Despite its eclectically enigmatic lead as the titular sleuth, “Bhoothaddam Bhaskar Narayana” suffers from an ostensibly unserious approach to depicting its inherently grim story. Directed by Purushotham Raaj, the film’s steady commitment to tonal shifts undermines its macabre serial killer setting. The comedy is too sporadic and out-of-sync to pass off as a dark comedy. Having said that, the innate appeal of the occult mystery and a fine turn by lead actor Shiva Kandukuri rescue “Bhoothaddam Bhaskar Narayana” from being utterly unappealing.
Bhoothaddam Bhaskar Narayana (2025) Movie Synopsis and Plot Summary:
A Decade-Long Mystery and Bhaskar Narayana’s Pursuit of Justice
The film starts with collages of newspaper clips that paint the picture of a serial killer’s works spanning over a decade. This killer, known as the “Effigy Killer,” kills young women and beheads them. The killer places an effigy of a Rakshasa (Demons in Hindu mythology) on the beheaded body. He prowls around the Chincholi Forest area. The area, being on the border of two states, Telangana and Karnataka, makes the investigation a joint venture. However, both states’ police are baffled as they cannot find the identity of a single victim, let alone that of the killer. It has been more than a decade, and the killer remains on the loose.
In the present time, Bhaskar Narayana (Shiva Kandukuri) is a small-time detective in the Chincholi. With his assistant “Watson” Prasad (Arun Kumar), Bhaskar solves cases ranging from loss of phones to murder over a domestic dispute. A quick flashback reveals Bhaskar’s origin story. Having idolized sleuths like Sherlock Holmes, Bhaskar has been a keen observer from childhood. However, things change drastically when his elder brother is blamed and arrested for a murder. Bhaskar is sure of his brother’s innocence. But most people are not. Humiliated and beaten, the elder brother kills himself.
Bhaskar Narayana’s Hunt Becomes Personal
The incident profoundly changes Bhaskar. His obsession to bring criminals to justice arises from there. Due to his poor eyesight, he could not sit for the Police exams. So, he decides to be a private investigator. His high-power glasses looked like magnifying glasses. Hence, he got the name “Bhoothaddam,” which means magnifying glass. A magnifier is also often the first accessory one associates with private detectives.
Although Bhaskar has been highly successful in all his cases, he is yet to make a mark on the “Effigy Killer” case. He has rued the complete lack of clues in those cases. However, things take a personal turn soon. Bhaskar has always fancied Lakshmi (Rashi Singh), a girl in his neighborhood. Bhaskar grew up playing with Lakshmi and Lakshmi’s elder sister, Sravani (Divija Prabhakar). Although Lakshmi has been aloof toward Bhaskar, Sravani has always embraced him like a brother. Bhaskar is also one of Sravani’s closest confidants. For instance, he knows about Sravani’s boyfriend, Kishore. So it comes as a devastating shock when he learns Sravani has become the Effigy Killer’s latest victim.
Bhoothaddam Bhaskar Narayana (2025) Movie Ending Explained:
Who Killed Sravani?
A devastated Bhaskar tries to console Lakshmi, but Lakshmi rebuffs him. She is livid that Bhaskar never tried to find the Effigy killer- a cause Lakshmi has spent her entire journalistic career on. A determined Bhaskar ups the ante in his hunt for the killer. Lakshmi later joins Bhaskar and Prasad once an attempt is made on Bhaskar’s life. Their investigation takes them to work with the Karnataka police and the experienced CI, Shankara (Devi Prasad).
The first odd thing Bhaskar notices is the saree that the killer draped Sravani with. The material is different from the sarees adorned by all the other victims of the Effigy Killer. Also, Sravani is someone who is immediately recognized by her family. All other victims of the Effigy Killer remain unidentified because no family ever reported them missing. No one ever came looking for the bodies. Sravani does not fit the pattern.
Bhaskar notices a faded writing in Sravani’s hand. It is an imprint of some inked stamp. From that, Bhaskar deduces that the stamp is from a hospital or clinic. He tracks the clinic down. When the doctor is asked about Sravani, he tries to escape, and Bhaskar takes him to the police. It appears that Sravani was not killed by the Effigy killer. She is killed by her boyfriend, Kishore, and the doctor. Kishore found out that Sravani is pregnant with his child. He asked her to visit the doctor to have an abortion. However, the doctor made a mistake with the anesthesia, and Sravani died. Panicked, Kishore and the doctor behead Sravani’s body and stage it in a way to blame the Effigy Killer.
