Tumbbad 2018 Review – A Cult Classic That Stands the Test of Time

What is Tumbbad the Horror Movie About?

Tumbbad is, on a moral scale, a story about greed, even though it’s told in a way that is not didactic at all and yet manages to get the message through as it unravels slowly, like the incessant rain of the cursed village of Tumbbad. 

Directed by Rahi Anil Barve and Anand Gandhi and set in early 1900s Maharashtra, the movie follows the story of Vinayak Rao, who lives in an old, decaying mansion as a young boy with his mother and brother, as they collectively serve to protect a dark secret – a hidden treasure that’s guarded by a supernatural entity, Hastar. 

From his childhood, Vinayak is shown as a boy obsessed with the gold buried under the mansion. As he grows older, his curiosity transforms into ambition that eventually turns into obsession. As an adult, when he returns to the village of Tumbbad, he doesn’t try to break the curse but, in fact, tries to outsmart it, making the movie take a different track than the usual horror movies by not speaking of defeating the evil but indulging in the idea of profiting from it. 

Meanwhile, the mythical figure Hastar establishes himself as central to the movie’s lore. He is the firstborn of a goddess whose treasure and food he tried to steal. Due to this, he is punished and removed from worship, as he becomes a forgotten god who is neither alive nor dead. Meanwhile, the treasure he guards becomes a metaphor of unchecked ambition. 

As the story progresses, the movie expands its narrative from being about one person’s ambition or one forgotten god’s lore to being a story that preaches about generational greed through its narrative. Visually, the movie reinforces its themes. The village suffers from incessant rain that creates a sense of rot and suffocation. Most of the movie’s cinematography is dim-lit, gothic, and claustrophobic, while the underground where Hastar resides feels both mythological and eerily real. The movie does not rely on conventional horror movie clichés but instead builds on the dread that looms silently in the background of all the action.

Tumbbad, in many ways, is structured as a gothic fable that trudges on the line of an old folk tale told around a fire and a warning passed down through the generations. The elements of horror in the movie are powerful enough to give you goosebumps, but the real fear that gives you cold sweat lies in recognising the human flaws of the protagonist.

On the surface, you see the supernatural elements being central to the narrative and the main plot of the movie, but at its core, the movie is all about the flaws of the human heart. Greed is treated as the protagonist’s hamartia, with the story spinning around it to deliver a clear message to the audience about greed as a flaw, making the movie qualify as a “classic”. This is why Tumbbad continues to haunt audiences and lure them into its cult even after years since its release.

When Was Tumbbad Released And What Was The Advantage Of The Re-release? 

The movie was originally released in theaters on October 12, 2018. On and around the Tumbbad release date, while it was still running in the theaters, no one really expected it to gather a fan base that qualifies almost as a cult. 

However, once the movie got off the grid, it gathered a fan base that qualifies as a cult which led the makers to want and choose to re-release in hopes of a better Tumbbad re release collection. 

The movie was re-released on September 13, 2024–nearly six years after its original release. And, to almost no surprise of anybody aware of its popularity, the Tumbbad managed to garner even more acclaim by the audience, becoming a legit box office re-release success.

The Cast Of Tumbbad 2018

Tumbbad comes to its audience with a compelling story, but what makes it even more impactful is the strategically chosen cast, which has left no stone unturned in making the movie a spectacle, perhaps of its own kind. 

Sohum Shah plays the male protagonist of the movie, Vinayak Rao. He delivered a layered performance that traces Vinayak’s gradual growth from a boy(played by Dhundiraj Prabhakar) curious about gold and buried treasure to a full-grown, greed-driven man obsessed with the idea of wealth. 

His portrayal here is intense, but it never really gets out of hand or becomes over the top, remaining restricted to what the story demands from his character. He doesn’t overplay fear or obsession but, instead, lets it simmer beneath the surface. And what’s remarkable is Sohum using his eyes to their full capacity to portray the emotional erosion Vinayak’s character undergoes over the years. 

Jyoti Malshe, as Vinayak’s mother, plays a pivotal role in establishing the eerie tone of the movie in the opening act itself. Her character requires her to play the role of a mother walking on eggshells as she tries to protect her sons from the burden of the family secret that their family is forced to live under, which Jyoti plays perfectly by adding emotional gravity to her performance.

Anita Date-Kelkar, as Vaidehi Rao, Vinayak’s wife, represents the domestic part of Vinayak’s life. Her character is the one who speaks of the emotional cost that Vinayak’s greed and obsession have on their domestic life. She plays her character with an understated prowess and grounds the narrative in reality amidst the chaos of supernatural elements and eerie subplots.

