the state doesn’t reach this lawless corner of India. Although the District Magistrate, Avni is treated with questionable contempt by the policeman Bhairon (Mukesh Tiwari) and a local heavy (Sidharth Bhardwaj). The second revelation is that Avni has skipped the chapter in her IAS syllabus about winning the crowd. Imperious, abrasive and dismissive of local customs, Avni doesn’t exactly endear herself to Shilaspura. Her only ally is the mine’s general manager (Jaimini Pathak), who can’t wait ...

Holi 2021: Why, When And How Is Holika Dahan Celebrated? See Here Happy Holi 2021: An essential part of Holi festivities, Holika Dahan signifies the victory of good over evil. This year due to the surge in Covid infections, no large public Holi celebations have been allowed. But one can celebrate at home. Know all about the Holika Dahan celebrations Holi is celebrated on the Full Moon day in the month of Phalgun according to the Hindu calendar. It marks the arrival of vibrant spring season and hence is also called Vasant Utsav. In some states like Odisha and West Bengal, Holi is known as Dol Jatra or Dol Purnima. Why is Holika Dahan celebrated Holika Dahan marks the the victory of good over evil. According to legends, Hiranyakashyap - a demon god had become very powerful and no one could overpower him. His son Prahlad was an ardent follower of Lord Vishnu and Hiranyakashyap had stopped him from worshipping the god. He had attempted to kill his son Prahlada by making him sit on a burning pyre with his aunt Holika, who had a boon that prevented her from being harmed. Prahlada chanted Lord Vishnu's name and Holika was burnt but no harm came to him. Holika Dahan bonfire is of great significance and is a must ahead of Holi What do people do on Holika Dahan During Holika Dahan, traditionallypeople gatheraround a bonfire. The bonfire is lit after the sun sets and religious rituals are performed around it. People also sing folklores and share Holika Dahan legends. When should the ...

Rating: 3.5 stars Synopsis: A disgraced IAS officer Avni Raut takes charge of bringing development to the town of Shilaspura. But the village is built on brutal history and it is haunted by the folklore of an inhuman sorcerer. Will Avni uncover the mystery of Shilaspura? Dahan review: Bollywood has churned up mundane horror flicks, and the fan base of the genre felt cheated. However, 2018's film Tumbbad made a striking entry, and it revived the genre by giving the perfect mixture of ancient mythology with horror. Dahan, a 9-episode web series is an attempt to take you on an unpredictable ride of a cursed land, where beliefs-disbeliefs, facts-superstition, and good-evil submerge. The basic plot of Dahan boils down to a fight between superstition and facts. But the plot is multi-layered with distinctive characters, and their subplots. Avni Raut (Tisca Chopra), a disgraced IAS officer embarks on a journey to Shilaspura, a fictional town in Rajasthan. Avni is assigned to supervise, and overlook the mining of a site in the town which is funded by a private corporation. A widower Avni with his teenage boy Anay arrives at Shilaspura, and she finds out that the town is riddled with superstitions, and the people of Shilaspura worship and fear the deity Ridhiyakan. For ages, Shilaspura is under the threat of Ridhiyakan and his inhuman army of Raakan. Whenever someone tried to conduct mining at the site, they got possessed and ended up creating havoc in the town. As the story progres...

It begins badly for Indian Administrative Service officer Avni, as it does for Dahan: Raakan Ka Rahasya. The Disney+ Hotstar series is a severely stretched yarn with a single skein: don’t dig too deep, for you never know what you might unearth. Despite not having enough material for nine episodes – a full-length feature film would have worked just as well – Dahan overcomes its initial clumsiness to deliver an intermittently engrossing allegory about human greed. Labouring under the twin shadows of a corruption allegation and her husband’s suicide, Avni (Tisca Chopra) requests a transfer to Shilaspura. A mining project in this village in Rajasthan has been stalled by protests. A section of the village, led by the messianic godman Pramukh (Saurabh Shukla), believes that the mine conceals the lair of a blood-thirsty demon. Avni’s arrival in Shilaspura along with her sulky son Anay (Rohan Joshi), who blames her for his father’s death, quickly establishes two things. One is that the writ of the state doesn’t reach this lawless corner of India. Although the District Magistrate, Avni is treated with questionable contempt by the policeman Bhairon (Mukesh Tiwari) and a local heavy (Sidharth Bhardwaj). The second revelation is that Avni has skipped the chapter in her IAS syllabus about winning the crowd. Imperious, abrasive and dismissive of local customs, Avni doesn’t exactly endear herself to Shilaspura. Her only ally is the mine’s general manager (Jaimini Pathak), who can’t wait ...

