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Kaatteri
Kaatteri
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Kaatteri
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDeekay
Written byDeekay
Produced byK. E. Gnanavel Raja
S. R. Prabhu
StarringVaibhav
Sonam Bajwa
Varalaxmi Sarathkumar
Aathmika
CinematographyVignesh Vasu
Edited byPraveen K. L.
Music byS. N. Prasad
Production
company
Distributed byDream Warrior Pictures
Release date
  • 5 August 2022 (2022-08-05)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Kaatteri (transl. Forest Vampire, and also spelled Katteri) is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language comedy horror film written and directed by Deekay[citation needed] and produced by K. E. Gnanavel Raja under his production banner Studio Green. The film stars Vaibhav, Sonam Bajwa, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Aathmika, while Karunakaran, Ravi Mariya, and Kutty Gopi play supporting roles.[1] The film's music is composed by S. N. Prasad with editing by Praveen K. L. and cinematography by Vignesh Vasu.[2] The film released theatrically on 5 August 2022 and was a box-office bomb.

Plot

[edit]

The film begins with a 1968 local village festival. One person cuts an electric post, another person comes and pushes down the post, and the electric wire rips all of the village people.

The film cuts to 2019. Gajja, Kaliyurunda, and Sankar, a group of kidnappers, kidnap Kamini and bring her to Naina. Naina orders his henchmen to kill the kidnappers so they cannot tell anyone about it. The kidnappers escape from the henchmen, come to Kiran's first night room, and tell them about the kidnap and Naina's plan to ask for a huge ransom from Kamini's family. Kiran's wife Shwetha instructs them to kidnap Kamini from the henchmen and demand a large ransom.

As per her instruction, Kiran and his friends kidnap Kamini and ask her about Maanga Mani. Kamini tells them about him. He was taking a treatment from her, and a few weeks ago, he said he was about to go on a treasure hunt for gold. Shwetha finds Maanga Mani's location by entering his number on Truecaller. They went to the same location that was shown on Truecaller. The village's name is Kolaatipuram. When they enter the village, the behavior of the villagers is weird, and they realize that the villagers are ghosts. They are the people who died in 1968. After knowing that the villagers are ghosts, they try to elope from the village, but they cannot escape from there. Wherever they run, they end up in the festival area. Kamini tells them that Sankar was taken by a ghost, Mathamma, who asked her, "Am I beautiful?"

Shwetha instructs them to meet Maathamma and correctly answer questions in order to obtain the gold, so they walked to Mathamma's place. Shwetha ran away after seeing Mathamma, and Kiran and his friends got beaten by Mathamma. Mathamma tells her story, which happened in 1968. She, her sister Mohini, and her uncle Venu were living in the same house. Venu tells a well digger Sambath to dig a well at the back of their house and orders Mohini to help him. While digging the well, the land slides and the well becomes too deep. Sambath gets out of the well with Mohini and Mathamma's help. He requests that they bring a lamp to measure the depth of the well. They tied a rope around the lamp and put the lamp into the well. When they pulled up the rope, the lamp was missing, but a mud pot was tied with the rope. When they opened the mud pot, the pot was filled with gold jewels. By seeing this, Sambath tells them he is going to buy more lamps to get more gold.

After Sambath leaves, they discover a piece of paper with the words, "If you have anything else, send it to me." So they take a chicken and throw it down the well, and this time they get a large mud pot filled with gold and a piece of paper with the same message as earlier. Sambath came back with a lot of lamps, and he put all of them into the well, but when he pulled the rope, all the lamps were damaged. When he saw the damaged lamps, he became angry, and took an aruval, and entered the well tied up with a rope. When Mathamma and Mohini pulled the rope, a big wooden barrel appeared with a paper written with "Keep sending this to me". By seeing the paper, they send their drunkard uncle Venu into the well. They understood that the well needed human flesh, so they ask Aarumugam, a police officer, for dead bodies, which he gave. One night, Aarumugam enters the house of Mathamma and sees a lot of gold. At that time, Kaatteri came out of the well, ate one of the policemen and wrote on the wall, "Do not starve the well". By knowing this, Aarumugam planned to kill all of the villagers and feed the Kaatteri. During the festival, he cuts the electric post, and the wire rips the people. They put all of the dead bodies into the well. He also pushed Mohini and Mathamma into the well.

