Evil Eye

By: Madhuri Shekar

Narrated by: Nick Choksi, Harsh Nayyar, Annapurna Sriram, Bernard White, Rita Wolf

Length: 1 hr and 38 mins

Publisher's Summary

Evil Eye garnered an Audie Award for Original Work in 2020.

Usha is convinced that the Evil Eye, a curse that brings continuous misfortune, was cast upon her daughter, Pallavi, in the womb. What else could have possibly left her driven, career-oriented daughter edging closer and closer to 30 without a prospective husband? Determined to set Pallavi on the right path, Usha arranges date after date with potential suitors - but after yet another setup fails, it seems her efforts are proving fruitless. But in an unexpected turn of events, Pallavi becomes her own matchmaker when she meets - and quickly falls for - Sandeep, a young Indian-American entrepreneur. And though she expects her mother will be elated with her finally finding a man, Pallavi is distraught and confused to find her mother growing increasingly suspicious of Sandeep’s motives...and his true identity. 

Told through a series of phone calls and voicemails, this Audible Original penned by award-winning rising star playwright Madhuri Shekar transitions seamlessly from a light-hearted family dramedy to an unexpectedly supernatural thriller. With an endearing cast of well-rounded characters, sharp, natural dialogue, and a shocking edge-of-your-seat climax, Evil Eye is a can’t-miss tale about cultural miscommunications, family secrets, and the lingering echoes of trauma. 

Playwright Madhuri Shekar was awarded a commission through the Audible Emerging Playwrights Fund, an initiative dedicated to developing innovative original plays driven by language and voice. As an Audible commissioned playwright, she received funding and creative support to develop Evil Eye.

Please note: This audio contains strong language, distressing situations, and descriptions of abuse and violence that some listeners may find upsetting. Discretion is advised. 

©2019 Madhuri Shekar (P)2019 AO Media LLC

not my kind of story

did not care for this at all hard to follow what was going on. only got it because it was one of the monthly titles

⚡️🔥🎭HOLY 🐄 COW😲

Well, this is just plain fantastic. It’s comedy, it’s tragedy, it’s a suspense thriller, it’s a tearjerker...and all in a little over ninety minutes!! This incredibly well-written, well-acted and well-produced radio play is easily the best thing one could ever, ever hope to receive for free, so download it at once without hesitation. It would also be worth it for a credit. I literally have only one complaint: there’s a very physical scene towards the end of the play, and although the listener can guess the general gist of what’s going on, I would have paid immediately to download the novel or script if it existed, just so I could know exactly what happened. Grade: A+

This is an audio book, but still a page-turner

Told entirely through a series of phone calls and voicemail messages, Evil Eye begins as a lightly comic family story: Born in India but raised in the U.S. 29-year-old Pahlavi negotiates the cultural divide between she and her mother Usha. Living once again in India, Usha doggedly and repeatedly arranges dates with suitable gentlemen for an exasperated Pahlavi. Had this story remained centered on loving conflicts such as this one that will feel familiar to many Americans with immigrant parents, I still would have given it a good review because author Madhuri Shekar captures their differences in a way that is both funny and authentic, never belittling the perspective of either character. Shekar, however, has something else in mind for listeners as she pivots the story in a surprising direction that I will not reveal here. Suffice to say, Shekar deftly packages a wry but important reminder that we should always be careful when characterizing the beliefs of immigrants as mere superstition. A delightful and gripping tale.

My Favorite Audible Original This Year

I never imagined that a series of phone calls and messages could cohere into such an intense and suspenseful drama. The family bonds were depicted brilliantly. The fear and awe provoked by new love were realistic as well. The supernatural power of a true maternal bond was a beautiful plot thread. I began listening solely for entertainment, and ended, after tears and laughter, contemplating all that binds a functional family in this era of so many dysfunctional ones. Very well acted, impressively developed, and highly recommended!

Holy Crap!

This started off hilariously. I mean, most daughters know the pressure from their moms about getting married. And I adored the frustrating relationship Pallavi has with her mother Usha, because it's so relatable in this modern day when tradition is still trying to maintain its hold across all cultures, particular Eastern ones. But ohhhhhhhhhmygod, when the plot twist came?? My freaking hands were shaking! This was so perfectly done, Audible, truly a great listen AND a great book in general!

Does anyone remember party lines?

This is my first audiobook and it made me feel as if I was eavesdropping on someone’s family. You know sort of like being on a party line from the ’70s where you could listen to someone’s else’s phone call?!? The phone rings sound so real that I almost said hello a few times myself. I really enjoyed it. The storyline seemed real, until 3/4 of the way through, then it sort of got scary. Great listen, loved the people narrating the story, they were all great narrators!