Holi 2021: Why, When And How Is Holika Dahan Celebrated? See Here Happy Holi 2021: An essential part of Holi festivities, Holika Dahan signifies the victory of good over evil. This year due to the surge in Covid infections, no large public Holi celebations have been allowed. But one can celebrate at home. Know all about the Holika Dahan celebrations Holi is celebrated on the Full Moon day in the month of Phalgun according to the Hindu calendar. It marks the arrival of vibrant spring season and hence is also called Vasant Utsav. In some states like Odisha and West Bengal, Holi is known as Dol Jatra or Dol Purnima. Why is Holika Dahan celebrated Holika Dahan marks the the victory of good over evil. According to legends, Hiranyakashyap - a demon god had become very powerful and no one could overpower him. His son Prahlad was an ardent follower of Lord Vishnu and Hiranyakashyap had stopped him from worshipping the god. He had attempted to kill his son Prahlada by making him sit on a burning pyre with his aunt Holika, who had a boon that prevented her from being harmed. Prahlada chanted Lord Vishnu's name and Holika was burnt but no harm came to him. Holika Dahan bonfire is of great significance and is a must ahead of Holi What do people do on Holika Dahan During Holika Dahan, traditionallypeople gatheraround a bonfire. The bonfire is lit after the sun sets and religious rituals are performed around it. People also sing folklores and share Holika Dahan legends. When should the ...

Holika Dahan 2022: Holika Dahan 2022: All you need to know about the dos and don'ts for celebrating Holika Dahan(Milind Saurkar/HT Photo) Holika Dahan holds a lot of significance for Hindus. So, if you are ALSO READ | Happy Choti Holi 2022: Best wishes, images, messages and greetings Holika Dahan is celebrated by Hindus all over the country.(Pixabay) Holika Dahan Dos And Don'ts 1) According to Drik Panchang, choosing the right muhurat for Holika Dahan is very important. Holika Puja is done before the Holika Dahan. Additionally, Holika Dahan must be done at the correct time, as not doing so might bring misfortune and suffering. 2) Put nutritious food items such as peanuts, sesame seeds, dry coconut, wheat and grams, mustard seeds, sugar into the fire with cow dung cakes. It is believed to clear all negative energies. Later, you can use the leftover ash as manure for the land. 3) Avoid lending money on the day of Holika Dahan as it is not considered auspicious. It is believed that if you give it to someone on this day, then you end up facing financial problems. 4) Many people keep a fast till the evening on the occasion of Choti Holi. One must eat satvik food items along with fruits and dairy products while observing the fast. Offer water and rice to the moon to break the fast. Afterwards, one can eat delicacies prepared for Holi like Gulgule, Malpua, Puri and vegetables made without onion and garlic. ALSO READ | Holi 2022: How to protect your eyes from colour? Expert offers...

In its first episode, There’s a lot here that could work well for a supernatural thriller. The tussle between blind faith and development, clan rivalries, the blurred lines between mental illness and superstitious beliefs of possession, the impact caste, class, gender and education have on a person’s life, the opposition between science and myth – all this is good fodder, especially with a cast that includes talented actors like Chopra, Dahan holds the viewer’s attention. Directed by Vikranth Pawar and Jai Sharma, Dahan is sublimely eerie at times. Cinematographer Arkodeb Mukherjee draws out the tension between the real and imagined through haunting visuals: Dead fish rise to the surface of a lake; faces smeared with purple gulal stare unblinkingly as a woman is brutally exorcised. His use of a high fish-eye lens traps characters into frames that seem to collapse onto them, turning it into a prophetic metaphor. Sunil Nigvekar’s production design gives life to Shilasthal, the temple that harbours the severed head of Ridhiyakan and whose fire keeps dark spirits away (it’s a multi-purpose space). Mukherjee and Nigvekar help establish Dahan’s central conflict and a recurring dread as we wonder whether the rising Raakan is proof of a supernatural force or if there’s a pragmatic explanation for what’s happening in Shilaspura. Consequently, when after all this, Dahan goes on to flop face-forward, it feels doubly disappointing. Despite Mukesh Tiwari as the corrupt cop with a golde...