Ennu Swantham Janakikutty 1998

Janakikutty, Jomol, is a ninth-grade student who grows up in a bustling joint family at a traditional Nair tharavadu. Her days are shaped by a busy household where her mother tends to the home and her siblings—her brother and sister—often overlook her because they’re older. Her father is frequently away in town, leaving the home feeling incomplete and a touch strained. Amid the crowd, Janaki clings to a small circle: her grandmother, a patient and warm presence who quietly observes the world, and her neighbor Bhaskaran, Sharath Das, the man she secretly loves. This fragile domestic balance is the quiet center of her world, even as she feels the ache of being left out by those closest to her.

Her grandmother, a steady figure, often shares lore and warnings that weave together daily life with superstition. In their home, the elder’s stories become a counterpoint to the noise of relatives and rituals, casting a gentle light on Janaki’s hopes and fears. The grandmother’s wisdom and affection stand in stark relief against a life that frequently leaves Janaki feeling unseen, a situation that pushes her toward the solace she finds in Bhaskaran’s quiet companionship.

One day, while collecting herbs in a nearby forest, Janakikutty wanders into a restricted area her grandmother warns her never to enter again. The place, shrouded in rumor, is said to be haunted. To explain the danger, the grandmother recounts a legend about a once-married Namboothiri couple. The wife, Kunjathol, discovers her husband’s womanizing and confronts him; in a brutal turn, he murders her. Since then, Kunjathol is believed to roam the area as a Yakshi, a spirit with a dark past, along with her companion Karineeli. To prove the tale, the grandmother adds another chilling vignette: two men who lost their way during a festival encounter a young woman who asks for betel leaves, only to reveal herself as Kunjathol and kill them, drinking their blood, their bones later found beneath a tree.

As fate would have it, Janakikutty’s world intersects with the legend in a personal way. She meets Bhaskaran and Sarojini, who are soon revealed to be a couple, a sight that shatters Janaki’s hope of a simple life. Grief and embarrassment push her to tears, but a fall soon after—spraining her leg during the stumble—brings a moment of otherworldly contact. A voice calls her name, and she sees Kunjathol, a beautiful young woman with a reassuring smile, who introduces herself and her aide, Karineeli. Janaki is terrified at first, yet Kunjathol offers a calming counterpoint: not all Yakshis are malevolent, and since Janaki has not committed any wrong, Kunjathol would rather befriend and protect her. From that moment, Janaki and Kunjathol become inseparable friends, and the girl confides the most intimate struggles of her life to this otherworldly ally. Kunjathol promises to help if Janaki wishes.

Back at home, the family grows worried about Janaki’s increasingly strange behavior. They hear her speaking to herself, and they hear her mention Kunjathol as if she truly knows the Yakshi. When Janaki pleads for help against the meanness of her elder cousins and sisters, Kunjathol steps in, using her gifts to frighten them—throwing stones into their room at night. The family chalks this up to haunting and tries several rituals to lay the disturbance to rest, but nothing works. The household grows tense as the belief spreads that a ghost has taken up residence in their home.

Meanwhile, Sarojini faces a sorrowful fate of her own. Her marriage is fixed with a wealthy man who does not love her, a situation that devastates her. Janaki decides to intervene with the aid of Kunjathol, hoping to steer Sarojini away from a destiny she does not want. Yet Kunjathol rejects this meddling, insisting that everyone must live according to their own fate, and that Sarojini’s is not to marry Bhaskaran. Despite this, Janaki’s plea for help remains, and Kunjathol agrees to accompany the wedding from afar, offering a glimmer of protection and hope from a distance.

The wedding day arrives, and the sight of the ceremony triggers a flood of memory for Kunjathol. It reminds her of her own tragic union and the cruel end that followed, fueling a sudden, terrifying transformation. In a fierce, vampiric form, she unsettles Janaki, who faints in fright. The family, alarmed by the sudden turn of events, takes Janaki to a hospital for medical attention. Bhaskaran volunteers to stay by her side, a gesture that brings comfort to Janaki in a moment of vulnerability. As she recovers, she recalls Kunjathol’s words about fate and cannot help but wonder if Sarojini’s future might be altered by the very influence she has sought to wield.

In a final, poignant moment, Kunjathol appears once more in the hospital to bid farewell. She senses that Bhaskaran’s care and sincerity have grown strong, and that his feelings for Janaki have begun to align with hers. With that quiet blessing, Bhaskaran’s heart becomes clear: he now understands and returns Janaki’s love, signifying a hopeful turn for both of them as they face a future shaped by patience, courage, and a little help from beyond.