Mathamma's story ends, and she asks Kiran to tell him which part of her story was fact and which was fiction. Suddenly, Kamini behaves abnormally, and her face changes to Mohini's. Ponnambalam comes to the house and asks Kiran to burn Kamini. Kiran burns her, and Ponnambalam captures Mohini's ghost. When Kaatteri comes to kill them, they try to manage and save their lives. By luck, they managed that night, and then Ponnambalam tried to kill Kiran while running after him. Unfortunately, he fell down, shot himself in the chest, and died. Kiran took the bottle that has Mohini's ghost in it and gave it to Naina. Naina opens it and gets frightened by seeing the ghost.

The film ends with Kiran and Shwetha in bed, where Kiran asks Shwetha about how she knows that Aarumugam is Naina, and Shwetha asking him, "Am I beautiful?"

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

The principal photography of the film commenced around 20 April 2018, after the launch of the film in Chennai.[2][3] The film initially speculated to cast four heroines in the female lead role including Oviya, but Oviya was later replaced by Aathmika in the shoot.[4] However, the filmmakers managed to rope in Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Sonam Bajwa, Aathmika, and Manali Rathod in the female prominent roles.[5] Telugu actor Aadi was initially selected as lead actor; however, he later opted out and was replaced by Vaibhav.[6] It was revealed that most of the portions of the film were set in a jungle in Chennai and abroad, including the neighboring country Sri Lanka, while most of the scenes of the film were apparent to have been shot during nighttime.[7] The shooting of the film wrapped up in June 2018.[8]

Music

[edit]

The soundtrack was composed by S. N. Prasad, collaborating with director Deekay for the second time after Yaamirukka Bayamey (2014).[9] A single track titled "En Peru Enna Kelu" was released in June 2020.[10]

Kaatteri
Soundtrack album by
S. N. Prasad
Released2022
GenreSoundtrack
Length10:25
LabelThink Music India
ProducerS. N. Prasad
S. N. Prasad chronology
Theerpugal Virkapadum
(2021)
Kaatteri
(2022)
Miral
(2022)
Singles from Kaatteri
  1. "En Peru Enna Kelu"
    Released: 15 June 2020
Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."En Peru Enna Kelu"Srikanth VaradanJonita Gandhi, Maria Roe Vincent3:31
2."Katteri Theme"DeekayAnusha Prasad1:13
3."Vaa"Srikanth VaradanNeeti Mohan, Gaythri SG3:11
4."White-U Kodu"Srikanth VaradanSathya Prakash, Nadisha Thomas2:30

Release

[edit]

The film was released theatrically on 5 August 2022.[11]

Home media

[edit]

The post-theatrical streaming rights of the film were bought by Netflix, and the satellite rights of the film were bought by Zee Tamil.

Critic Reception

[edit]

M Suganth of Times of india gave 2 stars out of 5 and stated that "all in the name of comedy, and this is where the film feels most outdated."[12] Navein Darshan from Cinema Express wrote that "We sit patiently waiting for a bright moment to come our way. "and gave 2 of 5 stars.[13]Hindu Tamil Thisai critic stated that "The director, who had set the prequel strong, did not make the story that moves towards it strong, but has sadly torn down the blank canvas."[14]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Kaatteri is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by Deekay, starring Vaibhav in the lead role as Kiran, alongside , , and . The film follows a group of bumbling criminals who, to evade their gangster boss, seek hidden treasure in a remote hillside village, only to discover it is haunted by ghosts. Produced by under the banner, it was released theatrically on 5 August 2022. The story centers on the gang's misadventures amid encounters, blending elements of horror and , with supporting performances from actors like , , and Manali Rathod. Cinematography was handled by Vignesh , and the music was composed by S. N. Prasad, contributing to the film's eerie yet humorous tone. Despite its ambitious mix of genres, Kaatteri received mixed to negative reviews from critics, who criticized its uneven pacing and execution, though it found a streaming on platforms like .

Plot and cast

Plot

Kaatteri follows a of inept criminals who, after botching a job and angering their boss, flee to a remote hillside village in search of a hidden fortune to buy their , accompanied by their kidnapped target, a . The group—comprising bumbling accomplices with clashing personalities—arrives expecting an easy score, only to find the village eerily deserted and shrouded in mystery. Unbeknownst to them, the forsaken settlement is plagued by restless ghosts, sparking a cascade of mishaps and spine-chilling confrontations as the intruders stumble through haunted houses and shadowy woods. The gang's internal conflicts, fueled by , , and comedic rivalries, intensify amid the chaos, testing their fragile bonds while they desperately hunt for clues to the fortune. Through its ghost town backdrop, the story weaves a tapestry of comedy, horror, and light , emphasizing the absurd perils of chasing wealth in the face of otherworldly dangers and underscoring themes of unlikely camaraderie forged .

