Darna Zaroori Hai

Darna Zaroori Hai is one of the few Indian Movies that are made in this genre -that is horror-and considering that alone, I think we all ought to give it some credit for this venture. Prod/Dir Ram Gopal Verma proves once again that he can not only pick up unusual stories but also portray them well.

Based on the same format as its predecessor, Darna Mana Hai, Darna Zaroori Hai Has got six stories-one in the beginning (not related to the plot) and five others which an old hag narrates to five unlucky children which are caught inside the woman's mansion due to heavy rain and storm. And then there's one main story; that of the old woman and the five kids which binds the movie together.

All the stories have there own charm. Some are good, others are even better. Apart from sticking to the creepy theme, they portray their individual meaning.

There have been several improvements in the sequel technically as well. The film has been shot most beautifully, the direction being pretty good. The special effects put now and then into the scenes are also surprisingly slick for an Indian film and completely enhance the ghostly setting. There is also quite a huge star cast in the film with most actors acting very well. The Audio effects remain typical for a horror flick and help you immerse deeper into the feel of the movie.

All good said, I would want to add that although Darna Zaroori hai is still a stunning accomplishment with what it does do, there are many finer points in the film that remain half baked deteriorating what could have been a most thrilling horror film. The main story has no depth and is absolutely typical in its very root. The short stories are all good but in one or two cases you may have wanted the ending to be more climactic then what happens eventually, even though the setting for the climax has in all cases been done most proficiently. The pace is quite astonishingly managed in the first half of the film but begins to twitch severely in the latter half. All this leaves you thinking that if only this could have happened like this, it would have been perfect.

In the end, let may say it comparatively: that although not as polished as Ram Gopal's excellent horror thriller "Bhoot", Darna Zaroori hai still makes on my "good-movie" list. It is definitely better then its prequel.

I give it a 6/10 (Good).

As i said five kids are there who go into the forest for the purpose of trekking. But then clouds gather up and they get stuck and deciding not to go back they enter a nearby cottage. Over there they meet an old lady who tells them 5 horror stories.One about a Professor then one about a family man then one about a man whose car breaks down and then one about a film director. I think Ram Gopal Verma is following the footsteps of Ramsay Brothers, but his horror flicks are subdued and still thrilling. You just cant predict what when and how something will happen. Kudos to Verma. Not an excellent movie but the thick star cast and thrilling antics can still manage to lure you into the movie theatre. All in all, not that bad. Go watch it!

Film Factory deteriorates

Picture this – there was this small time thela who used to sell pav-bhaji's and its taste was second to none. Due to popularity business expanded and now its an restaurant. You still go there but sadly the taste is clearly missing. That's the analogy of RGV and Film Factory.

The prequel 6-segment Darna Zaroori Hain was an unexplored area, no film-maker dared to risk, which should be lauded. Not exceptionally well, but it had its moments. Darna Zaroori Hain takes one level up – six different directors, one for each segment (Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez can do we, should we be left behind?). Well intended thought – however the result falls flat.

Segment One: Manoj Pahwa's shouts and overacts. Clearly the segment director is a rookie. Probably the most irritating segment. And why reference to Darna Mana Hain?

Segment Two: "THE" most anticipated for obvious reasons. Clearly Ramu is not committed…. "and...." he doesn't care! Big B is wasted. At the bare minimum, a better plot could have been chosen.

Segment Three: Proper utilisation of resources - Arjun Rampal, Makrand & Bipasha. Well executed but bears resemblance a segment from the prequel.

Segment Four: The insurance agent segment is the number one… from bottom though. The talent of all the actors are washed down the drain. For starter - the basic premise is flawed

Segment Five: The Anil Kapoor and Mallika segment is done well – though gives away the suspense in between. Nevertheless, it is good. And Karan Johar/ Aditya Chopra leaves a bad taste.

Segment Six: Cleverly the pudding is saved for the last. The best of all the segments and whoever the director is – had spent sleepless nights, brainstorming over the plot and its execution. Its does carry RGV style. Randeep Hooda and Zakir Hussain are simply superb. Watch out for the scene where Zakir Hussain imitates the killer – awesome.

The last segment which binds all the stories together is similar to the prequel except that its replaced with kids. The kids surely must be watching a lot of horror TV shows/ movies – for their act very well. And all the granny's are not goody-goody, beware Little Red Riding Hood.

The segment directors have not done workshops together. There is loss of continuity between the segments, clearly the common vision is missing (which wasn't the case in the prequel owing to a single director).

On a final note, we respect Ramu's penchant for horror flicks... time and he again he has refused to beaten off in horror genre, though not as successful as his core competence - underworld.

Watch only when aired on the telly.

Darna Zaroori Hai proves to be the same as Darna Mana Hai...even the suspense in the stories is similar..one more thing is that the movie appears to be a little old as most of the child actors have grown up now..we see Shweta Prasad who also played a major role in Iqbal recently..the child actors from Koi Mil Gaya and Raju Chacha are also there..it seems Ram Gopal Varma put the discarded stories of Darna Mana Hai in this one...still the movie is worth a watch. watch out for the Amitabh Bacchan story as its a real shocker..overall good acting performances by all actors even though their roles were minuscule. lets hope we see more movies of this type in the future.

This movie actually did scare me at some points. There are 6 different horror stories that aren't connected, but each one is a new opportunity to get scared. From an overarching plot point perspective, I'd say it's fairly predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless.