# Diya (film)

Diya, previously known as Karu (transl. Embryo), is a 2018 Indian horror film directed by A. L. Vijay and produced by Lyca Productions. The film is shot simultaneously in Tamil and Telugu languages, the latter titled as Kanam (transl. Particle). It stars Sai Pallavi, Naga Shourya, and Veronika Arora. The music was composed by Sam CS, with editing done by Anthony and cinematography by Nirav Shah. Both the Tamil and Telugu versions were released on 27 April 2018.

## Plot

Thulasi and Krishna, who aborted their child Diya due to family pressure, marry five years later, but Thulasi struggles with their past until Krishna helps her move on. Unbeknownst to them, Diya’s vengeful spirit follows them, killing those responsible for her abortion, including Krishna’s father, Thulasi’s mother, their doctor, and Thulasi’s uncle, while police suspect a pattern in the mysterious deaths. Thulasi realizes Diya’s presence and warns Krishna, but he dismisses her fears, even as she prevents his death at a construction site, leading him to seek psychiatric help. When Krishna isolates himself, Diya attempts to kill him by crushing him with moving walls, but Thulasi’s spirit intervenes after she meets with an accident, convincing Krishna of the truth. Thulasi is revived in the hospital, emotionally reuniting with Diya’s spirit, and the movie ends with her discovering she is pregnant again, delivering a message about abortion.

## Cast

| Actor (Tamil) | Actor (Telugu) | Role (Tamil) | Role (Telugu) |
| Sai Pallavi | Sai Pallavi | Thulasi | Thulasi |
| Naga Shourya | Naga Shourya | Krishna | Krishna |
| Veronika Arora | Veronika Arora | Baby Diya | Baby Diya |
| Gandhari Nithin | Gandhari Nithin | Ram | Ram |
| RJ Balaji | Priyadarshi | Sub-Inspector K. Ragavan | Sub-Inspector Agni |
| Rekha | Rekha | Thulasi's mother | Thulasi's mother |
| Nizhalgal Ravi | Nizhalgal Ravi | Krishna's father | Krishna's father |
| Sujitha | Sujitha | Doctor | Doctor |
| Santhana Bharathi | Santhana Bharathi | Real Estate Broker | Real Estate Broker |
| Jayakumar | Jayakumar | Thulasi's uncle | Thulasi's uncle |
| Stunt Silva | Stunt Silva | Swamiji | Swamiji |
| Elango Kumaravel | Sai Ramesh Bhagavatula | Constable Balakumar | Constable Balakrishna |
| T. M. Karthik | Satya | Constable Ramesh | Constable Ramesh |

## Production

In early April 2017, A. L. Vijay announced that he would be working on a film starring Sai Pallavi for Lyca Productions and that he would direct a script he had written "three and a half years ago". He had chosen to cast Sai Pallavi, after another project for Pramod Films, which would have been a Tamil remake of the Malayalam film Charlie (2015) with Madhavan, was suddenly shelved. After securing the actress's dates to shoot the film, Vijay finalised the technical crew to include his regular collaborators such as cinematographer Nirav Shah and editor Anthony. For Sai Pallavi, it became her first Tamil language film following a series of projects which she dropped out of, she was replaced in or was shelved. She had previously been cast and then replaced in Mani Ratnam's Kaatru Veliyidai (2017), while she opted out Vijay Chander's Sketch (2017). Likewise, earlier, her films Charlie and Rajiv Menon's Saravam Thaala Maayam were indefinitely postponed. The following month, Telugu actor Naga Shourya, was signed on to make his debut in Tamil films. Sam C.S. was roped as music director, working with Vijay for the first time replacing his usual music director, G. V. Prakash Kumar.
The film was revealed to be completed by September 2017, with Sai Pallavi beginning her dubbing work. Vijay denied that the film was a horror film and stated that the film would explore the "story of a young mother and her four-year-old child", with Sai Pallavi portraying the mother. Still, the film is a horror story with Baby Veronika as the aborted daughter of Naga Shouraya and Sai Pallavi, who takes revenge on the demise of her.
In April 2018, the film's title was changed from Karu to Diya.

## Release

This movie was released on April 27, 2018. The satellite rights of the film were sold to Zee Tamil.

## Soundtrack

The music is composed by Sam C. S. and all lyrics are by Madhan Karky.
All lyrics are written by Krishna Madineni

## Critical reception

Ashameera Aiyappan of The Indian Express wasn't impressed with the story of the film and said that, "The story is predictable. There isn't much surprise beyond the first few minutes until the very end." but praised the music composer Sam CS and the lead actress Sai Pallavi about whom the critic said that Sai Pallavi, "makes a strong debut in Tamil with an incredibly subtle and measured performance." The critic gave the film a rating of 2.5 out of 5. Priyanka Sundar of Hindustan Times gave the film a rating of 1.5 out of 5 and said that, "Sai Pallavi's stunning performance cannot save this confusing film." Kirubhakar Purushothaman of India Today gave the film a rating of 1.5 out of 5 saying that, "Director Vijay's recently released film comes across as a half-baked, confusing at times, bothering take on the whole issue of abortion." M Suganth of The Times of India praised the acting performance of Sai Pallavi, cinematography by Nirav Shah and music by Sam CS but wasn't impressed with the film and said that, "despite these strengths, Diya isn't compelling enough." The critic gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5.
Regarding Kanam, The Times of India stated that "One would expect 'Kanam' to be nothing less than a thriller that will keep you guessing and at the edge of your seat. However, it fails to live up to that expectation".