Hello.
Geologist Dr. Sharma?
What's keeping you?
I thought you were right behind me.
Need me to come and get you?
Bulbul?
Yes, Papa. I am coming.
Come, come. Careful.
Very good!
Look at what I found, Papa.
Okay. Remember
this is our little secret, okay?
If Mummy finds out...
Come, come.
But, Papa,
how do we keep this a secret?
What?
This?
Let me see, my dear. Let me see.
Like this.
Like this. Okay?
Exactly where did you find this?
How deep did you dig?
Just this much.
-Papa. -Yes.
I want to go home now.
Just another two minutes, my dear.
Papa got what he wanted, right?
A whole mountain full.
Now go and wait for me in the car.
I'll be there in two minutes.
-Okay, Papa. -Go.
-What's the matter? -Nothing, nothing.
Sit attentively.
Why do you need the gun, Papa?
I'll tell you.
What happened, Papa?
Where are we going, Papa?
Perhaps he was right.
Something is not right about this place.
What are you doing?
Where will we run away with a child in the middle of the night?
Just come on. We have to leave. Now!
-Why did you go to that cave? -How was I to know?
How was I to know that their stories, their curses,
the wrath of that sorcerer, Raakan, is all true?
Okay, okay. Calm down.
I'll call the doctor.
Put the phone down, Lata!
Lata!
Bulbul!
You could have killed her!
Lata, we must leave from here.
You have lost your mind, Parthiv!
Hey!
Put your gun down!
-Go away! -Put the gun down!
Please take the child and stand behind me.
Stay away from them!
You have been affected by the Raakan.
Go away!
You are not in your senses.
That cave is cursed by the sorcerer.
The Raakan inside you must be stopped or else...
Raakan!
Bulbul?
Bulbul.
My dear, it's Papa...
Come out, my child.
Bulbul.
My dear...
No!
It's me, Papa.
My girl, Bulbul; it's me, Papa.
She's a blemish on IAS officers!
Always pretending to be so idealistic!
She needs to rot in jail.
Her husband committed suicide because of her.
There is no place for thieves here.
Twelve people died. If not you, then who is responsible?
SECRETARIAT JAIPUR
Wow, Madam IAS, siphoned millions of rupees.
We don't want her to be seen in the office again!
It was not suicide. She killed her husband.
Avani Raut is immediately suspended.
Stop lying, Avani.
She should be tarred and feathered before being paraded!
Bloody thief!
A corrupt IAS lady will be exposed on primetime today.
Where have you stashed the money? Speak up!
How will you face him?
You should have at least thought about your son.
Avani Raut has become the cause of death
for 12 people along with her own husband...
What brings you to my office today?
I thought I should come by
since you don't even know where my office is anymore, sir.
Office allocation is Ms. Meena's department, Avani.
You know that.
Hold on. Let me talk to her.
I don't need a new office, sir.
I need a new project.
The Shilaspura project.
Avani,
do you have any idea of the specifics of this project?
Satellite sensors have detected rare earth minerals
in the mountains near Shilaspura, sir.
These minerals could revolutionise the health and pharma sectors.
They have the power to have a global impact.
A private operator has approached the Rajasthan government.
They want to send a mining expedition there at their own expense.
They have demanded help from the Ministry to deal with the locals.
I see you have done your homework.
But, to be honest, Avani,
I don't think you are ready for this as yet.
The Enquiry Commission has submitted their report to the court, sir,
and the court has given me a clean chit.
Besides, I am perfectly healthy.
There seems to be no real reason for me
to not be ready to work.
I'm sorry, Avani.
Your case still attracts media attention.
Media attention is elsewhere too, sir.
Protests and stone-pelting in Shilaspura.
Chau-Pahar is the local newspaper.
They published this news.
Patrika and Bhaskar will receive it too.
Soon it will be national news.
How did you get hold of this?
When one is stuck in a windowless basement, sir,
the internet windows come in quite handy.
And it was you who had taught me
that it doesn't matter what's in the file.
What matters is that which is left out of the file.
I better contain this.
Sir, sir, sir.
I have spoken to the editor of Chau-Pahar,
and I was promised
that if the officer on special duty
does an exclusive interview with them,
he will suppress this news.