Cast

Kaatteri boasts an that blends comedic timing with horror elements, highlighting the film's mix of bumbling criminals and figures in a treasure-hunting . The principal roles emphasize opportunistic anti-heroes and tough allies navigating chaotic circumstances. Vaibhav as Kiran, a newlywed drawn into the criminals' kidnapping scheme. The supporting female leads include as Maathamma, a haunting the village. as Swetha, Kiran's wife. as Kamini, a kidnapped . Key supporting actors contribute to the film's comedic and antagonistic dynamics, portraying bumbling criminals and ghostly figures. appears as Gajaa, one of the inept gang members. enacts Venu, adding to the eerie undertones. takes on the role of Kali Urundai, an antagonistic presence in the mix. Ponnambalam features in a comedic antagonistic capacity, alongside others like and Manali Rathod in roles that amplify the ensemble's chaotic humor and horror.

Production

Development

The project Kaatteri was officially launched in April 2018 as a Tamil-language adventure horror comedy, marking director Deekay's follow-up to his earlier works in the genre. The film was produced by under his banner , with commencing shortly after the announcement. Deekay penned the screenplay himself, drawing inspiration from the rising popularity of horror comedy films in during the late , aiming to blend elements with comedic treasure-hunt tropes in a hillside village setting. This approach echoed trends established by successful entries like the 2014 hit , Deekay's directorial debut that popularized light-hearted ghost stories. Initially, the team planned a direct-to-OTT release in 2020 via platforms like , reflecting the growing shift amid industry uncertainties. However, production faced significant setbacks starting in early 2020 due to the , which halted work and led to multiple postponements, including a scrapped 2020 theatrical window over fears of a second wave. Further delays arose from ongoing challenges, such as integration for the horror sequences, pushing the final release to theaters on August 5, 2022. The film's modest budget aligned with its genre's emphasis on creative storytelling over high-cost spectacle, focusing resources on ensemble dynamics and practical gags.

Casting

The casting process for Kaatteri underwent several changes following its initial announcement in late 2017. Telugu actor Aadi was originally selected for the lead role, but he opted out, leading to Vaibhav being cast as Kiran in early 2018. This shift occurred as the production, backed by , moved forward with starting in April 2018. For the female leads, multiple actresses were considered before finalizing the ensemble. Oviya was initially roped in for one of the key roles but later exited the project, with Aathmika stepping in to play Kamini; no specific reason for Oviya's departure was disclosed, though rumors of other potential replacements like Hansika circulated briefly. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar was confirmed for the role of Maathamma, alongside Sonam Bajwa as Swetha—marking Bajwa's return to Tamil cinema after her 2014 debut in Kappal—and Manali Rathod completing the quartet of leading ladies. Earlier speculations had included names like Anushka, Trisha, and Rakul Preet Singh, but the production settled on this lineup to suit the film's fantasy-adventure tone. The supporting cast was assembled to complement the lead performers, with actors like (as Gajja), (as Venu), , Ponnambalam, and brought on board for their established presence in . A public casting call was issued in December 2017 for junior artists to fill ensemble roles, emphasizing the need for performers to contribute to the film's group dynamics in a bumbling criminal gang narrative. Negotiations focused on aligning the cast with director Deekay's vision for a horror-comedy, resulting in an ensemble that blended established comic talents with fresh pairings.

Filming

Principal photography for Kaatteri commenced in April 2018 following the film's launch in Chennai. The shoot primarily took place in jungle locations near Chennai, with additional portions filmed in Sri Lanka to evoke the eerie, haunted village atmosphere central to the story. Approximately 90 percent of the film was captured at night to enhance its horror-comedy tone. Cinematography was handled by Vignesh Vasu, who employed techniques to blend ominous shadows and dynamic wide shots for the genre's mix of scares and humor. Editing was overseen by The production faced interruptions from the , with paused during the 2020 lockdown; principal filming had wrapped up by June 2018, though overall completion was prolonged due to these delays, leading to the film's eventual release in August 2022.

