Upon getting to the university, Tantri quickly forms friendships with two individuals. She soon becomes aware of two students who had mysteriously gone missing a year ago, and strange occurrences begin to play out around her.
The film wastes no time in setting the pace, as Fey and Asta immediately introduce her to life on campus, making it seem as though they’ve known each other for ages. While settling into her room, Tantri stumbles upon an old photograph of five friends, among whom are Fey and Asta.
Visions of the past reveal horrors of the present (Photo: Mantra Surugana/Adhya Pictures)Turning it over, she finds a cryptic message about hatred. As she accidentally drops the picture, a chilling moment follows when a ghost appears from under the bed. The eerie discoveries don’t end there—Tantri learns more about the missing students from Asta.
It turns out that Arum was last seen leaving with her father, after which both of them vanished. Luki, on the other hand, was presumed to have taken his own life, though his body was never found. Another person in the group, Reza, appeared to have romantic feelings for Arum.
Mysterious Visions and a Haunting Connection
During the night, unsettling visions plague all three girls, but Tantri’s experience is the most vivid, almost as if she possesses some supernatural ability. Around her neck hangs a necklace, a gift from her father, believed to provide protection.
A terrifying nightmare jolts Tantri awake—she sees Luki’s gruesome demise, where he cuts himself before plunging into a well. The following day, she is drawn to that very spot, only to discover Luki’s lifeless body, which appears to have been there for just five days.
Meanwhile, a photographer named Mahes shows interest in how she found Luki’s body and what else she might know, but Reza continually prevents him from speaking with her. Asta later urges Tantri to accompany them to Arum’s house, hoping that Tantri’s visions might help unravel some answers.
However, Asta’s true intentions are different—she already has an idea of what’s going on and only wants to use Tantri’s abilities to communicate with the dead.
Before Arum disappeared, she had performed a ritual from a mysterious book, summoning a malevolent spirit that could eliminate people as long as specific instructions were followed.
A Deadly Spell and Hidden Agendas
Asta convinces Tantri to perform the ritual again, claiming it will protect them all. However, instead of safety, it strengthens the spirit’s presence, placing them all under its curse. The entity materializes before them, speaking of vengeance and making it clear that none of them is safe.
While the others are gripped with fear, Asta remains composed—she has been anticipating this moment. Having suffered years of abuse at the hands of her uncle, she intends to use the spirit to end his life.
Once she gets home, she follows the ritual’s steps, collecting a piece of her uncle’s clothing and some strands of his hair while he sleeps. Unfortunately, before she can complete her task, he wakes up and assaults her again. That night, Tantri has another vision—Asta’s uncle is dead.
Rushing to find Asta and Fey, she begs them to abandon the book, warning them that they have no control over what the spirit is capable of. But who gave her the authority to dictate their choices? Fey reveals the truth about Asta’s past, and Asta is furious.
While Tantri sympathizes with her pain, she refuses to condone the use of dark forces for revenge.
The Tragic Fate of Arum
Arum had suffered deeply at the hands of those she trusted. Reza and Luki had placed a cruel bet on who could be with her first, with Reza winning. Following this, he shared an explicit image of her with the entire college.
Devastated and consumed by anger, Arum turned to the cursed book in her search for justice. When Tantri learns the full story, she is shaken, especially because Asta, who had endured her trauma, should have stood by Arum.
Instead, she chose to side with her other friends, leaving Arum to suffer alone. Matters take a darker turn when Asta, enraged at seeing her former boyfriend Mahes with Tantri, directs her wrath toward her.
The Story Behind Surugana
There is a deeper horror at play—one that dates back generations. Tantri discovers that Surugana was once a woman who endured a horrific attack by five men during a drunken night.
In her agony and rage, she recorded their names in a book and placed a curse upon them and their descendants, vowing to haunt their bloodline until none remained.
Tantri, as it turns out, is a descendant of one of these men, and, likely, Arum is as well, given that she wears a protective necklace identical to Tantri’s. This suggests that both of them were marked as targets of Surugana’s vengeance.
How Tantri Puts an End to the Nightmare
As Mantra Surugana nears its climax, Tantri encounters Arum, who had been locked away by her father after becoming possessed by the spirit from the cursed book.
He had tried to restrain her, hoping to stop the possession, but before he could act further, the spirit took his life, leaving Arum trapped alone for all this time. Though it’s unclear how she managed to survive for so long, the horror continues.
A ritual meant for protection unleashes something sinister (Photo: Mantra Surugana/Adhya Pictures)Meanwhile, Asta, now completely under the spirit’s control, holds a knife to Mahes’ throat. Tantri desperately tries to reach whatever part of Asta remains, but her efforts are futile—Asta kills the man she once loved before taking her own life.
The curse demands five deaths to be fulfilled, mirroring the number of men who originally harmed Surugana. The final victim is Arum. As Arum summons the spirits and directs her rage toward Tantri, the only choice left is a tragic one.
Grabbing the knife used by Asta, Tantri plunges it into Arum’s heart, apologizing as she does so. Strangely, despite having no prior connection, they address each other by familiar nicknames. Arum, in her final moments, expresses gratitude for being set free before passing away in Tantri’s arms.
Reza meets his end in prison, repeatedly smashing his head against the bars until he succumbs to his injuries. Meanwhile, Fey, who gouged out her own eyes in an act of self-inflicted torment, is confined to a psychiatric hospital.
A Dark Twist at the End
Just as Tantri believes everything is finally over, reality twists around her. Awakening inside a bus on her way home, she is horrified to find the cursed book in her hands. As she looks around, the gruesome sight of lifeless passengers surrounds her.
The final scene of Mantra Surugana takes place in Arum’s room, where a veiled woman stands. When she turns around, her eyes glow red, a clear sign that the cycle is beginning all over again. This strongly suggests that a sequel may be on the way.
While Mantra Surugana had an intriguing premise, several aspects of the storyline seemed disjointed and unclear. The execution of the plot could have been handled in a much more cohesive manner.
That being said, if justice is to be served in such a terrifying situation, the only true victor is the vengeful spirit, as this is the ending that aligns with her sense of justice.
