Zapatlela (transl. Possessed) is a 1993 Indian Marathi-language horror comedy film directed and produced by Mahesh Kothare. The film stars an ensemble cast of Laxmikant Berde, Mahesh Kothare, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Pooja Pawar, Kishori Ambiye, Jairam Kulkarni, Bipin Varti and Raghavendra Kadkol. The film was a blockbuster at the box office and became one of the highest-grossing Marathi films of all time. It also spawned two sequels: Zapatlela 2 in 2013 and Zapatlela 3 in 2020.
The film revolves around a gangster named Tatya Vinchu (Dilip Prabhavalkar), who is killed by an inspector named Mahesh Jadhav (Mahesh Kothare) in a police encounter. However, before dying, Tatya Vinchu transfers his soul into a ventriloquist's dummy named Kubdya Khavis (Laxmikant Berde) with the help of a tantrik named Baba Chamatkar (Vijay Chavan). The dummy is then sent to Mahesh's house by Baba Chamatkar as a gift for his sister's son Lakshya (Raghavendra Kadkol). Unaware of the fact that the dummy is possessed by Tatya Vinchu, Lakshya becomes fond of it and starts playing with it. Soon, Tatya Vinchu starts killing people who come in his way of taking revenge on Mahesh and finding a new human body to enter. Mahesh realizes that the dummy is behind the murders and tries to stop him with the help of his girlfriend Sonali (Pooja Pawar) and his friend Champa (Kishori Ambiye). The film ends with a climactic showdown between Mahesh and Tatya Vinchu at a temple, where Mahesh manages to destroy the dummy and free Tatya Vinchu's soul.
Zapatlela was released on 6 April 1993 and received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. The film was praised for its blend of horror and comedy, its innovative use of special effects, its catchy songs and its performances by the lead actors. The film was also a huge commercial success and broke several records at the box office. It became the first Marathi film to cross the 1 crore mark in its first week and went on to collect over 5 crore in its lifetime. It also became the highest-grossing Marathi film of 1993 and one of the highest-grossing Marathi films of all time. The film also won several awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Marathi Film and the Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Popular Film.
Zapatlela is widely regarded as one of the best Marathi films ever made and a cult classic in the horror comedy genre. The film has been re-released several times in theatres and on television and has gained a loyal fan following over the years. The film also inspired two sequels: Zapatlela 2 in 2013 and Zapatlela 3 in 2020, both directed by Mahesh Kothare and starring Adinath Kothare as Mahesh's son. The sequels also featured Dilip Prabhavalkar reprising his role as Tatya Vinchu and Laxmikant Berde's voice as Kubdya Khavis. The sequels also received positive reviews and were successful at the box office.