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Evil Eye
Pallavi is an aspiring writer living in California. Her mother, Usha, is thousands of miles away in Delhi - and obsessed with finding her daughter a husband.
In Madhuri Shekar’s ingenious Evil Eye, hilarious back-and-forth via phone and social media takes a shocking, supernatural twist when Pallavi meets the perfect man - leading to a climactic showdown that will leave listeners on the edges of their seats.
In Madhuri Shekar’s ingenious Evil Eye, hilarious back-and-forth via phone and social media takes a shocking, supernatural twist when Pallavi meets the perfect man - leading to a climactic showdown that will leave listeners on the edges of their seats.
2 pages, Audiobook
First published May 2, 2019
45 people are currently reading
2826 people want to read
About the author
Madhuri Shekar
9 books88 followersMadhuri Shekar was born in California and grew up in India, and after a couple of quick detours in Singapore and London, made her first grown-up home in Los Angeles. She currently shuttles between Jersey City, Los Angeles and Chennai.
Her new audio play EVIL EYE debuted on the Audible best-seller list in May 2019. Her play HOUSE OF JOY will be getting its world premiere at Cal Shakes in August 2019. Also upcoming in the 2019/2020 season is her new commission from Victory Gardens, DHABA ON DEVON AVENUE.
Her play QUEEN had its World Premiere in April 2017 at Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, and was nominated for a Jeff Award for Best New Play. In 2018 it was produced in Seattle (Pratidhwani with ACT) and the Bay Area (EnActe Theatre), and had its New York Premiere in February 2019 at the Astoria Performing Arts Center.
She has received two commissions from Atlanta’s Alliance Theater (BUCKET OF BLESSINGS and ANTIGONE, PRESENTED BY THE GIRLS OF ST. CATHERINE’S), which were both produced in subsequent seasons. She has also been commissioned by the Kennedy Center, South Coast Rep and Victory Gardens.
She is the 2013/14 winner of the Kendeda Graduate Playwriting contest held by the Alliance Theatre for her play IN LOVE AND WARCRAFT, for which they did the world premiere production. It is published by Samuel French and has been produced around the country and abroad. She was also the second place winner of the East West Players 2012 Face of the Future Playwriting Contest for her play A NICE INDIAN BOY. They subsequently produced the play, which has also been produced in Chicago by the Rasaka Theatre Company and EnActe Arts in Cupertino.
Her plays have also been developed or showcased at Center Theatre Group, the Old Globe, the Kennedy Center, the Hedgebrook Playwrights Festival (in conjunction with Seattle Rep) and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She has been a finalist for the Princess Grace Playwriting Fellowship. QUEEN placed 2nd in the Kennedy Center’s 2017 Paul Stephen Lim playwriting contest, and is an Edgerton Grant awardee. BUCKET OF BLESSINGS won the Suzi Bass Award for Outstanding Original Work – Theatre for Young Audiences.
She has an MFA in Dramatic Writing from USC, and a dual Master’s degree in Global Media and Communications from the London School of Economics and USC. She is a 2018 alumnus of the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights program at Juilliard. She is an alumna of the Ma-Yi writers lab, the Ars Nova Play Group and the Center Theatre Group Writers Workshop, and a co-creator of the Shakespearean web series, TITUS AND DRONICUS. She became a member of New Dramatists in 2019.
She is a staff writer for the upcoming HBO show The Nevers.
Her new audio play EVIL EYE debuted on the Audible best-seller list in May 2019. Her play HOUSE OF JOY will be getting its world premiere at Cal Shakes in August 2019. Also upcoming in the 2019/2020 season is her new commission from Victory Gardens, DHABA ON DEVON AVENUE.
Her play QUEEN had its World Premiere in April 2017 at Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, and was nominated for a Jeff Award for Best New Play. In 2018 it was produced in Seattle (Pratidhwani with ACT) and the Bay Area (EnActe Theatre), and had its New York Premiere in February 2019 at the Astoria Performing Arts Center.
She has received two commissions from Atlanta’s Alliance Theater (BUCKET OF BLESSINGS and ANTIGONE, PRESENTED BY THE GIRLS OF ST. CATHERINE’S), which were both produced in subsequent seasons. She has also been commissioned by the Kennedy Center, South Coast Rep and Victory Gardens.