How is Anay?
You are a terrible actor, sir.
I know you two are continuously messaging.
You are aware of the incident in his school.
Yes.
But...
where will he stay?
I will take him to Shilaspura with me.
It will be a good break for both of us.
An emotional reboot.
Anyway, tell me one thing.
What in God's name is an emoji?
I just don't get it!
Hey, hello.
Hashtag train challenge.
Come inside.
Show me your ticket.
It's inside.
That is not allowed. You'll have to pay a fine.
Fork out Rs. 2,000.
Rs. 4,000. Keep.
The compartment is usually vacant after Phalodi.
Where are you going?
Rudragarh.
No.
Shila something.
Shilaspura.
What work do you have there?
My mom likes to find unique problems and then solving them.
Couldn't you find a better place to visit?
A lunar eclipse is going on.
That place is haunted.
Ridhiyakan's head is buried there.
Whose? What?
Look, we have a saying.
Mourning could hurt more than death.
There are times when mourning is worse than death.
I have heard all the stories about that place.
We don't go anywhere near it.
What stories?
Never mind.
Now that you are going, listen to me carefully.
Early tomorrow morning,
you will cross Baba's grave next to the tracks.
Make a ten-rupee offering on it for blessings.
Baba will protect you, and you will return alive.
Otherwise, happy journey.
Oh, hello...
Does Shilaspura have some kind of weird history?
Why? Since when have you become interested in history?
I was talking to the TT;
he said some strange things.
Basically, some vested interests don't want
progress in Shilaspura.
So, a multimillion-dollar project is being prevented
under the pretext of a Shilasthal.
So, that's why this posting.
So,
this is a short-term posting?
Yeah.
Three to four weeks maximum.
Then Jaishankar sir has promised me
he'll give me an advanced-grade post.
Hopefully in some metro town.
Then you won't have to return to that boarding school
or to that house.
Do you have...
a ten-rupee coin?
Why?
The TT said...
we will cross a Baba's grave before the station arrives.
If we offer Rs. 10 there,
-he will keep us safe. -Seriously?
Now you pay heed to anything anyone says, Anay?
You know I don't believe in these regressive practices.
Of course. Why would you?
And I am sure you will also not hold any memorial prayer meeting for Pa.
Obviously you won't.
And you know why?
Because you only know how to impose your beliefs on others.
You don't care what I want or what
Pa would have wanted.
It was so easy for you to say we won't have to return to that house.
It isn't only your house.
It is mine,
and it was Pa's as well.
-I never said-- -You know what?
Do what you want to do.
Go where you want to go.
How long will you carry on this act
of being the widowed mother to a psycho kid?
Anay!
After this posting, you can go directly to your advanced-grade posting.
Don't worry about me.
I will manage my life.
Anay!
RUDRAGARH RAILWAY STATION
Anay!
Greetings, ma'am.
-Let me help you. -No.
Our train was already 25 minutes late,
and yet you are five minutes late.
Sorry, ma'am.
There is mountainous terrain on the way.
Sometimes the vehicles get ambushed too.
One has to take care when driving through.
Who does the ambushing?
Do you have dacoits here?
No, ma'am.
There are no more dacoits even in the Chambal.
These are local rebels. They live in the mountains.
Nikasiya.
Where is the police escort?
Police escort, ma'am?
They must have dealt with them by now.
All good, ma'am.
Ma'am, your office and home-stay arrangements
have been made in the Circuit House.
It will be easier for you.
What does this Pramukh Swaroop want?
What does he want, ma'am?
Mr. Swaroop is the Pramukh, meaning the chief, of the Shilasthal.
Devotion and...
No, Sachet,
not what he does.
What does he want?
Every person, no matter who he is,
always wants something, isn't it?
Ma'am, the Pramukh is
an immensely respected person in Shilaspura.
Who happens to be your uncle.
So let's do one thing.
Let's keep the relations aside and concentrate on work.
What is the way to end his agitation?
Ma'am, I am not deeply attached to the Pramukh.
But Ridhiyakan's Shilasthal is a...
Ridhiyakan?
Is it not the same scary place from those spooky stories?
Yes, Anay. It's very famous.
Extremely ancient.
