Horror films as a genre have gained widespread popularity in recent times. Devi, the upcoming film written and directed by Souptick Chakraborty, explores the genre with an eye on its symbolic aspects. A modern horror fantasy, it tells the story of a young girl, Devi, who is entrusted with the task of taking down Maya, a witch with designs to rule the universe.

The trailer of Devi comprises a compact and clearly structured collection of moments from the story that highlight its main themes, besides showcasing its efforts in the special effects department in effectively generating a supernatural atmosphere. The trailer introduces us to the central characters, their personalities, their motivations and aspirations, all indicating a dramatic and monumental clash between Devi and Maya in its climax. Anjana Basu plays Maya, the malevolent witch or a demoness who wants to be the universe’s most potent dark force, her characterisation conforming to that of conventional evil characters in mainstream children’s horror stories.

The development of the supernatural element of the story is traced simultaneously with the story of the growing up of the child Devi into a young woman. Invested with extraordinary strength and courage, Devi is initially unaware of her own superpowers. She is brought up with great care by her father (Rahul Arunoday Banerjee), who is extremely cautious about concealing her special talents from the world.

Ranieeta Dash, who portrays the grown-up Devi, is the typical free-spirited, spunky and confident girl. Her performance appears to maintain a delicate balance among the different roles she is expected to play in the film — as someone on a mission to vanquish a demoness, as a young college girl in love, and a fearless fighter against goons and hoodlums. Operating on multiple levels, the main plot of Devi is thus finely integrated with a love story, also hinting at a sub-plot which deals with political power and the abuses commonly associated with it, like intimidation, pressure and persecution.

While its supernatural story symbolises the fight between right and wrong, good and evil, the corruptions of the real world clearly mirror Maya’s quest for absolute control and her lust for power. In the story, the fear and horror of Maya become a metaphor for the dishonesty, depravity, injustice and sinfulness that have overpowered our lives. Devi undertakes a battle head-on to defeat her adversaries in both the real and supernatural realms. Devi releases in theatres on July 25.