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STORY: _Eight years after marriage, the life of Kusum and Sharad Abhyankar goes through a series of unfortunate incidents that uncover some hard truths._ REVIEW: For those who have been

around for a while, the name might sound familiar. Savita Damodar Paranjpe was originally a play written by Shekhar Tamhane and performed in the 1980s with the late Reema Lagoo in the lead.

The play itself was inspired by the true story and Swapna Waghmare Joshi’s directorial is a screen adaptation of the same. Sharad Abhyankar (Bhave) and Kusum (Toradmal) are a well-to-do

couple and live a good life as far as material pleasures are concerned. However, Kusum suffers from episodes of unexplained physical and mental trauma which have affected the couple’s

relationship to some extent. Desperate to bring her out of the trauma, Sharad is ready to cross limits and do whatever it takes. After turning down his doctor’s (Mhaskar) advice of

consulting a psychiatrist, Sharad seeks help from Ashok (Bapat) a relative who feels Kusum is possessed by the spirit of Savita Paranjpe (Hemangi), Sharad’s friend who used to be in love

with him. Together all of them try to bring peace in Kusum’s life but in the process, they uncover some truths that shatter the very foundations of Sharad and Kusum’s marriage. John

Abraham’s first Marathi production is an interesting thriller that keeps you hooked. While every actor, including debutante Trupti Toradmal, has done a very good job, the film stands out for

its overall effect. And that’s a winner for Swapna and team. There are shades of Bhool Bhulaiyya but it’s important to note that the play that has inspired this film had been staged way

before the Akshay Kumar starrer was made. As a psychological thriller, Savita Damodar Paranjpe (SDP) succeeds in keeping the thrill intact. At times it ventures into the supernatural and

that’s a grey area of the film because it confuses the viewer. The music is another aspect that could have been better. It is unnecessarily loud at some points and hampers the build-up.

Despite the flaws, SDP is worth a watch, primarily for the interesting story and performances.