Purana Mandir (1984)

The success of this Ramsay Brothers production marked a turning point in the history of Bollywood horror. For the first time, horror emerged as a genuinely viable commercial proposition capable of drawing sizeable audiences and generating substantial profits. Purana Mandir became a runaway success and effectively launched an entire industry. It was not long before filmmakers such as Mohan Bhakri and Vinod Talwar jumped aboard the bandwagon the Ramsays had single-handedly created.

Looking back, its phenomenal popularity can seem somewhat puzzling, yet there is no denying its influence. Purana Mandir not only inspired a flood of imitators but also introduced Bollywood’s first truly iconic home-grown monster in the form of the dreaded Saamri.

The story begins over two centuries ago when a prince and princess find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere. While the prince attempts to deal with their predicament, the curious princess wanders into a nearby ruined temple where she encounters the terrifying Saamri.

Soon afterwards, the creature is captured and put on trial for a catalogue of horrific crimes, including murder and cannibalism. Saamri is sentenced to a particularly unpleasant execution involving decapitation followed by a lengthy roasting over an open fire. Before departing this mortal world, however, he places a curse upon the royal bloodline and swears that he will one day return to annihilate their descendants.

His severed head is sealed inside a black box and hidden away within the dark recesses of the old temple.

Two centuries later we meet the modern descendants of the cursed family, who now live comfortably in the city far removed from the ancestral haveli and the ominous Purana Mandir. The family patriarch remains obsessively protective of his daughter, much to her irritation, particularly because she has fallen in love with a boyfriend whom her father openly despises.

When pressed for an explanation, he finally reveals the family’s dreadful secret. According to the ancient curse, every female descendant is doomed to transform into a monstrous creature after marriage and childbirth. The girl’s own mother, he claims, suffered exactly that fate.

Naturally, the young couple decide to investigate the curse for themselves and journey to the old haveli in search of answers. Their arrival triggers a chain of events that accidentally resurrects Saamri, unleashing terror once again upon the descendants of those who condemned him centuries earlier.

Purana Mandir contains virtually every ingredient that would come to define the Ramsay formula. There are dilapidated havelis, swirling mists, coloured lighting, suggestive humour, gratuitous skin exposure, over-the-top performances and, of course, a hairy monster stalking the shadows.

Yet despite these familiar ingredients, the film succeeds where many later imitators failed.

The plot remains engaging, the pacing generally brisk and the atmosphere surprisingly effective. Even Jagdeep’s determined efforts to derail proceedings with his interminable comic routines fail to completely smother the momentum.

The film’s real stars are the production design, the energetic camerawork and the wonderfully atmospheric background score. Above all, there is Ajay Agarwal’s memorable performance as Saamri. While many Bollywood monsters have become unintentionally comic, Saamri remains one of the genre’s more effective creations. Agarwal attacks the role with tremendous enthusiasm and manages to create a creature that is genuinely imposing despite the obvious budgetary limitations.

The old haveli itself deserves special mention. Bathed in the Ramsays’ trademark red and blue lighting and engulfed in billowing fog, it resembles a wonderfully kitschy hybrid of a haunted house attraction and a psychedelic Hammer Horror set.

Purana Mandir is far from a great film in any conventional sense. The songs remain intrusive, the comedy frequently exasperating and the acting rarely subtle. Nevertheless, it remains one of the Ramsays’ defining achievements and one of the most important films ever produced within the Bollywood horror genre.

For better or worse, this is the film that unleashed Saamri upon an unsuspecting nation and convinced filmmakers that horror could actually make money. Indian horror cinema was never quite the same again.