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BHOOT
** out of ****
Starring Urmilla Matondkar, Ajay Devgan, Rekha, Nana Patekar, Seema Biswas, Victor Banerjee, Fardeen Khan, and Tanuja
Directed by Ram Gopal Varma
Released on May 30th, 2003
Ram Gopal Varma heads a new wave of directors in India who are brave enough to venture far from the formulaic demands of producers, and deliver something original. From the beginning of his career, his effort to create and experiment has always been evident, be it the movie-within-the-movie gimmick in Rangeela or the ground-breaking realism in 1998’s Satya. In Bhoot, he attempts to fashion a spooky horror film - sans songs - and scare Hindi film audiences across the world into submission. In doing so, he has assembled a solid cast and a technically proficient crew to make sure his film will set the standard for this shaky genre in Hindi film. The result? Um…
Bhoot tells the story of Vishal (Ajay Devgan) and Swati (Urmilla), a modern couple who purchase a high-rise Mumbai flat. Although Vishal learns of the disturbing history that played out in the home, he neglects to tell his wife, fearful of her reaction. As they settle into this new home, Swati begins to feel increasingly uncomfortable, suddenly aware of another presence, something sinister. Vishal dismisses her early claims of visions and apparitions of a bhoot, but as Swati spirals into madness, he begins to assemble as many professionals as he can, even supernatural authorities, to drive out whatever resides within his wife.
For one, Varma is to be lauded for his condemnation of the “tried and tested†formula. He has fashioned a film without ill-placed songs, irritating comedy tracks and other gimmicky approaches that filmmakers employ to pack the audiences in. Moreover, he has tackled the scary movie decently; this production is a much superior effort than childish throwaways like Raaz or Koi Hai. However, Bhoot still ends up as a tremendous disappointment, something that could have been so much better.
For one, the story is far from original. I expected much more from Varma than to create a rip-off of The Exorcist and What Lies Beneath. If you have seen either of those films, then you will find Bhoot decidedly lackluster in virtually every aspect. Although Varma attempts to divert from this familiar formula, the overall attempt still fails to engage the viewer. Just because the masses in India have not seen these Hollywood films does not make it all right to simply copy the stories. Yes, Bhoot is not a direct swindle of the material, but it is still lacking overall.
Copying Hollywood is not the only problem. Although the first half is decent enough, Varma completely loses the reins in the post-interval proceedings. Characters come and go, introductions are made in the last five minutes, and the conclusion is wholly unsatisfying. I was even more disappointed because the explanation for the bhoot’s existence was so predictable, I had guessed it in the first fifteen minutes of the film. Even if you are excited by the scares in the first half (which at times are quite solid), you will be immensely let down by the second half.
The acting bag of Bhoot is mixed. As Swati, Urmilla takes on what is the most challenging role of her career as of yet. However, her performance is difficult to judge, as she’s really playing two characters. Although she is solid as Swati, she overacts horribly in the second half when possessed by the bhoot. It’s just not convincing in the slightest; Varma really should have kept her more in check. Ajay Devgan doesn’t have too much to do, but he’s solid as usual. Other than these two, the rest of the cast listing is a bit of a joke. Every single one of them are restricted to cameo-length roles. Of them, only Nana Patekar stands out. His delivery of one line, the film’s only laugh, is excellent; I burst out laughing. Rekha is solidly spooky as the witch doctor, while Fardeen Khan… ahem…. well, we love Fardeen.
The scares of Bhoot are only at times effective, and a lot of that has to do with the film’s sound effects design and background score. Unsurprisingly, the best scares come right after long periods of silence, but too often, Varma cranks up the sound to let us know when a fright is on its way. The musical score is laughably bad, complete with painful groans and moans; rather than shaking in your seat from fear, you’ll be convulsing from laughter like I was. These obviously detract from any scares you might have during the screening of Bhoot.
To state Bhoot was a disappointment is an understatement. I wished Varma had not gone the obvious route and done something new with this material. He definitely had the right intentions in mind, but somewhere along the way, he resorted to copying other films and resorting to cliché after cliché. I hope India’s next ghost story takes a stab (forgive the pun) at a little more originality. In a time where producers are blatantly resorting to remakes, we really need it.
Edited By kamran on 1060712762
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