She is the 2013/14 winner of the Kendeda Graduate Playwriting contest held by the Alliance Theatre for her play IN LOVE AND WARCRAFT, for which they did the world premiere production. It is published by Samuel French and has been produced around the country and abroad. She was also the second place winner of the East West Players 2012 Face of the Future Playwriting Contest for her play A NICE INDIAN BOY. They subsequently produced the play, which has also been produced in Chicago by the Rasaka Theatre Company and EnActe Arts in Cupertino.
Her plays have also been developed or showcased at Center Theatre Group, the Old Globe, the Kennedy Center, the Hedgebrook Playwrights Festival (in conjunction with Seattle Rep) and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She has been a finalist for the Princess Grace Playwriting Fellowship. QUEEN placed 2nd in the Kennedy Center’s 2017 Paul Stephen Lim playwriting contest, and is an Edgerton Grant awardee. BUCKET OF BLESSINGS won the Suzi Bass Award for Outstanding Original Work – Theatre for Young Audiences.
She has an MFA in Dramatic Writing from USC, and a dual Master’s degree in Global Media and Communications from the London School of Economics and USC. She is a 2018 alumnus of the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights program at Juilliard. She is an alumna of the Ma-Yi writers lab, the Ars Nova Play Group and the Center Theatre Group Writers Workshop, and a co-creator of the Shakespearean web series, TITUS AND DRONICUS. She became a member of New Dramatists in 2019.
She is a staff writer for the upcoming HBO show The Nevers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,418 reviews
May 14, 2019
My Audible original selection for May 2019, this was a chilling and captivating story that I couldn't get enough of. Told through a series of telephone conversations and voicemails, a mother living in Delhi becomes increasingly concerned when her independent and career driven Indian -American daughter begins to be involved with a new man. Although Usha wants nothing more than her daughter, Pallvai to marry, an uneasy feeling begins to grow. Except everyone else thinks Usha is going crazy. Can she reach California before it's too late?
I almost didn't select this original but I am so glad I took the leap. The cast was great and I was actually frightened by this story. A great mother daughter relationship between the pages (script?)as well!
I almost didn't select this original but I am so glad I took the leap. The cast was great and I was actually frightened by this story. A great mother daughter relationship between the pages (script?)as well!
October 29, 2025
Excellent mother/daughter story.
It doesn't really tell you in the Audible Audio Original description but this is a graphic audio story with a full cast (Nick Choksi, Harsh Nayyar, Annapurna Sriram, Bernard White, & Rita Wolf).
I went into it thinking that it was a regular audiobook but I seriously regret nothing because even though this was only a few hours long, it was fantastic.
The entire story is told through phone conversations and voicemails, which you would think might be terribly annoying.
But no!
So good! Soooo good!
I'd already seen the movie (and loved it, btw!), so I was pretty thrilled to have accidentally stumbled onto this little gem as an Audible freebie.
The story starts out innocuously enough with a young woman in California being lovingly harassed by her mother who lives in Delhi to please take finding a husband seriously.
She's happy as she is, but (un)willingly goes to meet one of the many men her mother has found on matchmaking sites for coffee.
And while waiting in the coffeehouse for the guy her mom wants her to meet, she runs into the most wonderful man, and they begin a fairytale relationship.
But something about the relationship flips a switch in her mother, and she seems to be losing it. She doesn't trust this guy even though he is quite literally everything that someone could want in a son-in-law. He's rich, handsome, comes from an excellent family, and has fallen head over heels for their daughter.
She demands her daughter break it off, claiming to her husband that her abusive ex-boyfriend has been reincarnated in this new boyfriend.
Is she crazy? Did her past relationship break her mind?
Or is this the epitome of the sinister cycle of violence repeating itself?
Listen to it. You'll like the way this one ends.
It doesn't really tell you in the Audible Audio Original description but this is a graphic audio story with a full cast (Nick Choksi, Harsh Nayyar, Annapurna Sriram, Bernard White, & Rita Wolf).
I went into it thinking that it was a regular audiobook but I seriously regret nothing because even though this was only a few hours long, it was fantastic.
