Although most of the fairytales have elements of supernatural fantasy and creatures that have a scary side, most of the time they are used in productions destined to the younger audiences and are very family-friendly. Still, every now and then, we get an adaptation that focuses a little more on the horror aspects of the story, like the sugar-coated and yet bloody Red Riding Hood (2011), the surprisingly scary Gretel & Hansel (2020), or the surreal crossover Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016). But in India, they have gone a little further and they have made a truly horror adaptation for one of the most silly-romantic fairy tales out there. Take a look at Cinderella (2021).
The movie tells a personal version of the known story being a multi-genre film with elements of fantasy-horror and emotional drama. Evil supernatural spirits haunt the characters in a story set in the current times. Reportedly, Cinderella (2021) is looking to break the usual fairytale “prince saves princess” storyline and will entirely be a female-centric film with no romantic angle.
Raai Laxmi, one of the most popular Indian actresses of the moment, who has starred in the horror titles Kanchana: Muni 2 (2011) and Where Is The Venkatalakshmi (2019), is the star of the film. About her role, she expressed “there are three different characterizations, and one of them is based on Cinderella. Why is she there in the film? We know her as this beautiful woman who had a fairytale ending, but in this, she gets a horrifying twist. I think that the flashback portion will be a nice highlight. Another character of mine is a rockstar. It’s interesting how there are so many layers in a horror film and that’s why I was attracted to the script”.
The movie has been written and directed by debutant Vinoo Venketesh, who already collaborated with popular Indian filmmaker S.J. Suryah. Sakshi Agarwal, Robo Shankar, Anbu Thasan, Kalloori Vinoth, Boys Rajan, and B. Abhilash complete the main cast.
Spoken in the Tamil language, and distributed by SSi Productions, Cinderella (2021) is set for a release in India on September 24, 2021. After that, we will have to wait for possible international dates. Watch here the trailer.
