‘Darna Mana Hai’ (2003) Ending, Explained: Is Shruti Dead?

Though Indian horror movies have only recently garnered more attention, with the release of movies like Stree (2018) and Tumbbad (2018), there is one film that has actually become a sort of cult classic with its eerie milieu — Darna Mana Hai.

If you haven’t read our review yet (which you should check out), let us tell you — Darna Mana Hai isn’t exactly the most horrifying film. However, it does manage to creep you out in a manner that will stay with you for a bit.

So, let’s break down the ending of Darna Mana Hai and talk about why the film manages to make an impact despite relying heavily on cliches.

Consider yourself warned: This article contains spoilers!

Darna Mana Hai Plot Overview

This anthology piece features seven stories in total.

It all starts when a group of college kids head on a road trip, only for their car to break down. While they wait for a mechanic to come, they share scary stories — each picking momentum as the movie progresses — only for the students themselves to be put at risk.

As for the individual stories told by the gang, here is a quick breakdown:

Karan and Anjali — The two have recently gotten married and are travelling on the road when (surprise, surprise) their car breaks down. As Karan goes to find a solution to their problem, Anjali starts hearing screams and believes Karan’s life is in danger.
Anil and the Hotel Owner — A photographer named Anil wants a room in a small hotel, but the owner has an issue with Anil’s smoking habit, so much so that in the end, Anil will have to choose between his life and a cigarette.
Dayashankar Pandey and Pramila — A teacher repeatedly hits his young student’s hand with a ruler for not doing her homework. However, the day she mends her ways, he becomes paranoid due to a dark secret in his past.
Gayatri and the Apples — Gayatri, a housewife, gets a great deal on some apples, but the seller’s suspicious behaviour keeps her on edge. Even though she throws out the fruit, the apples eventually make their way back to her home.
Amar and John Rodrigues — Amar offers John a lift on a dark highway, only for John to realise Amar isn’t who he claims he is.

At this point in the larger story, a stranger comes and joins Shruti and her friends. Then comes the following story.

Purav and Abhilasha — A timid and suicidal college student gets powers similar to the Midas Touch — he can touch anyone and make them “pause” when he says “Stop!” He uses this power to woo the love of his life, Abhilasha, but becomes a toxic person in the process. Then, things don’t work out as expected.

Darna Mana Hai Ending, Explained

In order to do justice to Darna Mana Hai’s ending, I wish to discuss the endings of the six smaller stories first.

But at the same time, it is also important to note that most of these stories do not provide any closure to the viewer, making them delightfully cerebral in their own way. So, for what it is worth, while I will be presenting my theories below, these, by no means, are the only “actual” answer.

#1. Karan and Anjali — Is Karan Dead?

Though Karan eventually finds his way back to Anjali and convinces her that all is okay, the last scene of this story proves that nothing is as it seems.

When we see only Anjali’s reflection in the rearview mirror — and not Karan’s — it becomes clear that at some point in the journey, Karan has been attacked and left for dead.

Though most would have thought Karan disappears after the car breaks down (and there’s certainly a lot of evidence to back this train of thought), it is also quite possible that he was “replaced” by something (maybe an evil spirit who is good at cloning?) at the beginning of the story.

Remember — initially, Karan wishes to scare Anjali, so he switches off the headlight.

Neither you nor I can actually tell what is going on in the dark, and Anjali probably can’t figure it out either.

So, they finally end up stopping, and when Karan leaves the scene, Anjali also starts experiencing weird phenomena, from seeing the blood-covered flashlight to Karan’s hand (and watch) in the swamp.

But who’s to say that Karan hadn’t already been removed from the equation before all this, which is why by the time Anjali reaches the swamp, she only sees his hand and nothing else.

That would certainly make things easier for the malevolent entity involved…

Plus, as the first story wraps up, the cast members posit that it is Karan’s ghost who is driving the car… But what if it is some other evil spirit merely pretending to be Karan?

#2. Anil and the Hotel Owner — Does Anil Survive?

This particular story gives you the creeps because of how simple yet ridiculous it is.

Who knows if this particular plot point is meant to be a PSA, but the way the intensity builds up is insane… In just a few minutes, things go from 0 to 100, and what is “normal” gets reversed on its head.

Anil has a simple choice — smoke or die trying to quit. By the end, his choice becomes evident, and the hotel owner has successfully transformed Anil into a “mini-me” of sorts. So, yes, he does end up living.

