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Hastar is an ancient god associated with wealth and prosperity in the 2018 film Tumbbad, a Hindi-language folk horror film directed by Rahi Anil Barve. However, he is known for his insatiable greed, and his followers are compelled to offer human sacrifices to appease him.
The protagonist of the film, Vinayak, becomes consumed by his desire to uncover Hastar's treasure, and he is willing to go to any lengths to obtain it. The title, Tumbbad, refers to the village where the treasure is believed to be concealed.
Biography[]
Origins of Hastar[]
Set in the 1920s in Tumbbad, the story follows three generations of a family dealing with the consequences of constructing a temple for Hastar, the firstborn of a goddess, who is forbidden from being worshiped. Hastar is a malevolent entity capable of both cursing people and granting them gold coins. The film highlights human nature and the insatiable greed that drives individuals. According to the myth, when the Goddess of Prosperity created the world, she gave birth to Hastar, her favorite child, followed by 16 crore gods and goddesses. However, Hastar's greed led him to try to claim both the gold and food of the universe. In his attempt to seize the food, his siblings overpowered him, but the Goddess of Prosperity pleaded for his life. The gods and goddesses agreed to spare him on the condition that Hastar would never be mentioned in the Puranas, nor would he ever be worshiped.
Despite the gods' curse on the village of Tumbbad, where it rains endlessly, the villagers build a temple for Hastar. In 1918, Sarkar's mistress, the mother of Vinayak and Sadashiv, is tasked with caring for Sarkar's monstrous, chained grandmother. After Sarkar's death, she plans to move to Pune, but Vinayak, driven by greed, is determined to find the treasure hidden in Sarkar's mansion. Tragedy strikes when Sadashiv dies, and Vinayak's mother makes him promise never to return to Tumbbad. Fifteen years later, now an adult, Vinayak returns and encounters the elderly woman, who has a tree growing through her body, the result of being touched by Hastar and turned into a monster. She teaches Vinayak how to steal gold coins from Hastar by distracting him with dough dolls to satisfy his hunger. For years, Vinayak's plan works, but in 1947, he involves his equally greedy son, Pandurang, in the scheme.
Timeline[]
In 1918, Vinayak’s mother, the mistress of the local lord Sarkar, hopes to claim part of his mysterious treasure. Vinayak and his brother Sadashiv remain at home with a monstrous old woman, chained in a separate room. When Sadashiv is injured from a fall, their mother takes him to seek help, leaving Vinayak behind. Vinayak attempts to feed the old woman, but she breaks free and tries to devour him. He invokes Hastar’s name, causing her to fall asleep. Both Sarkar and Sadashiv die, prompting Vinayak and his mother to leave for Pune.
Fifteen years later, desperate to escape poverty, Vinayak returns to Tumbbad. The old woman, still alive with a tree growing from her body, offers to reveal the secret of Sarkar’s treasure if Vinayak ends her suffering. She leads him to the Goddess' womb within Sarkar's mansion and teaches him how to retrieve the treasure. Inside, Hastar resides, eternally hungry as he was denied the Goddess' grain. Vinayak descends into the womb using a rope, draws a protective circle of flour, and distracts Hastar with a dough doll. While Hastar is preoccupied, Vinayak steals gold coins from Hastar’s loincloth and quickly escapes. He later burns the old woman and regularly travels between Pune and Tumbbad to collect more coins, selling them to his friend and moneylender, Raghav. Suspicious of Vinayak’s sudden wealth, Raghav follows him to Tumbbad, where Vinayak tricks him into entering the womb. Hastar attacks Raghav, and Vinayak puts him out of his misery by burning him.
By 1947, Vinayak is consumed by greed, leading to a deteriorating family life. He trains his son Pandurang in the art of retrieving Hastar’s coins and takes him to Tumbbad, warning him against bringing a dough doll for practice. Ignoring the warning, Pandurang brings one, triggering Hastar's attack, but they narrowly escape. Later, Vinayak learns that Sarkar’s mansion has been taken over by the new government of independent India. In a desperate bid to secure more gold, Pandurang suggests stealing Hastar’s entire loincloth by using multiple dough dolls. The plan backfires as Hastar multiplies into numerous clones, trapping them inside the womb. In a final act of sacrifice, Vinayak ties the dough dolls around himself to draw the attention of Hastar’s clones, allowing Pandurang to escape. Outside the womb, Pandurang encounters a cursed Vinayak, who offers him Hastar’s loincloth. Pandurang refuses, puts his father to sleep by invoking Hastar’s name, and burns him before leaving Tumbbad for good.
Gallery[]
