# Choo Mantar (ಚೂ ಮಂತರ್)
**Choo Mantar** (ಛೂ ಮಂತರ್) is a 2025 Indian Kannada-language horror comedy film directed by Navaneeth, known for his debut horror film *Karvva*, and produced by Tarun Shivappa and Manasa Tarun under the Tarun Studios banner.[1](https://southsidestudio.in/campaigns/kannada-movies/choo-mantar/) • [2](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/kannada/2025/Jan/04/ghosthunter-gaurav-tiwaris-story-inspired-my-film-director-navaneeth) It stars Sharan, Aditi Prabhudeva, Meghana Gaonkar, Chikkanna, Prabhu Mundkur, and Rajani Bharadwaj, and follows a team of ghost hunters who travel to the haunted Morgan House in Nainital in search of hidden treasure.[1](https://southsidestudio.in/campaigns/kannada-movies/choo-mantar/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 10 January 2025, in Kannada[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/kannada/movies/choo-mantar/cast-crew.html) |
| Director and writer | Navaneeth (credited as Karvva Navneeth)[1](https://southsidestudio.in/campaigns/kannada-movies/choo-mantar/) |
| Producers | Tarun Shivappa and Manasa Tarun, Tarun Studios[2](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/kannada/2025/Jan/04/ghosthunter-gaurav-tiwaris-story-inspired-my-film-director-navaneeth) |
| Cast | Sharan, Aditi Prabhudeva, Meghana Gaonkar, Chikkanna, Prabhu Mundkur, Rajani Bharadwaj[1](https://southsidestudio.in/campaigns/kannada-movies/choo-mantar/) |
| Runtime and certificate | 142 minutes; CBFC U/A, certificate dated 25 March 2024[4](https://kannadamoviesinfo.wordpress.com/2025/01/10/choo-manthar-2025/) |
| Music | Chandan Shetty (title track) and Avinash R Basutkar (score)[1](https://southsidestudio.in/campaigns/kannada-movies/choo-mantar/) |
| Streaming | Amazon Prime Video, from 28 March 2025[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/kannada/movies/choo-mantar/cast-crew.html) |
| Box office | About ₹58 million (₹5.80 crore) India net and ₹64.5 million (₹6.45 crore) gross, per Sacnilk estimates[1](https://southsidestudio.in/campaigns/kannada-movies/choo-mantar/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and characters
The film follows Dynamo Gowtham (Sharan), whose real name in the story is Gautam, the head of a company called Choo Mantar and Co, which he runs with a crew of eccentric characters: RJ (Chikkanna), Akanksha (Aditi Prabhudeva), and Nakul (Kiran Chandrashekar).[5](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/kannada/review/2025/Jan/10/choo-mantar-movie-review-a-playful-spin-on-the-supernatural-genre) Dynamo is called to investigate the ancient, haunted Morgan House in Nainital, rumored in the film to be one of the ten most haunted places in the world; his mission is both to uncover the house's secrets and to find a hidden treasure within its walls.[5](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/kannada/review/2025/Jan/10/choo-mantar-movie-review-a-playful-spin-on-the-supernatural-genre)
A parallel thread follows the D Costa family from London: Victor D Costa (Srinivas Prabhu), whose health is mysteriously linked to Morgan House, sends his son Alex D Costa (Prabhu Mundkur), wife Catherine (Meghana Gaonkar), and their young daughter to the property in India, where they encounter taxi drivers who refuse to approach the house and a local police officer (Dharma).[5](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/kannada/review/2025/Jan/10/choo-mantar-movie-review-a-playful-spin-on-the-supernatural-genre) Meghana Gaonkar described her role as a wife and mother living in a haunted bungalow, and Prabhu Mundkur said the house itself plays a critical role, with family conflicts adding emotional depth beyond the ghost story.[6](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/interviews/2025/Jan/07/the-twist-in-choo-mantar-will-keep-audiences-on-the-edge-of-their-seats)
## Production
Choo Mantar was announced in June 2022 and was initially set for release on 5 April 2024, but was postponed owing to production delays.[7](https://tv.apple.com/in/movie/choo-mantar/umc.cmc.2a8xqyej2zwcx21kr28od9cap) A trade report of April 2024 announced a 10 May 2024 release across [Karnataka](https://www.edgepedia.org/karnataka), noting that the film would have arrived 15 days after Sharan's *Avatara Purusha 2* had the original date held; the film ultimately reached theaters on 10 January 2025.[8](https://kannadascreens.com/2024/04/17/its-final-choo-mantar-to-release-on-the-10th-of-may/) • [3](https://www.filmibeat.com/kannada/movies/choo-mantar/cast-crew.html) Filming took place in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Uttarakhand, and London.[4](https://kannadamoviesinfo.wordpress.com/2025/01/10/choo-manthar-2025/)