Mohammad Samad plays Pandurang, Vianayak’s son in the movie, who is significant to the later portions of the story as the theme of generational greed takes center stage. His character brings innocence and vulnerability to the story to contrast with Vinayak’s hardened ambition. 

Harsh K plays Hastar, a central figure in the movie, given his role as the forgotten god who protects the treasure and serves as the focal point for all supernatural drama.

And while there are a few more characters in the movie – played by Rojini Chokraboty, Deepak Damle, Rudra Soni, Madhav Hari, Cameron Anderson, and Piyush Kaushik – what remains the same for all their character sketches and performances is the way each of them elevates the narrative with their compelling performances, as no one seems to be “acting” just for the sake of it but actually imbibing in them all that’s needed of their character. 

Tumbbad Film 2018 Budget

From a production viewpoint, Inside Box Office recognises how Tumbaad is an ambitious try for the horror genre of Indian cinema, and so it had what we could call a modest budget of just ₹15 crore. 

But don’t let the numbers fool you. Despite a low budget, the movie is replete with all that you expect from a good horror movie, as the directors have focused on all that matters, from atmospheric visuals to set designs and practical effects – everything is on point and makes the movie all the more impactful, making us believe creativity does, in fact, outweigh big budgets.

What Does The Box Office Say? 

If you go by numbers, the movie is a decent performer. At the time of its release in 2018, the movie made just a little over what was used in its production, as it made a gross collection of ₹15.46 crore at the worldwide box office and a net collection of ₹12.13 crore at the Indian box office against the ₹15 crore utilised in its production.

However, with the time that went by between its first release in 2018 and its release in 2024, the movie garnered love from fans that the production house didn’t possibly see coming their way, especially as the fans of the movie almost gathered together like a cult. So at the time of its re-release in 2024, the movie made over ₹38 crores at the box office, making the Tumbbad re-release collection surpass the original collection of 2018, thereby also making the movie a part of the list of most successful re-released Indian movies of recent times.

Where Can You Find Tumbbad On OTT? 

Tumbbad was previously available on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. However, at the time of its re-release in 2024, it was taken down from the platforms in the hopes of better footfall in theaters (which it did receive). As of early 2026, it now seems to be available again for online streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Tumbbad Trailer, Teaser, and What You Can Expect Going Forward?

Whether you are a revisitor or newcomer to the world of Tumbbad, the trailer and teaser of the movie that were originally released are something you wouldn’t want to miss, and you can take our word for it from the desks of Inside Box Office. 

The Tumbbad trailer and Tumbbad teaser are strategically curated to lure the audience into the world of Tumbbad. They have it all that you expect from a thriller’s trailer, from the eerie shots to the sounds that make your goosebumps rise, and effects that make your pulse rate pick up at least a little bit. 

Why Do We Give the Movie a 3.5 Out of 5?

The movie is visually stunning and narratively quite bold. However, it isn’t what we would classify as “a flawless film”. 

The slow-burning storytelling is intentional and effective in building the eerie atmosphere of the movie. However, it is something you might find very stretched, especially in the portions where the pacing dips. Also, while Vinayak Rao and Hastar’s characters are nearly perfect, the other characters could have been sketched with a bit more detail to increase the emotional stakes of the narrative. Moreover, the film’s dark tone and minimal dialogue approach could possibly make the movie seem like a complex folklore that’s a little difficult for first-time viewers to fully comprehend. 

However, none of these issues takes away from the brilliance of the Tumbbad movie, even if they keep it short of a perfect score, which is why we at Inside Box Office award the movie a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars – because that’s what a slightly flawed but brilliant narrative deserves. 

The Final Verdict Of The Inside Box Office

Tumbbad (2018) is a one-of-its-kind movie… one that classifies as a rare gem of Indian cinema. It is a horror film that isn’t about ghosts in mansions or ladies carrying lanterns at night, nor is it about scare jumps and cliché horror subplots. It’s a movie that is all about mood, myth, and meaning, a movie that leans into talking about the real horrors of life, which so happens to be the indulgence of people into feelings like greed and obsession. 

From the powerful performance of the entire cast, especially Sohum Shah, to the eerie visuals of the movie, it’s a package deal fans of the horror genre do not want to miss out on. What’s more evidence of its greatness is that its re-release and ever-growing fanbase are evidence that true good cinema always finds its fanbase, even after it’s taken down from the big screen. 

Whether you are a fan of folklore, myth, mythology, horror, or character-driven dramas, Tumbbad deserves a spot on your bucket list. We at Inside Box Office call it a landmark Indian horror film that proves great storytelling is all that a movie needs to trump big budgets and star power.

Stay tuned to Inside Box Office for more such reviews.