Trayodasha is about what happens to the soul after death: SS Umeshh

SS Umeshh, a former associate of Upendra, is making his directorial debut with horror film Trayodasha. The movie has newcomers Deepu, Chaitra and Archana in the leads.

The story is based on a Hindu literature Garuda Purana, says SS Umeshh. "According to the purana, the soul of a man after his death will be around his body for 13 hours and will stay in his house for 13 days. I have made the story about how the soul communicates its desires with his family members in these days. It is about what happens to the soul after the death," the director begins.

The movie starts with the journey of the soul after it leaves a body. The interval comes on its sixth day and the climax is on the 13th day. "We have incorporated a Nizam story from Bidar which will be around 16-18 minutes and it talks about reincarnation," the younger filmmaker claims.

On asking whether the audience will be interested to watch about soul when there is so much of progress in the field of science and technology, the director explains, "To make the concept simple. Whichever phone you use, we need an object to talk. Even for a robot, it requires power to work on its own. Likewise, human will not function without a soul,"

SS Umeshh reveals that he had narrated the story to his guru Upendra. "Uppi sir liked the storyline and suggested me to do the film with newcomers. Hence, I opted for fresh faces – Deepu, Chaitra and Archana," he says.

Generally, cast and crew, who worked on horror films, often claim about the paranormal experience that they went through during the shooting. Did the Trayodasha team have any such experience? "Yes" comes the answer.

"Trayodasha was initially titled as 13. Many told me that it was an inauspicious name and has negative energy in it, but for me, the movie is about 'athma,' which is a part of 'paramathma.' So, I did not pay any heed to such comments. But as the days passed, my personal and financial condition turned from good to worst. As a result, I changed the name to Trayodasha after which things drastically changed. Also about a mysterious experience, we used to hear strange sounds like dogs howling when we were shooting in Bidar," he ends.  

The movie will release on February 1.