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Evil Eye

By: Madhuri Shekar
Narrated by: Nick Choksi, Harsh Nayyar, Annapurna Sriram, Bernard White, Rita Wolf
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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.

Experience this title in immersive 3D audio by setting your download quality to High within the app. Headphones recommended. For more, browse our entire collection of 3D audio listens.

Now available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.

©2019 Madhuri Shekar (P)2019 AO Media LLC
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Our favorite moments from Evil Eye

Usha asks Pallavi about her latest blind date.
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You are happy in a different way.
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I just heard back from the private investigators...
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Sandeep and Usha share an eerie conversation.
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  • Evil Eye
  • Usha asks Pallavi about her latest blind date.
  • Evil Eye
  • You are happy in a different way.
  • Evil Eye
  • I just heard back from the private investigators...
  • Evil Eye
  • Sandeep and Usha share an eerie conversation.

About the Author

Madhuri Shekar was born in California and grew up in India. Her plays have been produced across the US and internationally. They include In Love and Warcraft (winner of the Alliance Theatre's Kendeda Graduate Playwriting contest), A Nice Indian Boy, Queen, and Bucket of Blessings. Her upcoming world premieres include House of Joy (Cal Shakes, August 2019) and Dhaba on Devon Avenue (Victory Gardens, April 2020). Her first audio play, Evil Eye, was commissioned by Audible as part of the inaugural class of their Emerging Playwrights Fund. She is a recent graduate of the Juilliard playwriting program, and writes for the upcoming HBO show The Nevers, created by Joss Whedon.

About the Director

Megan Sandberg-Zakian is a freelance theater director based in Jamaica Plain, MA, and a co-founder of Maia Directors, a consulting group for artists and organizations engaging with stories from the Middle East and beyond. Her directing projects include the world premieres of Nathan Alan Davis's Nat Turner in Jerusalem at New York Theatre Workshop, Eleanor Burgess' Chill at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, and Madhuri Shekar’s House of Joy at California Shakespeare Theater. She has previously served as the Associate Artistic Director of Underground Railway Theater (Cambridge, MA), the Providence Black Repertory Company (RI), and The 52nd Street Project (NYC), and, most recently, as Director-in-Residence at Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell, MA. Megan is a recipient of the Princess Grace Theater Award and the TCG Future Leaders fellowship, an alumna of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, and a proud member of SDC, the national union for stage directors and choreographers. She is a graduate of Brown University and holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College.

About the Performer

Nick Choksi is an actor, musician, proud dad, and animator living in New York. His recent theater credits include Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet on Broadway (original cast member), as well as many shows Off-Broadway at Roundabout, Ars Nova, New Group, Kazino, Cherry Lane, Clubbed Thumb, and the Atlantic. A selection of his TV and film credits include Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, New Amsterdam, The Good Fight, Succession, Happyish, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and One Life to Live (in a recurring role). As a composer, Nick conceived and wrote music for Those Lost Boys, wrote music for A Food Odyssey, and, during his daughter's naps, he is hard at work composing a song cycle based on The Ramayana. He was trained at Juilliard.

Photographed by Ben Arons

About the Performer

Harsh Nayyar received an MFA in Acting from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Acting Program. He narrated the book Between the Assassinations by Aravind Adiga for Simon & Schuster. On stage, he's performed on Broadway and at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York Theater Workshop, The Culture Project, La MaMa, Vineyard Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Brava Theater, Studio Theater, Cincinnati Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, New York Stage & Film, and U.S. Capitol. Nayyar can also be seen on screen in films such as Hidalgo, Gandhi, The Peacemaker, Making Mr. Right, Night and The City, Traffic, Men in Black, and The Devil’s Advocate. His television credits include Vestige of Honor, Littlest Victims, The Other Two, Madam Secretary, Boston Legal, Dark Angel, Tattinger's, and Tales from the Dark Side.