Director Navaneeth said the title is a fictional name for a company created by a group of ghost hunters, and that the story was inspired by the late [Gaurav Tiwari](https://www.edgepedia.org/gaurav-tiwari), a well-known Indian ghost hunter whose career and mysterious death informed traits of the lead role.[2](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/kannada/2025/Jan/04/ghosthunter-gaurav-tiwaris-story-inspired-my-film-director-navaneeth) For Sharan, the film was his first full-fledged horror film; the actor, known for comedic roles, said he wanted to step out of his comfort zone and came on board immediately after hearing the story.[9](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/kannada/2025/Jan/09/watching-horror-films-helps-me-relax) • [2](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/kannada/2025/Jan/04/ghosthunter-gaurav-tiwaris-story-inspired-my-film-director-navaneeth) It also reunited Sharan and Chikkanna on screen for the first time since *Rambo 2*.[8](https://kannadascreens.com/2024/04/17/its-final-choo-mantar-to-release-on-the-10th-of-may/)
## Technical crew
Anup Kattukaran handled the cinematography, and the sound design is by Resul Pookutty, the Oscar-winning sound designer; cast members highlighted both as raising the film's atmosphere.[6](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/interviews/2025/Jan/07/the-twist-in-choo-mantar-will-keep-audiences-on-the-edge-of-their-seats) • [5](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/kannada/review/2025/Jan/10/choo-mantar-movie-review-a-playful-spin-on-the-supernatural-genre) Chandan Shetty composed and sang the title track, with lyrics by Vijay Eshwar, while Avinash R Basutkar composed the background score.[4](https://kannadamoviesinfo.wordpress.com/2025/01/10/choo-manthar-2025/) Stunt choreography is credited to Ravi Varma, and art direction to Mohan B Kere and Shivakumar.[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/kannada/movies/choo-mantar/cast-crew.html) Editing is credited to Navaneeth by some sources and to Venki UDV (Venkatesh U.D.V.) by others.[4](https://kannadamoviesinfo.wordpress.com/2025/01/10/choo-manthar-2025/) • [10](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/choo-mantar/cast/2030287781/)
## Reception
The Cinema Express review described the film as a playful spin on the supernatural genre that blends comedy, horror, and family drama, praising the Sharan and Chikkanna pairing while noting that it does not always succeed as conventional horror.[5](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/kannada/review/2025/Jan/10/choo-mantar-movie-review-a-playful-spin-on-the-supernatural-genre) The TV9 Kannada review rated the film 3 out of 5.[11](https://tv9kannada.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/choo-mantar-movie-review-sharan-steal-the-horror-show-and-chikkanna-with-his-comedy-rmd-961822.html) The review also noted a climactic spiritual element involving a statue of Hanuman and the Chalisa, and that the makers tease a potential sequel, with the voice of Vishnuvardhan, who was part of the classic *Aptharakshaka*, hinting at an expanded horror universe.[5](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/kannada/review/2025/Jan/10/choo-mantar-movie-review-a-playful-spin-on-the-supernatural-genre)
Third-party trackers estimated the film's India net box office at about ₹58 million (₹5.80 crore) and its gross at ₹64.5 million (₹6.45 crore); such tracker figures are compiled estimates rather than producer-reported or audited numbers.[1](https://southsidestudio.in/campaigns/kannada-movies/choo-mantar/) The film streamed on Amazon Prime Video from 28 March 2025.[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/kannada/movies/choo-mantar/cast-crew.html)
## References
1. [Choo Mantar (2025) Kannada Movie: Cast & Crew, SouthSide Studio](https://southsidestudio.in/campaigns/kannada-movies/choo-mantar/)
2. [Ghosthunter Gaurav Tiwari's story inspired my film: Director Navaneeth, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/kannada/2025/Jan/04/ghosthunter-gaurav-tiwaris-story-inspired-my-film-director-navaneeth)
3. [Choo Mantar Cast & Crew, FilmiBeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/kannada/movies/choo-mantar/cast-crew.html)
4. [Choo Manthar – ಛೂ ಮಂತರ್ (2025), Kannada Movies Info](https://kannadamoviesinfo.wordpress.com/2025/01/10/choo-manthar-2025/)
5. [Choo Mantar Movie Review: A playful spin on the supernatural genre, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/kannada/review/2025/Jan/10/choo-mantar-movie-review-a-playful-spin-on-the-supernatural-genre)
6. [The twist in Choo Mantar will keep audiences on the edge of their seats, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/interviews/2025/Jan/07/the-twist-in-choo-mantar-will-keep-audiences-on-the-edge-of-their-seats)
7. [Choo Mantar, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/in/movie/choo-mantar/umc.cmc.2a8xqyej2zwcx21kr28od9cap)
8. [It's final; 'Choo Mantar' to release on the 10th of May, KannadaScreens](https://kannadascreens.com/2024/04/17/its-final-choo-mantar-to-release-on-the-10th-of-may/)
9. [Watching horror films helps me relax, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/kannada/2025/Jan/09/watching-horror-films-helps-me-relax)
10. [Choo Mantar - Full Cast & Crew, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/choo-mantar/cast/2030287781/)
11. [Choo Mantar Review, TV9 Kannada](https://tv9kannada.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/choo-mantar-movie-review-sharan-steal-the-horror-show-and-chikkanna-with-his-comedy-rmd-961822.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Kannada films of the 2020s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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