May 30, 2016 12:04 PM
2018 Views
Pavan Kriplani’s Phobia has all the elements of a racy thriller - surprise, fear, mystery and shock. What it doesn’t have is the background music and actors preparing you for a surprise. In Phobia, the unexpected does happen. And, the film wouldn’t have been the same were it not for Radhika Apte’s powerful performance that will give you goosebumps.
The protagonist, Mehek Deo, is an artist who has Agoraphobia, an irrational fear of open spaces, and spends months inside her house before moving to a new one. Sexual assault at the hands of a cab driver triggered her condition. Even as she fights her fear, she starts hallucinating that the previous occupant of her flat was murdered and was seeking help.
Despite the element of horror, director Pavan Kriplani manages to keep the supernatural, religious drama at bay and opts for a psychological mayhem that makes for an impressive viewing experience.Her angry conversations with her male friend are aimed at the patriarchal society that takes pride in “protecting” the woman and keeping her confined to home. The fear of open spaces is as much about the sexual assault as it is about men preying upon women.