How Did Bhaskar and Lakshmi Find the “Effigy Killer”?
Not only Bhaskar but CI Shankara also concludes that Sravani was not killed by the Effigy Killer. He has noticed the quality of the effigy on Sravani’s body. Also, Sravani’s body’s positioning was not according to the pattern. After finding Sravani’s killer, Bhaskar and Lakshmi concentrate on the Effigy Killer once again. A break comes on their way as Bhaskar finds a connection between the killer’s last victim and one of his old clients. With some input from the reluctant client, Bhaskar finally manages to learn why nobody is able to identify the victims. Because the victims are not biological women, as everyone thought. They were trans people.
This information immediately opens a Pandora’s box of suspects. It becomes abundantly clear that this deception would not have been possible if not for the involvement of the post-mortem doctors and forensic experts. So, the Effigy Killer is not a single person. But it is a gang of occult worshippers. Bhaskar and his team try to track the post-mortem doctor. However, the doctor is killed before Bhaskar can talk to him.
Why Did the ‘Demon’ Gang Carry Out the Murders?
From the doctor’s house, Bhaskar finds many clues. A worshipping shrine to Bhasmasur (A Demon in Hindu Mythology) reveals the occult nature of the killing. Lakshmi, who has done a lot of research on the subject, explains the classic Hindu mythological story of finding Amrita (Elixir). The Devas (Gods) and the Rakshasas (Demons) mined the sea together for the elixir. However, in the end, only the Devas got to drink them. Meanwhile, one of the demons, Bhasmasur, manages to masquerade as a God and drinks the elixir. But before the elixir could reach his stomach, he is caught and beheaded. Subsequently, Bhasmasur’s head becomes immortal. Later, Lord Vishnu took the appearance of Mohini (a beautiful woman) to seduce Bhasmasur, which eventually led to the demon’s downfall.
From that moment onwards, the demon worshippers believe that Bhasmasur can come back if a certain ritual is performed. The killings were sacrifices. Since, Vishnu, a God, took the appearance of a woman to dupe Bhasmasur, the Bhasmasur followers believe only the death of trans-women (the Hijra community in India) would be the appropriate human sacrifice. It is the cult of Bhasmasur followers living in today’s world that makes up the collective identity of the “Effigy Killer.”
Who Was Responsible for Bhaskar’s Elder Brother’s Death?
From the dead Doctor’s house, Bhaskara recognizes the mechanic who lives in their area. The mechanic is a member of the cult. One of the heirlooms at the mechanic’s house reveals that it was he who killed the couple for whom Bhaskar’s brother took the blame. The mechanic, showing his agility and skills, puts down Prasad and the police. With some effort, Bhaskar manages to thwart him. Eventually, the mechanic falls into his own death.
Who Was the Leader of the Cult?
At the climax, Bhaskar finally confronts the leaders of the cult as he learns the final intended victim’s identity. He has seen this woman at the residence of CI Shankara. It becomes evident that the chief of the police is the ringleader of this cult. We see Shankara transforming into the role of a demon and performing the elaborate ritual. Just before he could kill and sacrifice his final victim, Bhaskara interrupts. Although Bhaskara is beaten by the physically superior Shankara, he manages to disrupt the arrangements of the Yaga (the ritual). This nullifies the entire effort of the Bhasmasur cult.
Will There Be a Sequel?
A distraught Shankara chides himself for the failure. He does not even notice Bhaskara in his desolation. He proceeds to self-immolate and die. With this, Bhaskara and Lakshmi seem to wrap the Effigy Killer mystery. Bhaskara seems to have garnered the respect of Lakshmi as they finally get romantically involved. Bhaskara’s father also seems to appreciate his son more. However, in the last scene, Bhaskar looks at the old photo of the Bhasmasur cult members. He receives a call, and the camera focuses on one of the unknown members. It appears at least one more member is remaining to make Bhaskar’s life hell. This could be the premise of a sequel.