The entire story is told through phone conversations and voicemails, which you would think might be terribly annoying.
But no!
So good! Soooo good!
I'd already seen the movie (and loved it, btw!), so I was pretty thrilled to have accidentally stumbled onto this little gem as an Audible freebie.
The story starts out innocuously enough with a young woman in California being lovingly harassed by her mother who lives in Delhi to please take finding a husband seriously.
She's happy as she is, but (un)willingly goes to meet one of the many men her mother has found on matchmaking sites for coffee.
And while waiting in the coffeehouse for the guy her mom wants her to meet, she runs into the most wonderful man, and they begin a fairytale relationship.
But something about the relationship flips a switch in her mother, and she seems to be losing it. She doesn't trust this guy even though he is quite literally everything that someone could want in a son-in-law. He's rich, handsome, comes from an excellent family, and has fallen head over heels for their daughter.
She demands her daughter break it off, claiming to her husband that her abusive ex-boyfriend has been reincarnated in this new boyfriend.
Is she crazy? Did her past relationship break her mind?
Or is this the epitome of the sinister cycle of violence repeating itself?
Listen to it. You'll like the way this one ends.
May 20, 2019
Evil Eye is so creepy and captivating! I selected it as one of my monthly Amazon Original Audibles. It’s a short thriller dramatized in a series of phone call conversations and voicemails. This is the perfect execution for this story. The characters are fantastic. It’s a short audiobook, less than two hours, but at the end, you want more.
June 27, 2020
4.5-5 stars
A thriller play told completely in phone conversations and voicemails... To be honest, I didn't think this would work well. Nitpicky me listened to the sample clip and hated the beeping and standard ringtone the phones had especially when listening with a headache. The book was free Audible Original so I figured what did I have to lose? I love thrillers and never get the chance to read short ones anymore.
This experience blew me out of the water. The story didn't fully have me engaged in the beginning but it's a familiar story with the mother worried about her independent daughter being single at almost 30 and insisting the daughter go on dates and take the prospect of marriage seriously. The characters were likable so I kept listening and got completely sucked in soon enough. The thriller had me fully engaged especially when I found out it had a supernatural aspect to the story. If you're sensitive to abusive relationships and physical violence, then be careful with this choice as the audio makes it feel very realistic. If you think you can handle it then give this a listen. Definitely recommend to those listening for a short listen (1 hour and 38 minutes) and who like supernatural thrillers with a hint of romance.
Side note: My favorite character has to be the father as I feel I'm a lot like him. He is connected to every character and goes through all the emotions and thoughts that the reader will experience. Most of the comedic moments come from his parts too.
Completed The Reading Rush challenge of “read a book in the same spot” and "read a book with a nonhuman character."
A thriller play told completely in phone conversations and voicemails... To be honest, I didn't think this would work well. Nitpicky me listened to the sample clip and hated the beeping and standard ringtone the phones had especially when listening with a headache. The book was free Audible Original so I figured what did I have to lose? I love thrillers and never get the chance to read short ones anymore.
This experience blew me out of the water. The story didn't fully have me engaged in the beginning but it's a familiar story with the mother worried about her independent daughter being single at almost 30 and insisting the daughter go on dates and take the prospect of marriage seriously. The characters were likable so I kept listening and got completely sucked in soon enough. The thriller had me fully engaged especially when I found out it had a supernatural aspect to the story. If you're sensitive to abusive relationships and physical violence, then be careful with this choice as the audio makes it feel very realistic. If you think you can handle it then give this a listen. Definitely recommend to those listening for a short listen (1 hour and 38 minutes) and who like supernatural thrillers with a hint of romance.
Side note: My favorite character has to be the father as I feel I'm a lot like him. He is connected to every character and goes through all the emotions and thoughts that the reader will experience. Most of the comedic moments come from his parts too.
Completed The Reading Rush challenge of “read a book in the same spot” and "read a book with a nonhuman character."
October 9, 2023
Very short. Full cast. Fast paced. 👍 This thriller is narrated through voice message and phone calls. 🙃 Can’t say it was like edge of my seat or anything. But it was still an entertaining experience.
