''RAAZamatazz............................''. Review on Raaz

Tired of so called fun filled romantic films or blood boiling patrotic ones. Try Raaz for a change. In a time, when patriotism and family values may be the flavour of the season, director Vikram Bhatt has dared to be different and his boldness has paid.

Raaz, which is apparently inspired by Harrison Ford-Michelle Pfeiffer starrer 'What Lies Beneath' and Hitchcock’s eerie style goes like this:

Aditya (Dino Morea) and his wife Sanjna (Bipasha Basu) are a young couple whose marriage is in trouble.

Due to various reasons, the two find themselves on the brink of a divorce. In a bid to give their marriage one last chance, they decide to get to Ooty, the place where they fell in love.

Ooty experience, however, turns out to be an absolute nightmare. Their house in Ooty turns out to be haunted by the spirit of a girl named Malini (Malini Sharma) and the fact that only Sanjana can see drives a further wedge into their already deteriorating relationship.

This movie also stars Ashutosh Rana, as professor Agni, who is a half-way shaman with his own idiosyncratic opinions about the dark world.

As for the performances, Dino Moreo looks cool but needs to spend more time working on his expressions, than working out at the gym! Although this is Bipasha’s second film, she carries off this complex role with outstanding ease. She uses her eyes beautifully, and swings from one emotion to another adroitly. Only she needs to get a command over her dialogue delivery and voice modulation. Ashutosh Rana is excellent in a role that fits him like a glove. His expressions when he senses the spirit around him deserve a special mention. Malini Sharma has a tiny part, however she proves to be a natural as her impact is solid.

Mahesh Bhatt has convincingly spun a spooky yarn and Vikram Bhatt has further lent it a sinister edge with his directorial finesse. Rather than straightaway hopping onto the horror-filled chills and sequences, Vikram gradually builds up the suspense and uses special effects deftly to give the viewer the creeps.

Once again Nadeen-Shravan provide easy listening melodies which sound a little too familiar. Compared to other desi horror flicks this one actually attempts to make the viewer jump out of their skin - for a change. All in all, Raaz is certainly worth a watch...

I certainly give this one a stars outta five.