Vaalvi
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Paresh Mokashi
Written by	Madhugandha Kulkarni Paresh Mokashi
Produced by	Madhugandha Kulkarni
Starring	Swapnil Joshi Anita Date Kelkar Subodh Bhave Shivani Surve
Cinematography	Satyajit Shobha Shriram
Edited by	Abhijeet Deshpande Saurabh Prabhudesai
Music by	Mangesh Dhakade
Production company	Zee Studios
Release date	13 January 2023
Running time	106 minutes
Country	India
Language	Marathi
Budget	est. ₹3 crore[1]
Box office	est. ₹7.25 crore[1]

Vaalvi (translation: Termites) is a 2023 Indian Marathi-language dark comedy thriller^[2] film directed by Paresh Mokashi and produced by Madhugandha Kulkarni under the production banner of Zee Studios. The film stars Swapnil Joshi, Anita Date Kelkar, Subodh Bhave and Shivani Surve and was released theatrically on 13 January 2023 and digitally on ZEE5 on 24 February 2023. In the film, Aniket (Joshi) plans to murder his mentally unstable wife, Avani (Date Kelkar), by faking a double suicide along with his girlfriend, Devika (Surve), but unforeseen circumstances compel them to team up with a psychiatrist, Anshuman (Bhave).^{[3][4][5][6][7]}

Plot

Aniket (Swapnil Joshi) and Avani (Anita Date Kelkar) are married for 14 years but are still childless. At the same time, Avani has severe mental disorder and is undergoing a psychiatric treatment while also having fostered termites at home for her microbiology experiments. Aniket makes Avani aware that his company has gone bankrupt and that because he was unable to pay off the debts, they have lost all their money and the ownership of their bungalow house, and the furniture in their house will be soon seized by the repossessors. The two decide to end their lives together in these circumstances by shooting themselves with two of Aniket's guns and each write their suicide note stating that they have made this decision of their own free will. In reality, Aniket's plan is to fake the double suicide by keeping his own silver gun unloaded and Avani's black gun loaded, and eat the suicide note that he wrote after Avani shoots herself to death to destroy the evidence, since he is fed up with the depressed Avani's outbursts and has no relationship with her.

After Avani threatens to raise a major legal fight if he ever tries to divorce her, Aniket comes up with this devilish murder plan to get rid of his wife along with his dentist girlfriend, Dr. Devika (Shivani Surve). While seated inside Devika's dental clinic, Aniket and Devika practice the whole scenario of Avani's death repeatedly in a bid to ensure nothing goes wrong. Aniket is actually also not financially broke and has hired a moving company, having instructed the movers that all the furniture in the house should be moved out and stored in the warehouse of his factory, because he will be surprising his wife by renovating the house. On the day of the implementation of Aniket and Devika's perfect murder plan (or so they believe), after all the furniture is moved out from the house, Aniket tells Avani that he will be visiting the office for the last time, and instead visits the police station to file a fake missing complaint of his licensed gun, and later arrives at Devika's dental clinic for a scheduled root canal appointment. Once inside Devika's back office, he disguises himself as a food delivery person, exits from the back window and drives Devika's scooter back to his house (wearing sunglasses and a helmet to disguise his face) for the "double suicide".

The situation does not go as planned at the point where Aniket reaches the doorstep but Avani does not answer the door (the plan was for Aniket to tell gullible Avani when she answers the door that he disguised himself to hide from debt collectors). Nevertheless, he opens the door with his house keys and walks inside, only to find Avani apparently unconscious on the floor in the bedroom with the bottle of a prescribed anti-depressant medicine next to her. Instead of going through his original plan of "double suicide", Aniket shoots Avani dead in her apparent unconsciousness and places the gun in her hand and the suicide note that she wrote beside her dead body to frame the death as suicide. He then leaves the crime scene disguised as a food delivery person and drives Devika's scooter back to her dental clinic with the sunglasses and helmet on his face. Later in the afternoon, Aniket believes his plan to have been successfully executed, and returns to his house with his driver, Rajaram, to pretend to be shocked to see his wife having committed "suicide". However, after entering home, Aniket is actually shocked to discover Avani's dead body and suicide note having mysteriously disappeared from the crime scene and sends Rajaram home. Aniket then summons Devika home, explaining her the situation, and the two restlessly begin searching for clues in the house, only to be horrified to come across Avani's positive pregnancy test in the bathroom.