August 10, 2022
Now this is what I call an excellent audiobook. The narrators did their job well, especially the Indian-English which always elevates my mood. I liked that the plot was revealed by phone conversation, it really worked in this context.
June 9, 2019
This started out like a rom-com and ended up as a thriller. All of it was imaginative and entertaining.
June 15, 2023
4.50 ⭐️— A tension-filled experience, this modern take on karma and one’s past coming beck to — literary — haunt us, is told with pizzazz & a slow but furiously escalating tension, and pace that lives up the hopes of the reader with the pay-off!
Telling the story through a series of phone calls and voicemails, the gimmicky sounding format is actually used extremely well as a vessel for building tension, and is also utilised as a means to an end in the story which it ought tied the explosive conclusion off nicely.
A myriad of audible exclusives have been released in recent years, but — thus far — this has been my pick of the bunch! The author and narrators all do a superb job in ensuring this is a audible experience you simply CANNOT turn away from at any point past the first 5 chapters.
A must try — in my very humble and basic opinion — for anyone while enjoys a nice suspense novella that will have you on the edge of your seat. Sure, it has its obvious issues and challenges throughout him terms of believability, some far too simplistic & often overused dialogue in terms of characters being a little too over the top, basic & at times obvious. But once you buy-in, it’s hooks are well & truly entrenched in your psyche.
Telling the story through a series of phone calls and voicemails, the gimmicky sounding format is actually used extremely well as a vessel for building tension, and is also utilised as a means to an end in the story which it ought tied the explosive conclusion off nicely.
A myriad of audible exclusives have been released in recent years, but — thus far — this has been my pick of the bunch! The author and narrators all do a superb job in ensuring this is a audible experience you simply CANNOT turn away from at any point past the first 5 chapters.
A must try — in my very humble and basic opinion — for anyone while enjoys a nice suspense novella that will have you on the edge of your seat. Sure, it has its obvious issues and challenges throughout him terms of believability, some far too simplistic & often overused dialogue in terms of characters being a little too over the top, basic & at times obvious. But once you buy-in, it’s hooks are well & truly entrenched in your psyche.
May 20, 2022
A unique thriller told over a series of calls and messages that explores all the complicated mother daughter dynamics. Compelling voice performances that capture the anxiety and dread that come with trauma, doubt, and a desire to shield the ones we love. Engrossing and entertaining.
June 18, 2019
Sometimes the free Audible Originals produce absolute gems like this and Girls & Boys.
What a wonderfully unique audio experience.
The story is told in the form of back and forth telephone calls / voice messages between an Americanized daughter and her mother back in Delhi. The calls are initially what you would expect from an Indian mother with a daughter of a certain age.
Have you met any nice Indian boys?
Have you heard, your cousin got engaged to a doctor?
When am I getting grandchildren?
But the story takes a deliciously dark turn and very soon you realise this story is about much more than just a mother wanting her daughter settled with a man.
At under 2 hours you are going to want to listen to this in one go
What a wonderfully unique audio experience.
The story is told in the form of back and forth telephone calls / voice messages between an Americanized daughter and her mother back in Delhi. The calls are initially what you would expect from an Indian mother with a daughter of a certain age.
Have you met any nice Indian boys?
Have you heard, your cousin got engaged to a doctor?
When am I getting grandchildren?
But the story takes a deliciously dark turn and very soon you realise this story is about much more than just a mother wanting her daughter settled with a man.
At under 2 hours you are going to want to listen to this in one go
June 30, 2019
One hour and forty minutes of enjoyability. Got this from Audible as a monthly member's giveaway; I had no idea what it was about or where it was headed. Laughed at the beginning phone calls between mother and daughter but began to get irritated at the mother when it appeared the only way she would be happy is if she got to choose her daughter's husband. The back-and-forth between the two in phone calls is very well written and you're meant to get exasperated at the mother. The plot takes a sudden turn to creepy and I was all in at that point. Narrators did an outstanding job that enhanced the story.
Recommend this short story.
Recommend this short story.
July 19, 2019
Though this is not a long story, it's very entertaining and I liked the format of it being told in phone conversations. I would recommend it if you're looking for something you can listen to compulsively, perhaps on a road trip this summer:-) I would definitely be interested in anything else by this author in the future!