I can't seem to find anything about it on Google.
What's the spelling?
R-I-D-H-I-Y-A...
Anay, you won't find it on Google.
I will tell you.
Yes, please.
It's a very old story
when India wasn't India and Rajasthan wasn't Rajasthan.
In those times, a king ruled this place.
He was close to his death.
I mean he could cross over anytime.
The sons of the king
and their cousins fought over the throne.
On one side, there were the five brothers,
our ancestors, Karapali,
and 50 on the other side,
who later came to be known as Nikasiya.
Since the army of the Karapali was smaller,
the Nikasiyas had an upper hand.
Their defeat was inevitable.
But the Karapali had an ace amongst them.
Their eldest brother Vayusen's son,
Ridhiyakan.
Why was Ridhiyakan the ace?
Ridhiyakan's mother, Haadika, was a female demon,
so he was a sorcerer.
Actually, Anay,
the king had never accepted Haadika
and Vayusen's relation.
So, the poor mother and son used to live in the jungle.
But Haadika reminded him of his duty towards family,
and Ridhiyakan entered the war.
Though the Nikasiya army was ten times bigger,
Ridhiyakan's entry caused chaos
and they started losing their footing
because his illusions
didn't target their bodies but their minds.
And whoever was possessed by his illusions
became a Raakan.
Raakan?
What's that?
Raakan.
Dead beady eyes.
Black, tar-like blood.
Anay, their intentions were very dreadful.
A mutilated form of man you can't imagine in your wildest dreams.
It's like this sorcerer kills the humanity within people
and makes them savage.
Under his spell, the warriors began fighting amongst themselves,
killed each other and themselves too.
But what's surprising is that
seeing all the bloodshed made him very happy.
Blood, death, chaos...
the sorcerer kept watching
and enjoying it all.
That's when the Karapalis understood that the child sorcerer's soul is evil,
ruled by iniquity.
Sounds like a monster.
Then why do you people make
that Shila whatever and pray to it?
Anay,
we have no other alternative.
People's beliefs,
faith, devotion.
Have the snacks; it's getting cold.
Ma'am, would you like some snacks?
That child sorcerer had almost made them win the war.
That's when his uncle thought what's the guarantee
that he wouldn't kill all of us too for the throne?
Then?
The Karapalis invoked their deity
and fraudulently beheaded the sorcerer child with a weapon
made out of a three-pronged blade of grass.
A blade of grass?
Yes, Anay, people made weapons with grass in those times.
It's an ancient thing.
But, despite being beheaded, his head kept talking.
He kept calling out to his mother for help.
Everyone got scared,
They were afraid, if his mother found out,
she would wipe out the entire clan.
So, they imprisoned that talking head in a rock
and swore to look after that sorcerer
and venerate and worship it and keep him calm.
And hence our clan was named Karapali.
The ones who care for the imprisoned.
The Karapali.
And that's the reason the people in your clan
aren't allowing the mining work to take place.
First, they choose to remain stuck in these concocted stories,
and then complain that
there is no development.
Stop! Stop!
-Madam, please wait. -Anay, don't leave the car.
What's this, Sachet?
Was this the police escort?
Madam, the people who lost the war in the sorcerer's story,
they were expelled from the land.
They live like rebels in these hills.
They are dangerous people, madam. Let's leave from here.
This is the Nikasiya clan's doing.
I told you not to get out of the car!
Get in the car.
Madam, I suggest that, before we go to Circuit House,
let's first meet Bhavani on the way.
Madam, you were saying we need to find a way to tackle the Pramukh.
Bhawani can be very useful in doing that.
That's enough. Serve madam.
Sister,
the pudding is delicious.
If I have one more bite,
I will crash right here tonight.
Surely. You're most welcome to stay over.
Mr. Bhawani,
I have come to meet you as soon as I got here.
You will benefit the most once the mining starts.
Round-the-clock electricity, infrastructure...
All the credit
will go to you.
First of all, I would like to congratulate you.
Usually,
we don't have women working in our field.
This vision of yours
has my complete support.
Otherwise, what does Shilaspura really have?
What is there after all?
All this place has
is the people's beliefs.
Their faith
and their devotion.
See,
development and faith
will have to go side by side.
It's a good thing that you came to me first.
Or there is an old saying...
isn't it?
Which goes...
when two wise people meet,
they talk about wisdom.
And when two fools meet,
they destroy things.
It means...
I understand what you mean, Mr. Bhawani.
But Rs. 240 crore isn't a small amount.
That too in the first phase of development
for Shilaspura and its people.
Do you think
you can buy
their God for Rs. 240 crore?
If the Shilasthal falls during mining--
Mr. Bhawani,
let's get to the point.
Whose side are you on?
Who am I to take anyone's side?
The actual thing is
that you don't understand the situation.
Then explain it to me.
The thing is
that the land of Shilaspura is captured
by ghosts.
We are only tenants here.
Isn't it?
My wife, Renu,
never believed in Ridhiyakan.
She started getting possessed.
Certain powers captured her mind.
In front of my eyes, Mr. Swaroop freed her from it.
Tell madam the truth.
Say it.
There is a dark shadow--
Speak up, wench!
All day you keep jabbering away.
Now when I am asking you to speak,
has your tongue got paralysed?
Yes.
There is a dark shadow in my stars,
so I often get possessed.
But with Ridhiyakan baba's mercy, I am fine now.
Madam,
we follow the custom of pangat in Shilaspura.
Everyone sits and gets up from the table at the same time.
Are you done,
or do you also believe in pangat?
Madam.
Mr. Bhawani,
the fault does not lie in her stars
but in your thought process.
The mine will surely open.
You have to decide
whether you are the foolish one
or the wise one.
Madam, please do go and visit the Shilasthal.
I request you.
The obvious needs no evidence.
Madam, Circuit House.
Anay,
help with the bags.
Go on.
Hello!
Ma'am.
Janki Devi.
I look after Circuit House and its guests.
Experience five years.
Please make your entry in here.
Why are all the glasses broken here?
It's protection against the magic of the sorcerer.
Or he might use one's own reflection to cast illusions.
Actually, we have a ritual.
Whenever a child is born in the village,
a piece of broken glass is kept at
the Shila in his name for protection.
Anay, your room.
Madam.
I'll be back in sometime.
Did you know that, if mice are well fed outside the house,
they stop coming inside the house?
By the way, what are you doing here, Dr. Sandeep Bajaj,
apart from being a nutritionist for intruding mice?
Now that we are intruding into their flora and fauna to no limit,
they also have a right to...
Not too far away is a bird sanctuary.
Mangon Corporation has given some donations
under their "eco-friendly mining" programme.
Eco-friendly mining?
This mine is a serious threat to bird migration.
Seriously.
I don't know about the birds,
but if this mine opens here,
the young population of this village will surely stop migrating.
Just imagine
technology, health services,
education,
if all these jobs are available here...
Yeah, of course, of course.
Has anyone ever been able to defeat you in debates?
Sandy, I know a mine is not ideal.
But this area is very much in need of progress.
You take care of the animals and birds,
and I'll...
Yeah, you definitely need a special officer for that.
Hmm? What?
Go early morning tomorrow.
See it for yourself.
I'll make a move.
Even I have to go to the bird sanctuary early morning tomorrow.
Good night.
Thank you.
For?
For not asking me too many questions about Karun's life.
Avani, it's not my place,
but I hope you don't become a pawn
between the Shilasthal and the company.
Whatever decision you take, you will be responsible for it.
So...
just be careful.
From whom?
Didn't I say see it for yourself in the morning?
Good night.
Madam,
Ridhiyakan can cast illusions through the eyes.
This is to protect yourself from it.
Please apply some.
We don't show our back to baba, madam.
It's considered inauspicious.
I always heard one must never show their backs to enemies.
Madam... Madam, wait.
An exorcism is going on.
Stand in one place, please.
Avani,
did you think you could leave me behind?
Avani!
Avani, here.
All you had to do was help me.
You could not even do that much?
You left me to die.
You left your husband to die, Avani!
Your husband!
What do the planets and stars say?
One, two, three, four.
The moon, the stars, east, west.
She will turn back today,
but she will soon return.
Move ahead. Move ahead.
You won't be able to live peacefully after killing me.
You will lose everything.