Phoonk (English: Blow) is a 2008 Indian supernatural horror film directed by Ram Gopal Varma and produced by Praveen Nischol. The film stars Sudeep, Amruta Khanvilkar, and Ahsaas Channa in the lead roles, while Kenny Desai, Ashwini Kalsekar, and Zakir Hussain play supporting roles. The film is based on superstition and black magic. The film released on 22 August 2008 and was declared a blockbuster at the box office by several media outlets.Varma derived the idea for the film from a Hindi news channel which telecasts stories on black magic. The storyline of Phoonk is thematically similar to the Telugu thriller novel Tulasi Dalam by Yandamuri Veerendranath. A prize of ₹5 lakh (US$6,300) was announced for those who will watch the film alone in a theatre.The film was remade in Telugu as Raksha and was dubbed in Tamil as Bommayi. It was followed by a sequel, Phoonk 2, in 2010.