Music

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album for Kaatteri was released on 18 December 2020 by Prasad S.N., consisting of four songs with by Srikanth Varadan for three tracks and Deekay for the theme song.
Song TitleSinger(s)Duration
En Peru Enna Kelu, Maria Roe Vincent3:31
White-U KoduSathya Prakash, Nadisha Thomas2:30
Vaa, Gaythri SG3:11
Katteri (Theme Song)Prasad S.N. & Prasad1:13
The tracks are upbeat numbers that incorporate horror-comedy elements through playful, ghost-themed lyrics, such as whimsical references to encounters in the theme song. Individual songs from the have garnered modest popularity on streaming platforms.

Composition

The music for Kaatteri was composed by S. N. Prasad, marking his second collaboration with director Deekay following their work on the 2014 horror comedy . Prasad, who shares a strong creative rapport with Deekay stemming from an earlier advertisement project, was brought on board for this horror-comedy as early as 2018. The composition process aligned with the film's production timeline, which wrapped principal photography in June 2018. The soundtrack, consisting of four songs, was released on December 18, 2020, well ahead of the film's theatrical debut in August 2022, to generate audience hype. The first single, "En Peru Enna Kelu", premiered in June 2020, composed and arranged by Prasad with lyrics by Srikanth Varadan and backing vocals by Prasad, Keerthi Vasan, and others.

Release and reception

Theatrical release

Kaatteri premiered theatrically worldwide on 5 August 2022, marking its debut in cinemas across India and select international markets. The film was distributed by Dream Warrior Pictures, ensuring a coordinated rollout in key regions. Prior to release, the film secured a U/A certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), attributed to elements of mild horror and occasional language, making it suitable for audiences above a certain age with parental guidance. Originally slated for a direct-to-OTT release in 2020 amid the disruptions, the production team opted for theaters as the industry recovered, believing the comedy-horror format would thrive in a viewing . This shift aligned with broader post-pandemic trends favoring big-screen entertainment for genre films. The rollout emphasized as the primary market, with screenings in over 200 theaters there, while dubbed versions in Telugu and expanded accessibility to neighboring states and Hindi-speaking audiences. Production delays from earlier years contributed to the eventual August timing, allowing for refinements amid evolving distribution strategies.

Home media

Following its theatrical release on 5 August 2022, Kaatteri premiered on on 2 September 2022, with the streaming platform acquiring the exclusive post-theatrical for the film. The movie is available in multiple languages including Tamil, Telugu, , and dubs, catering to regional audiences across . Netflix offers Kaatteri internationally with English subtitles, enabling global access to the horror-comedy for subscribers in various territories. As of November 2025, it is available for streaming on in select regions, including the , but has been removed from the platform in others, such as the . It is not available for digital purchase or rental on services like or .

Box office

Kaatteri was made on a budget of approximately ₹8 crore. The film opened to a poor response at the box office, earning around ₹40 lakh in its first week in India. Its total India net collection remained under ₹1 crore, with worldwide gross being minimal. Classified as a box office bomb, the film's underperformance was attributed to poor word-of-mouth, post-COVID audience caution, and the dated nature of the horror comedy trope, amid competition from other releases. The theatrical release on 5 August 2022 did not help its prospects in a recovering market.

Critical reception

Upon its release, Kaatteri received predominantly negative reviews from critics, who highlighted its failure to effectively blend horror and elements. The film holds an average rating of 4.3 out of 10 on based on over 500 user votes, reflecting widespread disappointment in its execution. Similarly, professional critics assigned low scores, such as 2 out of 5 from , where reviewer M. Suganth described it as a horror "past its sell-by date," criticizing its reliance on outdated tropes and weak narrative structure. Cinema Express also rated it 2 out of 5, noting the randomness that both salvaged and undermined the genre fusion, leading to a lack of cohesive scares or sustained humor. Despite the overall backlash, some aspects garnered praise. Vaibhav's performance as the lead was commended for his , particularly in delivering effective gags amid the film's chaotic setup, providing occasional moments of levity. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar's portrayal of a key ghostly character was highlighted for evolving into a central, compelling presence, adding depth to the otherwise superficial ensemble. Additionally, the in certain horror sequences were appreciated for their sharpness, enhancing the atmospheric tension despite broader technical shortcomings. Critics frequently pointed to the film's weak script as a major flaw, with loose ends, predictable buildups, and a rushed climax failing to generate genuine tension or laughs. The direction by Deekay was seen as uninspired, marked by exaggerated performances and an inability to balance the genres, resulting in subpar scares and humor that often felt forced or clichéd. On platforms like , where it averages 2.6 out of 5 from hundreds of user reviews, many noted the failed attempt at blending horror and , with the film's absurdity devolving into frustration rather than entertainment.

References

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