Bahubuthayo 2002

Two young journalists, Lanti and Bunty, set out on a southern assignment to Kirindiwela to write a feature about devil dancing and exorcist rituals for a travel publication. The legend-soaked village hums with rumors of ancient spirits, and their investigation begins with a brush with a possessed woman who hysterially pursues them. They retreat into the jungle, where a small, seemingly quiet house appears as a beacon of refuge. Inside, they meet Elaris Appuhami, a village exorcist who reveals a strange hospitality, and Bunty, ever curious, snaps a photo of a pretty young girl named Tikiri, whom Elaris presents as his domestic helper. The moment is innocent enough, but it plants the seed of trouble that will pull them deeper into the village’s dark history.

When they wake to find Tikiri following them, the two journalists struggle to shake her off. Their attempts to send her away fail, and the situation grows desperate enough to seek help from the Chief Priest of the village temple. The priest delivers a chilling truth: Tikiri is not a mere girl—she is an evil spirit masquerading as a human, a revelation that stuns them into a wary fear. Elaris Appuhami’s earlier claim to keep Tikiri as his helper now reads differently, and the journalists plead for protection from this supernatural danger. The Chief Priest proposes a grim bargain: they will have to confront the nuisance only after months, when they will return to help raise a temple bell pole. Reluctantly, Lanti and Bunty accept the terms and bow to the plan, and the priest seemingly removes Tikiri from their path.

Back home, the trauma seems to fade as seasons pass. Three months slip by, and the obligation to return to the village to complete the bell is forgotten. Tikiri reappears, more determined than ever, and the house—along with their roommate Chaminda, their office colleagues, and even a local gang—falls under her malevolent influence. Their world spirals into chaos as Tikiri’s powers extend beyond a single haunting. In the midst of the escalating nightmare, a god in human form materializes, an alcoholic figure who surveys the scene with a mix of suspicion and confusion. The god’s human disguise makes it hard to discern what is real, but the journalists insist that Tikiri is no ordinary girl. Alcoholic God finally tries to intervene, but the moment he tests Tikiri with a magical instrument to see her true nature, the truth becomes undeniable: she is a devil.

The magical spectacle that Lanti and Bunty carry—an instrument that lets them visualize the true faces of spirits and humans—becomes essential as they navigate an increasingly perilous terrain. The god’s attempts to vanquish her falter, and Tikiri proves resilient, prompting the duo to reassess their approach. It all converges on a memory: the village bell and the temple they once paused. They hurry back to the temple, assembling a community effort to finish the bell tower, while the Chief Priest blesses them with holy water, a Pirith pan of Lord Buddha, and the promise that it can banish the evil once and for all. This holy water becomes a vital tool in their plan.

They return to a house that has become a dance floor for devils. With the holy water mixed into the water tank and the aid of the magical spectacles, they unleash a spray designed to reveal and expel the devils from the party. The devils scream and scatter, but Tikiri remains, stubborn and dangerous. Bunty manages to spit a small amount of holy water toward her, and she screams as she flees the home, banished at last. Yet a remaining drop of holy water gifts them a final chance: Lanti and Bunty roam the city with the spectacles, using the blessed liquid to confront remaining devils wherever they appear. As the credits roll, a final, eerie image lingers—a caged bat in the night.