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
December 14, 2022
Incredibly unique in its structure, and downright chilling in its content and execution. This short story is genius, highly recommend to anyone with audible who has a couple hours to spare!
May 6, 2019
I loved this one. It was a fun, quick listen! I really liked all the narrators and I like how the music added to the overall effect of this story, especially towards the end! The story was fast paced and it was really like listening to a movie - very engaging and fun. I would definitely read more from this author.
July 29, 2019
Told through phone conversations, this short story is creepy and well written. The tension mounts little by little. At first, it's just an overbearing Indian mother pushing her almost 30 year old daughter to marry and quickly descends into a suspenseful tale. Is the mother losing it or is there something sinister at play. Very good!
May 3, 2019
This started off hilariously. I mean, most daughters know the pressure from their moms about getting married, especially to the Perfect Guy. 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, truly a great listen AND a great book in general!
June 16, 2022
It wasn't bad, it had it's suspense and somewhat heart-warming/touchy moment. Also represented past trauma in a interesting way.
However, to be honest, I don't really understand the hype it gotten. It didn't feel so memorable or different from other thrillers. A bit confusing at the end as well. I didn't connect too much with the characters. Perhaps if we had a bit longer time I would have.
But I'm glad I listened to it. The concept and how it was exicuted was interesting. Which makes it worth listening to at least once!
However, to be honest, I don't really understand the hype it gotten. It didn't feel so memorable or different from other thrillers. A bit confusing at the end as well. I didn't connect too much with the characters. Perhaps if we had a bit longer time I would have.
But I'm glad I listened to it. The concept and how it was exicuted was interesting. Which makes it worth listening to at least once!
April 22, 2022
This story was awesome. It was a little melodramatic, but it was fun and I love the fact that it was done in these short phone calls back and forth between mother, daughter, father, and potentially sinister boyfriend.
I loved the tie-ins and surprises and the audio performance was just so well done. It was a fun listen.
I loved the tie-ins and surprises and the audio performance was just so well done. It was a fun listen.
May 11, 2023
do you believe in karma? well you might after listening to this short but highly entertaining audible original.
normally shorts are lacking something but this one was the perfect length for the storyline.
also, very original and interesting using only phone conversations and voice-mail to tell the tale. bravo!
normally shorts are lacking something but this one was the perfect length for the storyline.
also, very original and interesting using only phone conversations and voice-mail to tell the tale. bravo!
May 18, 2019
I really enjoyed this and was fully immersed throughout. A quick listen in just under 2 hours, the story was different and interesting, and the narration was absolutely perfect. Evil Eye was written as a series of phone calls, which worked well on audio. I loved the Indian accents, so please let me know if you have any suggestion for other Indian audio titles.
And the best news, this is one of May’s free audible originals – go and download it now
And the best news, this is one of May’s free audible originals – go and download it now
May 4, 2019
I loved this. It really took advantage of the audio format. It is punctuated with a nearly perfect mix of humor and creepiness. It’s what The Turn of the Screw would have been like if the characters had access to cell phones
June 5, 2019
Holy smokes. That took a sharp turn to serious town quick.
July 1, 2019
4.5 stars
Yes, yes, yes! Loved the story, the format, the decidedly instantaneous 180 degree turn in energy and focus. It's a perfect little thriller for any afternoon.
Yes, yes, yes! Loved the story, the format, the decidedly instantaneous 180 degree turn in energy and focus. It's a perfect little thriller for any afternoon.
September 10, 2020
This short story was so good. Easily could’ve been made into a full novel! I wanted more time with all these characters.
June 2, 2025
This story made me feel sick to stomach! As a mother, this is a mother’s worst nightmare. My mother believes in reincarnation and this story made me want to go run and hug her. Although it’s a short story it packs a powerful punch (pun intended).
January 21, 2023
4.5 stars
April 14, 2022
This was an unusual story with an interesting conflict resolution centering women, which was such a nice breath of fresh air. Great message too. The voice actors are amazing and it’s really neat that it’s through phone calls and voice mails. Great stuff.
May 17, 2019
A great quick listen with an interesting format. Fast pace short story made better by excellent narrators.
July 26, 2021
Escalofriante 💯
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,418 reviews