As they argue over the pregnancy test, Aniket and Devika are even more horrified as Aniket receives a phone call from Avani's phone number from a mysterious man, who tells him that his and Devika's evil actions were not a secret and that they should come and meet with him at a certain location as soon as they can. After Aniket and Devika arrive at the location, the mysterious man introduces himself, in a plot twist, as Dr. Anshuman (Subodh Bhave), Avani's psychiatrist-turned-boyfriend, who shockingly happens to have the possessions of Avani's missing dead body and suicide note. Further, Anshuman reveals to Aniket and Devika that Avani had grown emotionally attached to him during her psychiatric treatment with him and was therefore involved in an intimate relationship with him. Early that day, after Aniket's departure for the "double suicide" plan, Avani shared Anshuman the news of being pregnant with his child over a phone call and forced him to marry her, agreeing to divorce Aniket, which frightened Anshuman enough to visit Avani at home and give her an overdose of her anti-depressant medicine, resulting in Avani's death. In the moments immediately following Avani's murder, Anshuman rushed to hide inside the bathroom, after hearing Aniket entering the house, and was shocked to witness him shoot the "unconscious" Avani, and later leave the house disguised as a food delivery person.

Shocked by these unexpected turn of events, Aniket and Devika team up with Anshuman with the intention to either bury or cremate Avani's dead body somewhere secluded, such as the side of the highway. The three then dump Avani's dead body in Aniket's car and set off in the middle of the night in a bid to find the right place and the right way to dispose of it. During the night journey, Aniket, Devika and Anshuman witness many police checkings happening for the day being New Year's Eve, and later come across a car accident in the middle of the street wherein the investigating police inspector (Sandy) forces them to drop the minorly injured woman (Namrata Sambherao) off to the hospital. However, the woman discovers on the way that Avani is already dead and not sleeping, but Aniket hits the injured woman badly in the head with his iron water bottle, causing her death due to head injury. Just then, the leading police inspector on the motorbike also stops and discovers both Avani and the woman's deaths in the car, but Devika uses Aniket's gun to shoot the police inspector to his death.

In this way, what started as a simple murder plan ends up leaving Aniket, Devika and Anshuman with three different dead bodies and after not having found the right way to dispose of them, eventually return to Aniket's home in the early morning hours. As the three place the dead bodies of Avani, the injured woman and the police inspector on the couch in the living room and sit on the floor together to discuss their next plan about their disposal, the chandelier on the ceiling suddenly and unexpectedly drops down on Aniket, Devika and Anshuman, killing all three of them on the spot. The next day, the local police show up to find the most confusing scene ever of three decaying dead bodies on the couch and three under the chandelier. They investigate that the chandelier was tied with a strong nylon rope that had been infested by the termites that Avani was researching, who eventually softened the rope enough to make the chandelier fall and killed her murderers, the ending being rather poetic.

Cast

• Swapnil Joshi as Aniket
• Anita Date Kelkar as Avani
• Subodh Bhave as Dr. Anshuman
• Shivani Surve as Dr. Devika
• Namrata Sambherao as Injured woman in clinic and car^[8]
• Sandy as Investigating police inspector
• Asha Dnyate as Radhabai (Aniket and Avani's domestic worker)^[9]

Character Analysis

• Aniket – Swapnil Joshi delivers a standout performance as Aniket. Aniket is a complex character with a troubled mindset, and Swapnil portrays his emotions and inner turmoil with great depth. He perfectly captures the essence of a man grappling with his own demons, showcasing a range of emotions from despair to determination. Swapnil's portrayal keeps the audience engaged and invested in Aniket's journey throughout the film.
• Avani – Anita Date Kelkar shines as Avani, Aniket's wife. Her portrayal of Avani is subtle yet impactful. Anita effectively conveys Avani's strength and resilience in the face of adversity. Her chemistry with Swapnil's character adds depth to their relationship and enhances the emotional intensity of the film. Anita's strong performance brings depth and nuance to Avani's character.
• Anshuman – Subodh Bhave delivers a compelling performance as Anshuman. Anshuman is a pivotal character who plays a significant role in the story's twists and turns. Subodh effectively conveys the complexities and nuances of Anshuman's character, keeping the audience guessing about his true intentions. His chemistry with the other actors, especially Swapnil Joshi, adds an extra layer of intrigue to the film.
• Devika – Shivani Surve impresses with her portrayal of Devika. Devika is a mysterious and enigmatic character, and Shivani breathes life into her with her intense performance. Shivani skillfully captures Devika's charm and unpredictability, creating a character that keeps the audience intrigued and on their toes. Her chemistry with the other actors brings an added layer of dynamics to the film.

Release

Reception

Accolades

Future

Vaalvi 2 was announced at a party on the occasion of Paresh Mokashi's birthday. Madhugandha Kulkarni, Paresh Mokashi and Mangesh Kulkarni of Zee Studios announced that they are coming up with Vaalvi 2 soon.^[29]

References

External links

• Vaalvi at IMDb
• Vaalvi on ZEE5
• Vaalvi at Rotten Tomatoes