Thaytha
Table of Contents
Quick Facts
Plot
Thaytha is a horror suspense thriller that begins as lighthearted college romance and fun, then takes a sinister turn. A group of college students enjoy friendship, fun and romance, but playful teasing and ragging soon take an ugly turn. When their friends plan a trip to bring a young couple together, the journey takes a terrifying turn as they get stranded in a place haunted by paranormal activity, and the group must fight to survive the unexpected ordeal.
Shaik Riyan plays Rahul, the debut hero, opposite Harshika Poonacha as the female lead, with Sadhu Kokila, Shobhraj, Shaik Shahid and Bhanupriya in key roles. The film blends suspense, thriller, comedy and horror, and it is not an out-and-out horror film: at its core, as director Laya Kokila has said, it is a love story, with a strong message about relationships and the consequences of revenge, plus a spiritual connection with the Bande Mahakali Temple.
Performance
Shaik Riyan, making his debut as a hero, carries the film’s central romance and its horror beats with visible commitment. Opposite him, Harshika Poonacha, who travelled from Coorg for the film’s promotions, brings warmth to the love story and fear to the survival sequences. Their pairing gives the film its emotional centre: the audience cares about the couple before the horror arrives, which makes the horror matter more.
The supporting cast adds colour and tension. Sadhu Kokila appears in a different and interesting character, Shobhraj brings menace, and the ensemble of around fourteen constantly present characters gives the college and trip sequences a crowded, lived-in feel. It is a cast that understands the film’s blend of romance, comedy and horror, and plays it straight.
Screenplay and Direction
Thaytha marks the directorial debut of Laya Kokila, a music composer with three decades of experience, who also handled the screenplay, dialogues and music. Producer Shahid, who also appears in the film, wrote the story, which the team worked on for three years. The screenplay builds slowly from college life to horror, letting the audience settle into the friendships before the ragging turns sinister and the trip turns terrifying.
The film’s horror grows out of its human story rather than relying on effects alone: the ragging, the revenge and the relationships are the real engine, and the paranormal elements arrive as a consequence. That approach gives Thaytha more heart than a standard horror film, even if some of its turns will feel familiar to genre fans. As a debut, it shows a director who knows his world and trusts his story.
Music
Laya Kokila composes the music, and the film features four songs sung by Anuradha Bhat, Jogi Sunitha and other singers. The music is central to the film’s identity: it is, as Harshika Poonacha described it, a musical film, with songs that carry the romance and the college atmosphere before the horror takes over. The trailer was released through Siri Music, and the songs give the film a melodic warmth that contrasts with its darker second half.
That contrast is deliberate. By making the audience love the music and the romance first, the film makes the horror hit harder when it arrives. Kokila’s experience as a composer shows in how the songs are woven into the story, and the soundtrack is one of the film’s most distinctive features.
Themes
Thaytha is, at its core, a film about revenge and its consequences. The ragging that begins as fun becomes cruelty, and the film shows how cruelty, left unchecked, poisons everyone it touches. Laya Kokila’s message is plain: no one should be looked down upon, and revenge can ruin a life, including the life of the person seeking it.
The film also explores love as a counterweight to horror. The young couple at its centre, and the friendships around them, are what the audience roots for, and the horror works because those bonds are real. Add the spiritual thread of the Bande Mahakali Temple, and Thaytha becomes a horror film with a moral centre: a story about what happens when people forget to be kind.
Conclusion
Thaytha released in cinemas on 30 October 2026, as the directorial debut of Laya Kokila and the debut of Shaik Riyan as a hero. It is a film for horror fans who also enjoy romance and music, and for viewers who like their scares with a story and a message attached.
Watch it for the college atmosphere, the songs, and a horror story that remembers its characters are people first. It is a promising debut, and a reminder that Kannada horror can be both frightening and heartfelt.