Knock Knock ? Whoz there? Bhoot. Review on Bhoot

I carefully avoided reading any review on this movie because I wanted to see this movie without any premonition in mind. I am a strict believer that one cannot enjoy a horror movie with any kind of premonition. Ram Gopal Verma is one of my favorite directors, and it was all the more reason for me to watch this movie. I was sure he wouldn’t make another movie like Raaz where the ghost warns before scaring you! I loved his previous experiment at horror – Raath, and with a superb star-cast, this movie seems to have it all. Does it really have it all? Read on.

WHAT IS 'FEAR' ?

After reading several (rather all) reviews here on MS which nonchalantly go on and on about the story of the movie, no one surprisingly explained the reason behind the movie. Horror movies are supposed to scare you. How does a good horror movie scare you? You see it yet you don’t know what to expect. It runs at the back of your mind what is going to happen next, yet you cannot predict at which moment it would happen. That sudden burst of music, that unexpected signal, that sudden chill – they are essential in making person get scared.

Fear is the key to any good horror movie. Fear is nothing but the feeling of not knowing something and the behavior of that unknown. Fear generates when something unexpected happens – something which the mind is not yet ready to accept. A good horror movie needs to scare its viewers with this unexpected, unknown. When something unexpected, unknown strikes you when you are least prepared for it, you are more likely to get scared and enjoy the feeling in a movie. A case in point – I told my brother over and over again that ‘The Ring’ was a horribly scary movie and probably one of the most scariest movies I’ve seen. The effect was, my brother was so well prepared for the movie that he couldn’t get scared nor enjoy the movie – simply because he was well prepared even for the unexpected.

That is itself the key to enjoying Bhoot. If you are already ready for the unexpected, already know when and where to get scared, then in most cases you will not get scared either because (i) you are already expecting the unexpected (ii) You have already presumed what will happen next. Unless you are un-prepared, there is no way to enjoy Bhoot, and more the reason why I didn’t rate, read or comment a single review on Bhoot at MS before seeing it.

BHOOT

For the very same reasons above I am not going to give away the story line. Suffice to say – A couple walks into 12th floor of a building and occupy. Strange things start happening to the hero’s wife after a few days. Slowly but surely something is going wrong with the heroine. She is hallucinating, dreaming, sleep-walking – something is going wrong somewhere. What happens to her – why is she behaving strangely? Is she possessed? Is there something wrong with the flat? What is it that is wrong? Well folks for this and all more, see the movie.

PERFORMANCES

Good performances are very necessary for such a movie to convey its effect. The movie is supported by some wonderful star-cast. Each and every actor and actress acts aptly, but it is Urmila’s show all the way. From the first scene where she is vibrant to her deteriorating condition, she is flawless all the way. She puts in a great performance and never goes over board in her acting performance. Must and Must I must say, she has given it all and comes out the winner. Ajay Devgan as Urmila’s Husband gives ample support and acts superbly. One of his best scenes is probably the reaction he shows when the Bai touches him on the balcony – the shrugged expression was just perfect, showing signs of great acting in that scene. Nana Patekar gives a great performance and so does the ever dependable Seema Biswas (I wonder if there is anyone who can be more convincing than her in any role given to her).

SOUND

Any good horror movie needs good sound to scare you. Or rather the lack of it to scare you. Bhoot does an excellent job of sound in the movie. The sound is used sparingly at the right moments. Ram Gopal Verma does a good job of using it properly in the movie.

DIRECTION

Ram Gopal Verma is certainly one of the best directors in Bollywood. For one thing he directs each movie with panache. This one too has all his typical Ramu Shots – The ground shots, the slant angle shots and the hurried shots – and he excels in each of them. Bhoot defies all norms of normal Hindi horror movies and goes a step beyond. The no use of songs make it only more enjoyable.

However the film is not without its share of flaws. One can’t help feeling of loads of ‘inspiration’ of Hollywood movies for this movie. Not one, but more than 3 movies form the inspiration for script for this movie – I did expect Ramu to be more original here. Also, there are cliché and repetitive scenes in the movie which don’t really add anything to the movie, but do manage to bore you. Add to that Ramu could have done with some more editing and perhaps a more thoughtful end to the movie. Several scenes in the movie have the all too famous old Hollywood movie background score – what it is, I leave it up to you to find out. Several actors are wasted in their roles.

FINALLY

All in all, Bhoot is a pretty decent entertainer. In fact, if you know nothing about the story or where to expect the unexpected, then you are probably going to enjoy the movie more. I have not given much information on movie for the same reasons. However if you have a weak heart, then definitely read all other reviews on MS! Forgive the cliché scenes, and I am sure you will sit up and take notice of this movie. With a running length of just 110 minutes, it is worth it.

Happy viewing!