Cast: Yami Gautam, Addinath Kothare, Sunita Rajwar, Mita Vashisht
Earlier reporting noted: ‘Nayyi Navelli’ movie X review: Viewers divided over Yami Gautam’s horror-comedy Nayyi Navelli X review: Directed by Balaji Mohan, the fantasy horror-comedy ‘Nayyi Navelli’ hit theatres on October 16, 2026. RATING – 3.5/5. Director: Balaji Mohan The promotional material for Nayyi Navelli had one thing repeatedly mentioned: “Think big! And so, with plenty of hope, I walked in to watch the film, only to walk out wondering if the makers themselves had missed the memo. Directed by Balaji Mohan and written by Himanshu Sharma, the film’s narrative is all over the place. Set in Meerut, it revolves around a man who accuses his bhabhi (played by Yami Gautam Dhar ) of being a witch, even while her husband and in-laws are fond of her. What follows is a heavy blend of mythology with humour. Headlined by Yami Gautam Dhar alongside Addinath M. Kothare, Anurag Thakur, Susmita Mukherjee, Sunita Rajwar, and Mita Vashisht, the Dussehra release has drawn a divided response from moviegoers on social media, with netizens sharing varied opinions on its plot, comedy, and visual effects. ALR delivers a FULLY DESI Ramayana-driven Dussehra flick with horror and family elements. #NayyiNaveli has twists after twists… G.V. Prakash sir’s loud theme music gives you goosebumps!”
One day, her husband transforms into a monster, and we are told that it is all linked to Kaal Sheel, a mysterious stone dating back to the Treta Yuga.
Earlier reporting noted: Several viewers praised the film as an engaging festive watch, highlighting its blend of Indian mythology and social commentary: Earlier reporting noted: “#NayyiNaveliReview: A DUSSEHRA SURPRISE LIKE NEVER BEFORE.
The biggest problem is the screenplay, which lacks clarity and direction. The film begins abruptly, leaving the viewer struggling to make sense of the events unfolding on screen. The narrative is further weighed down by a family of eccentric characters, most of whom alternate between delivering random one-liners and breaking into unnecessary shouting. The humour rarely feels organic, while the constant commotion does little to advance the story. At times, the film feels less like a tightly written screenplay and more like an improvised series of scenes that have been strung together incoherently. The interval point feels like the film’s climax, and not in a good way. The second half thankfully picks up pace, introducing some interesting backstories that add some depth to the narrative. However, the respite is short lived, as Nayyi Navelli soon falls back into the same trap of excess. The film struggles with restraint, stretching subplots and comic sequences well beyond their natural length. A track involving the marriage of a much older woman to a younger man, for instance, is given a lot of screen time without adding much to the narrative. If the intention is to extract a laugh or two, well, the sequence proves to be too flat to elicit even a chuckle. Among the performances, it’s left to Yami to do the heavy lifting here. And she does well, to an extent. Without a solid story, how much can you expect an actor to really perform? She has the presence and the emotional range, just not the material to make them both shine. The rest of the entire cast is strictly okay. The background score by GV Prakash Kumar helps occasionally, but also tends to get a bit loud. And the music, again by him, doesn’t stand out.
