Jackie Shroff and Sharad Kelkar are heading into rural horror territory with Kaali Kheti, which has now locked its Indian theatrical release date.
The Hindi horror film will arrive in cinemas on October 23, 2026, with Jackie Shroff, Sharad Kelkar and Neha Sargam leading the cast. The release date was unveiled alongside a new poster that leans heavily into the film’s countryside setting and supernatural tone.
The film is written and directed by Haris Imtiyaz Khan and is being produced by Sana Khan under BlackCanvas Studio, with Zeroland Production also associated with the project. Virendra Saxena, Shaji Choudhary and child actor Spandan are among the supporting cast.
‘Kaali Kheti’ is building its horror around the land itself
The title gives away one of the film’s most interesting ideas.
Rather than placing its horror inside a city, mansion or familiar haunted-house setup, Kaali Kheti is set deep in the countryside, where family history, inherited land and long-buried secrets appear to drive the mystery. BookMyShow describes the movie as a rural horror story in which the land itself holds dark secrets and an unseen threat appears to exist beneath the soil.
That makes the agricultural setting more than background decoration.
Haris Imtiyaz Khan has described the project as an attempt to look at agriculture through the horror genre, using fear as a way of reflecting social realities. Plot details are still being deliberately held back, but the basic setup suggests that farming, legacy and the consequences of the past will all be central to the story.
The newly released poster supports that approach rather than explaining it. It shows a mysterious figure carrying a lantern, while Jackie Shroff promoted the film with the line:
“ROSHNI BUJHNE NA DENA, KHETI JAAGNE WALI HAI.”
The line roughly translates to: “Don’t let the light go out. The field is about to awaken.”
The film was originally announced simply as ‘Kheti’
There has also been a small but notable change since the project was first revealed.
When the film was announced in May 2026, it was introduced under the simpler title Kheti. The newer release-date announcement confirms that it is now being marketed as Kaali Kheti, a title that more directly signals its horror identity.
The change makes sense from a positioning standpoint.
“Kheti” alone suggests agriculture or rural drama, while “Kaali Kheti” immediately gives the phrase a darker connotation. With the filmmakers keeping the actual supernatural threat secret, the title itself now does more of the genre work.
October gives ‘Kaali Kheti’ an appropriately horror-heavy window
The October 23 release also places Kaali Kheti inside a busy festive-season theatrical calendar.
It is scheduled to arrive one week after Yami Gautam’s Nayyi Navelli and on the same date as several other Hindi releases including Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar and Tum Mere Ho.
For Kaali Kheti, however, the more important challenge may be establishing its identity quickly.
Hindi horror has increasingly expanded beyond conventional haunted-house stories into folklore, mythology and regional settings. A film built specifically around farmland, inheritance and rural fear has room to feel distinct if the mystery behind its title is strong enough.
For now, the makers are wisely not revealing what exactly has “awakened” in those fields.
Audiences will find out when Kaali Kheti releases in Indian cinemas on October 23, 2026.
