Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada 2016

The opening credits hint at a spirit once trapped in a bottle, now broken free as the bottle shatters and the force slips away into the world.

In 2012, Arjun waits at the marriage registrar’s office for his girlfriend Ayesha to arrive for their wedding, only to be left heartbroken when she does not show up. The ache of that day lingers as life moves forward.

Fast forward four years, and a troubled youth named Kishore, a cousin of a friend, becomes convinced he is haunted after facing a string of rejections from women. To help him, Arjun takes Kishore to a temple in Kerala, Mahishasura Mandir, for treatment. While Kishore undergoes care, Amala enters the picture in Arjun’s life, and he finds himself drawn to her and falls in love. Kishore’s therapy concludes, but Arjun’s joy is cut short when he learns that Amala has vanished without a word.

Driven to find her, Arjun travels to her hometown, Vijayawada, only to uncover a devastating truth: Amala died in an accident four years earlier, and the woman he met in Kerala was not Amala at all. Back in Hyderabad, he encounters the woman who introduced herself as Amala, only to discover that her name is actually Nithya, a person with a strikingly different personality from the one he met in Kerala. From a trusted source, he learns that Nithya is possessed by a spirit named Amala, who died in the same accident.

As time passes, Arjun and Nithya grow closer, but Amala’s spirit moves into another girl’s body and comes to Arjun’s home. Though terrified, he keeps his cool in her presence. One day, Nithya invites him to a meeting and Arjun fabricates a tale of a supposed encounter with film director S. S. Rajamouli to Amala, hoping to protect the truth. When Amala discovers the ruse, she arrives at the scene and witnesses Nithya and Arjun sharing a kiss.

Returning home, a heartbroken Amala reveals her true identity to Arjun: she is not just the woman he loved but the reincarnation of Ayesha, with Amala as her real name. Her backstory unfolds: Arjun fell for Amala in 2012 without ever truly seeing her face, only glimpsing her eyes behind a Burqa and mistaking her for a Muslim woman named Ayesha. If Amala had agreed to marry him, she would reveal herself; but as fate would have it, a perilous chase by an eve-teaser ends in a road accident that claims her life. She explains that she possessed Parvathi to save her from a forced marriage to her maternal uncle, Rajan.

Hearing this, Arjun is overwhelmed with guilt for not recognizing her and pleads to stop her, but Amala cannot stay. She leaves Parvathi’s body, and Parvathi regains consciousness but does not recognize Arjun. A menacing moment arrives when Parvathi’s uncle appears and confronts Arjun; just as violence looms, Amala’s soul re-enters Parvathi’s body to shield him. While Arjun recovers in hospital, Amala learns from Nithya that Arjun still loves her, which explains why he rejected Nithya’s proposal—his love remains rooted in Ayesha, and he was drawn to Nithya because she resembled her.

With newfound understanding, Amala resolves to reconnect with Arjun, acknowledging the misperceptions that tainted their bond. But Kishore devises a plan: with the aid of Swamiji, who had previously exorcised him in Kerala, they aim to separate Amala’s soul from Parvathi’s body and capture it for good. Not wanting to lose Amala again, Arjun hurries home as Swamiji performs the exorcism and seals Amala’s spirit away in a bottle. Swamiji consoles him, explaining that this act might not be his choice but aligns with a higher will, as a soul would not linger on Earth after death.

Months pass, and Arjun encounters Nithya once more, noticing behavior reminiscent of Amala. He proposes again, and Nithya offers a hopeful, smiling consent. Meanwhile, Parvathi returns home, and though her uncle allows her to marry the man she chooses, she flees the scene, unsettled by the events at Arjun’s house.

In the end, the tale circles back to choice, identity, and forgiveness, with Arjun moving forward while the living dynamics around Amala, Nithya, and Parvathi continue to evolve in the wake of past heartbreak and the haunting echoes of a spirit that once crossed between lives.