'Gehrayee': How the occult inspired this 1980 horror film
Back in 1980, director Aruna Raje's film Gehrayee took inspiration straight from her own unsettling run-ins with the occult—think lemons covered in turmeric and vermilion showing up mysteriously in her garden.
Curious (and a bit creeped out), Raje, her husband Vikas Desai, and playwright Vijay Tendulkar dove deep into stories of black magic and possession to craft the film's script.
Did the movie bring bad vibes to its creators?
After Gehrayee hit theaters, things got unexpectedly personal for Raje. She went through a divorce and lost her young daughter to cancer soon after the release, leading some to whisper about a "curse" linked to the movie.
Audiences even reported odd happenings at home—like food spoiling for no reason—which had people reaching out to tantrics for help.
All this made Gehrayee more than just a horror flick; it became a pop culture moment where fiction felt uncomfortably close to reality.