Unique and surprising

No spoilers! but without saying too much, this was a highly enjoyable and very unique little listen. A sweet and different mother/daughter story, just in time for Mother's Day.

I spy with my little eye... something wicked

For such a short story it sure packs a helluva punch. Love how the story is told solely through the use of phone conversations. It's like you're listening to someone on three way and your mic volume is on mute, so as little pieces of the plot fall together even though you're screaming at them that you've figured it out and "ohmigod don't do it!"... no one can actually hear you. And they do it anyway. Sigh. My nightly routine is to listen to an audibook for a half hour to fall asleep. I ended up turning off the sleep timer and listened to the whole thing. Then I had to start over and choose something else to actually fall asleep too. Awesome listen.

Phone call parental interferance

Evil Eye tells the story of an interfering India mother, trying to manage her daughters love life from half a world away. The entire thing is told almost exclusively through a series of phone and online conversations, Mother and daughter, mother and father, father and daughter. daughter and a friend. daughter and they boyfriend etc. A whole series of short one-on-one conversations, across vast distances. There is some in person conversations and events, but even these are 'captured' by a dangling phone or similar. When the mother sets the daughter up for a date, the daughter ends up meeting someone else. Someone that seems perfect for her, Yet the mother has concerns and fears, going back to something that happened to her a long time ago. Is this relationship as good as it seems? The description says that this will keep you on the edge of your seats, and it is is not wrong. This is a great thriller of a story. I really enjoyed the format. It is something very different from most anything else i have listened to. It is somewhat like an old style epistolary novel, but with phone calls rather than written letters. The voice acting is very good. With a full cast providing voices for each character. The Indian accent of the mother, and to a lesser extent some of the others, can be a little think at times. Especially when she gets worked up or emotional. But not so much to the point where you cannot understand what is being said. The audio mimics the 'phone call conversation' style, with some calls sounding echo-y and distant. It gives the desired effect for the style, but from a listeners perspective it's actually somewhat distracting. So how you feel about it will depend on how much 'realism' you want in the sounds and conversations, vs how clean and clear you want the audio to be. Personally I would have preferred something a little cleaner. Strangely, for something that is going for realism with the phone calls, it also has atmospheric music in the background during some moments. Music that would not be there in realist, thus breaking the realism. Thus music itself is subtle and not overpowering, but it is there. There is some sound effects throughout - mostly ring tones or dial tomes before each story. It works well to break up the conversations, and different ring tones help define who is calling who and does what. However some of them are very loud, particularly one of the dial tones. Every time it come on I winced a little due to the additional volume. It is only this sound effects which pull down the overall performance score down from a 4 to a 3.

Pulls you in

This story is told through a series of phone calls. The actors did a great job- there are things spoken in tone where a word spoken just right sent an echoing message. I got the story because it was an audible original choice for May. What an unexpected treasure! I listened to the whole thing straight through at once. I look forward to seeing what else this author produces in the future.

oiginal way to present a story

this was such a unique play as it is presented in the form of phone conversations. when it started I did think wether a story could be told in what seemed a limited way but they certainly did!! the story was gripping and had a few twists. highly recommend this.

Interestingly different

I didn't expect such ending as in the beginning this story had quite different tone. I also not sure what to think about supernatural side. Overall it was interesting and I did likes this audible original🙂

Superb story and performance

Clever use of phone calls to tell a story. A lesson to us all to listen to our mothers

Reincarnated evil?

This is an excellently crafted story about the close relationship between mother and daughter with the karma of another person. Don’t want to say more to avoid spoilers. But what goes around comes around.

Short thriller abt mother/daughter relationship

From the moment the characters are introduced, I found the story relatable. As it progresses, found myself wondering what to believe. And as backstories are revealed I also got emotional, and really felt for the characters. Very effective and relatable with a "fantastical" element that still feels natural and believable. Some anchors to Indian beliefs and culture took this story to an interesting place.

Super

Very good, great performance from “the mother” worth a listen, and free! 10 outta 10

Amazing !!

One of the best stories I've ever listened to. it was like watching a movie. Very creative and compelling. I loved the characters and the narrators. I especially loved Usha's character and the woman whose voice was used. She reminds me of my mother. The only criticism I have is that the voice of Sandeep wasn't convincing enough. Other than that, everything else was perfect.

what a brilliant listen

what a brilliant short listen this is. it's free too, I wont spoil the story but I didn't see it coming. well done audible, thank you.

Reincarnation of the most awful kind

This short story is based on telephone conversations between a daughter and her parents. What transcribes as the story progresses is unnerving but very much a story tobd heard

I wasn’t expecting this

Absolutely brilliant! Was not expecting it to turn into what it was 😅 gee, I was listening to this at night, which meant I was scared! Brilliant audiobook!