Director Gurumurthy V Releases New Kannada Paranormal Thriller Shikhandi
The new Kannada paranormal thriller film 'Shikhandi', directed by Gurumurthy V, released on May 15, 2026, featuring a narrative that begins inside a Bengaluru-based real estate office before shifting to a remote village. The film, which has a runtime of 2 hours and 2 minutes, attempts to blend commercial drama, horror, and ancient mythology.
The story starts by introducing a team of young architects at a Bengaluru real estate firm. Led by Naveen, played by Vijay Chendur, the energetic office setup establishes a breezy vibe among the young colleagues. The team is soon assigned to a major project to build a multispeciality hospital in a remote village in Ballary. This project is commissioned for Sangeetha, played by Khyathei, who is the daughter of a wealthy doctor and businessman.
The narrative shifts focus once the architects relocate to the village to begin their work. A romance quickly blooms between Surya, played by Yuvraj Gowda, and Sangeetha. Meanwhile, a subplot involving Sangeetha’s father and his rivalry with another powerful businessman adds further tension to the storyline. An animated mythological sequence is introduced to explain the legend of "Shikhandi," signaling that a darker story of reborn vengeance is at play.
The suspense builds significantly after the group discovers an abandoned temple during a trek. A sudden tiger encounter followed by paranormal disturbances at their place of stay transitions the film into a supernatural thriller.
The film received a 2.5-star rating. While critics noted that the first half takes time to settle into its core plot, the narrative becomes tighter and finds its footing after the interval. This second-half improvement is aided by the introduction of veteran actors Raj Deepak Shetty and Bala Rajwadi.
While the cast of relatively fresh faces delivers decent performances, the film's technical making is described as average. The dubbing is occasionally uneven, which detracts from the emotional impact of some scenes. Additionally, the transition between the lighter first half and the horror-centric second half makes the production feel like two different movies stitched together.
