A cinematic descent into the mysteries of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple
In short: Can a film bridge the gap between ancient myth and modern horror? Jatadhara explores this through a supernatural thriller centered on the sealed vaults of Kerala's sacred Padmanabhaswamy Temple, pitting a man born of sacrifice against the demon of greed in a cosmic battle.
Directed by Venkat Kalyan and Abhishek Jaiswal, the 2025 film Jatadhara is a bilingual supernatural thriller shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi. The plot centres on Shiva, a man emerged via sacrifice, who gets caught up in mystical powers and old mysteries. The story is heavily inspired by the real-world myths and conspiracy theories surrounding the sealed vaults of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala, using the temple as a thematic core to explore the struggle between divinity and greed.
The production was a significant undertaking, with principal photography spanning from early March 2024 to late May 2025. The creative team utilized elaborate sets designed to replicate the temple's interiors, integrated with high-end visual effects to bring mythological elements to life. Sudheer Babu stars as the protagonist, while Divya Khosla Kumar plays Sitara and Sonakshi Sinha makes her Telugu debut as the villainous Dhanapisachini—the Demon of Greed.
Critical reception for the film has been divided. While some critics, such as Amit Bhatia of ABP Live, noted that the film engages audiences by mixing mythology and mystery, others were less impressed. Ganesh Aaglave of Firstpost gave the film 3/5 stars, noting a unique concept but flawed editing. Conversely, critics like Rishabh Suri of Hindustan Times and Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express offered 2/5 stars, citing uneven emotional beats and over-the-top theatrics. More severe critiques from Sachi Chaturvedi and Nandini Ramnath described the film as lacking scares and being unabashedly tacky.
The film's musical landscape, composed by artists including Samira Koppikar and Raees & Zain-Sam, includes tracks like 'Soul of Jatadhara' and 'Dhana Pisaachi' to evoke divine energy and intense emotion.
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