# Pottu
**Pottu** (பொட்டு) is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language horror film written and directed by V. C. Vadivudaiyan, starring Bharath as a medical student possessed by a vengeful ghost, with Iniya, Namitha, and Srushti Dange in other principal roles.[1](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/pottu/movie-review/68335980.cms) It was produced by John Max and Jones for Shalom Studios, with music composed by Amresh Ganesh.[2](https://www.filmibeat.com/tamil/movies/pottu.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | பொட்டு (Pottu)[3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/pottu) |
| Director and writer | V. C. Vadivudaiyan[1](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/pottu/movie-review/68335980.cms) |
| Lead cast | Bharath, Iniya, Namitha, Srushti Dange[1](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/pottu/movie-review/68335980.cms) |
| Genre as marketed | Horror, described by the director and lead actor as a horror-comedy[4](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2016/Jan/26/pottu%C2%A0--connecting-blood-groups-with-evil-spirits-873565.html) |
| Release date | 8 March 2019, in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi versions[1](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/pottu/movie-review/68335980.cms) • [5](https://www.maalaimalar.com/cinema/cinemanews/bharaths-pottu-to-be-releasing-in-1000-plus-screens) |
| Runtime and certificate | About 2 hours 1 minute; certified UA[1](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/pottu/movie-review/68335980.cms) |
| Critical reception | 1.5/5 from The Times of India; 2.7/10 on IMDb[1](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/pottu/movie-review/68335980.cms) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/pottu) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The film follows a medical college student (Bharath) who becomes possessed by a ghost that wants revenge on the college's dean ([Sayaji Shinde](https://www.edgepedia.org/sayaji-shinde)).[1](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/pottu/movie-review/68335980.cms) A fuller synopsis states that the student attempts suicide by cutting his hand after performing badly at college, and when his blood spills on a tomb of Pottu, a mysterious power enters his body and forces him to behave like a girl.[3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/pottu) A flashback set in a tribal village where Iniya's character is worshipped as a god explains the possession in the second half.[1](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/pottu/movie-review/68335980.cms)
## Development and production
The project was announced in November 2015, when actor Bharath signed on for what the director Vadivudaiyan described as an out-and-out horror film with substantial emotional content, to be shot mainly in Chennai and [Kodaikanal](https://www.edgepedia.org/kodaikanal).[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/bharath-roped-in-for-a-horror-film/articleshow/49830299.cms)
In a January 2016 interview, Bharath called *Pottu* a horror-comedy and his 28th film, saying the genre was one of the most preferred in [Tamil cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-cinema) at the time. He described the plot as revolving around blood groups, evil spirits, and the connection between the two, an angle he said had not been explored before.[4](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2016/Jan/26/pottu%C2%A0--connecting-blood-groups-with-evil-spirits-873565.html) He plays a first-year MBBS student.[4](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2016/Jan/26/pottu%C2%A0--connecting-blood-groups-with-evil-spirits-873565.html)
**Casting and shoot.** Filming began in January 2016 in Chennai, with three actresses, Iniya, Namitha, and Manisha Yadav, signed for major roles. Manisha Yadav was later replaced by Srushti Dange after initial shooting; Iniya was reported as playing the central character and Namitha the villain. The supporting cast includes [Thambi Ramaiah](https://www.edgepedia.org/thambi-ramaiah), Bharani, Rajendran, Urvashi, Mansoor Ali Khan, Sayaji Shinde, Swaminathan, Shakeela, Nirosha, and Nikesh Ram.[1](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/pottu/movie-review/68335980.cms)
## Release
The film's release, originally slated for 25 May 2018, was postponed because of the unavailability of screens, according to the makers.[7](https://www.nowrunning.com/pottu-release-postponed/140379/story.htm) It opened on 8 March 2019.[1](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/pottu/movie-review/68335980.cms) The production team said the film would release in more than 1,000 theaters, the first time a Bharath film had done so, simultaneously in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi, with direct Tamil releases in Kerala and [Karnataka](https://www.edgepedia.org/karnataka).[5](https://www.maalaimalar.com/cinema/cinemanews/bharaths-pottu-to-be-releasing-in-1000-plus-screens) It later streamed on Zee5 and Sun Nxt.[3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/pottu)
## Reception
The Times of India critic gave the film 1.5 out of 5, writing that although it was billed as a horror comedy, not one scene was scary or really funny, that the characters were mostly loud and dramatic, and that many scenes recalled *Kanchana* from the Muni franchise; the review noted Namitha as a ruthless witch as notable and found Bharath interesting as a woman but unremarkable as a college student.[1](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/pottu/movie-review/68335980.cms) On IMDb the film holds a rating of 2.7 out of 10.[3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/pottu) A 2026 academic study of the Aghori figure in post-2000 Tamil cinema included *Pottu* among four films, alongside *Naan Kadavul* (2009), *Sowkarpettai* (2016), and *Aghori* (2023), used to examine how mythic material moves between spectacle and substance in the industry.[8](https://sci-cult.net/index.php/cult/article/download/3608/2142/13427)
## References
1. [Pottu Movie Review {1.5/5}: Critic Review of Pottu by Times of India, P Sangeetha, The Times of India (11 March 2019)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/pottu/movie-review/68335980.cms)
2. [Pottu (2019) Tamil Movie: Release Date, Cast, Story, OTT, Review, Trailer, Filmibeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/tamil/movies/pottu.html)
3. [Pottu streaming: where to watch movie online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/pottu)
4. ['Pottu' - Connecting Blood Groups with Evil Spirits, Manigandan KR, The New Indian Express (26 January 2016)](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2016/Jan/26/pottu%C2%A0--connecting-blood-groups-with-evil-spirits-873565.html)
5. [1000 திரையரங்குகளில் ரிலீசாகும் பரத்தின் பொட்டு, Maalaimalar (4 March 2019)](https://www.maalaimalar.com/cinema/cinemanews/bharaths-pottu-to-be-releasing-in-1000-plus-screens)
6. [Bharath roped in for a horror film, Logesh Balachandran, The Times of India (19 November 2015)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/bharath-roped-in-for-a-horror-film/articleshow/49830299.cms)
7. ['Pottu' release postponed, Nowrunning (22 May 2018)](https://www.nowrunning.com/pottu-release-postponed/140379/story.htm)
8. [When Myth Becomes a Spectacle: The Aghori Figure in Post-2000 Tamil Cinema, Malavika Raghu and Shobana K, Scientific Culture, Vol. 12, No. 1.1 (2026)](https://sci-cult.net/index.php/cult/article/download/3608/2142/13427)
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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) › Tamil films of the 2010s › Tamil horror films of the 2010s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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