About the Performer

Annapurna Sriram is from Nashville, Tennessee. As a teenager, she was a championship Irish step dancer and attended the Nashville School of the Arts. Annapurna graduated from Rutgers University with a BFA in acting from the Mason Gross School of the Arts. She has appeared on the New Group stage and on the West End in Jesse Eisenberg's play The Spoils, and in the US premiere of Wallace Shawn's play Evening at the Talk House. Her television credits include Billions, The Blacklist, and South of Hell, and she has been featured in films such as In Case of Emergency, Leave Not One Alive, In Utero, Dom (short), Carnivore (short), and Dopplebanger (short).

About the Performer

Bernard White, a veteran of stage, film and TV, is currently recurring on three critically acclaimed cable series: HBO’s Silicon Valley, Kidding for Showtime, and Claws for TNT. A veteran of countless television shows and more than 40 feature films, including The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Wim Wender's Land of Plenty, Danny Strong's Rebel in the Rye, and It's Kind of a Funny Story. He has worked extensively in New York, notably in Lincoln Center’s productions of The Who & the What by Ayad Akhtar and Blood and Gifts by J.T. Rogers, Landscape of the Body by John Guare at the Signature, and The Tempest with the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park program. Some regional theater highlights include Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar at the Goodman Theatre, the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and the Seattle Repertory Theatre, Dogeaters by Jessica Hagedorn Will Power’s The Seven at the La Jolla Playhouse, and The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl and Blythe Spirit at Williamstown. Bernard is married to writer, director, producer, and actress Jackie Katzman.

About the Performer

Rita Wolf is a Drama Desk-nominated actress whose theater credits include the world premiere of Homebody/Kabul by Tony Kushner, The American Pilot at Manhattan Theatre Club (Drama Desk Nomination), An Ordinary Muslim at the New York Theatre Workshop, and O Jerusalem by A.R. Gurney at The Flea Theater. Her film and television credits include My Beautiful Laundrette (written by Hanif Kureishi and directed by Stephen Frears), Spike Lee’s Girl 6, as well as the British soap opera, Coronation Street. Audiobook narration includes Benazir Bhutto's autobiography, Reconciliation, for Audible.

What listeners say about Evil Eye

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Loved This.

Not sure what I was going to hear. It was excellent. Would read any other story by this author.

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7 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting

I got this as a free option in May. I listened in just one sitting, it really kept my interest. The extra sounds were "just right" in this short story. Glad I listened

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

Like a Great Episode of Black Mirror

This is how these types of audio performances should be done: perfectly clear, minimum of music and an intriguing, understandable story. I was hooked immediately on this short, sweet mystery. The phone conversation framing is produced immaculately and really adds to the mood and drama. Even the credits are clever. Touche and kudos all around!

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4 people found this helpful

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yooooooo

wow. just wow. what a loop de loop rollercoaster. loved it. amazing narration, innovative premise and spot on length. not too short not too long. what a journey.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

suspenseful

I sat in my car the last 30 minutes in a random parking lot cause I just couldn't get enough

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3 people found this helpful

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WOW

fantastic. just fantastic. I got so into the family drama and all the characters really came to life!

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2 people found this helpful

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very interesting

I loved it. I just couldn't put it down. The trilogy just keep you in suspense

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Wow! Just...Wow!

Thank you Audible, for this amazing production! I will be looking for more from Madhuri Shekar. This was a true audio play and everything-the story, the acting, the production, the pacing-was perfect!!!
The story sucked me in immediately. I enjoyed the delivery through phone calls and messages. The interplay between mother and daughter was so believable and relatable. The narrative progressed quickly and realistically and was not al all predictable.
I just loved it!

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Fabulous!

Great reading and writing. Couldn’t stop listening. Very well interpreted by readers, keeping listener glued to audio.

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1 person found this helpful

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Excellent. Simply excellent.

Compelling story with humor, drama, and great understanding of human nature. Very enjoyable. Well done.

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1 person found this helpful