However, the reason this particular story is so impactful is because it keeps horror tropes to a minimum and lets the dialogues shine.

The human psyche — and repeated exposure to certain ideas, such as the owner routinely watching Tom and Jerry (which is followed by the no smoking ad) — takes centre stage. Perhaps this particular narrative is scary because it relies solely on the fragility of the mind and not some external jumpscares.

#3. Dayashankar Pandey and Pramila — Is She Varun’s Reincarnation?

Either Pramila is the reincarnation of Pandey’s dead friend, or she could also be a medium for the spirit.

It seems like the latter is more likely, simply because Varun’s ghost actually meets Pandey face to face. Plus, there is a distinct change in Pramila’s behaviour at a particular time in the movie; she seems to be free of Varun’s spirit in the beginning.

Though the group of friends in the larger arc allude to Pramila being a reincarnation, the fact that we see two separate visuals for Pramila and Varun could be hinting at her just being the vessel.

#4. Gayatri and the Apples — Who is the Seller?

Everyone who was sold an apple by the fruit seller eventually turns into an apple themselves, and with Gayatri being the only one who sees what is going on, she seemingly gets spared…

Until that is, the apple seller approaches her and offers to sell her the last apple.

Exactly who he is, we do not know, and neither does Gayatri. It is only in the very last moment that his voice changes from that of a human to what appears to be an agent of evil. He is likely a demon or some personification of a curse (which would also explain the dangerous apples).

Some might even argue that the seller represents larger vices, such as greed (given that Gayatri only goes to him because he is selling at a significantly lower cost) or deception.

#5. Amar and John Rodrigues — Who is the Ghost?

I just have to put this out there — this is my favourite story from the anthology.

Another fun fact is that this particular narrative was inspired by MTV Bakra, which was hosted by Cyrus Broacha.

But coming back to the movie, it is Amar — not John — who turns out to be the actual ghost, and you know what? This little twist is actually brilliant!

When John finds out that the very prank he tried to play on Amar has drastically backfired, he basically faints from shock, and that’s where the curtains come down on this story. It is also really funny that the ghost is the one named Amar.

#6. Purav and Abhilasha — Is Purav Alive?

Purav is miserable for the most part, but once he finally hones his “power” and “wins” Abhilasha’s love, his entire demeanour changes. Ironically, however, towards the end, Purav digs his own grave by looking in the mirror and saying, “Stop!”

We see him freeze, and he is taken to the hospital. But is Purav okay? Is he still alive? What happens to him?

It’s likely that Purav is alive but frozen in time. In other words, the world will pass him by, but he will not be able to bounce back from his own misstep. So, in some ways, for a man who has wanted to end his life on multiple occasions, eternal life seems to be the ultimate horror.

Even the doctors cannot spare Purav from his fate.

Darna Mana Hai (Main Arc) Ending

Is Shruti Dead or Alive?

Shruti and the stranger get into an altercation after he kills all of her friends. Though he manages to stab her, she doesn’t back down and bludgeons him to death and makes her way to safety.

…or does she?

Well, Shruti definitely ends up killing the stranger. But as it so turns out, she has also died. She just doesn’t know it until she tries to talk to the inspector, only to see her own dead body.

In the end, we see Shruti, her friends, and the stranger sitting and watching the mayhem before them before the screen blacks out. Evidently, Shruti, her friends, and their killer — all are dead. (Fun fact: In the last scene, Gaurav Kapoor is actually missing though his character also dies.)

Who is the Killer?

We don’t know anything about the stranger, but it seems he has psychopathic tendencies (to say the least). But he seems so menacing largely because we have no information on who he is, what his back story is, and whether he or not he has been through abject trauma.

Initially, he comes across as just another guy, but he clearly joins the gang for some “casual” horror stories before he proceeds to kill everyone.

Plus, he says things like “darna mana hai” to the college friends and then proceeds to stab them for being (obviously) afraid. We don’t even know if he decided to kill them on a whim or if the entire thing was premeditated.

But Darna Mana Hai is a movie that routinely intertwines fear and the “unknown,” so it only makes sense that the writers decided to cloak the killer in a veil of mystery as well.

In some ways, that only serves to heighten the emotion — when anyone, anywhere, anytime can be scary, can you truly ever abandon fear? Is that realisation in and of itself not one of the most terrifying things?