Bhoot

Bhoot is one of the Ram Gopal Vermas milestone, and also the only good movie which is of genre horror and also a professional Bollywood film. Before Bhoot, the horror movies made in Bollywood were mostly will fit in comedy. Off course, other than Ramse movies, some serious tries were made like Ankahee and others. But they failed to get attention of the audience or to get good reviews and critics. Even Ramu's previous movies Raat and 'Darna Mana Hain' failed to get any attention.

So before watching Bhoot I have prepared for a movie which will scare you less and make you sleep more. But I was totally wrong. The movie doesn't have ghosts with painted faces, neither it has females wearing bare minimum clothes and throwing other people around like basketball, neither it has Mantriks with skull in their hands. It is a very simple low budget movie.

It is more comparable to Kaun than any other Bollywood horror movies you have seen. Most of the credit goes to the Director, and remaining to the actors, specially Urmila. Urmila is the main character and mostly the story revolves around her, and she fits there so well. Ajay and Nana were as usual at their best leaving us with nothing to curse for. Ajay a simple, middle class husband who is totally helpless and got no clue of what should be done, while Nana a 'Chakram' police inspector who has doubt that something weird is going on. These two characters too are plotted very well, and done with the same power by the actors.

Another good aspect is its short length. The movie starts quickly, without showing us any love story and song. A couple getting into a new apartment house, which is haunted, and the wife gets possessed by the ghost. Its just one line story.

The most important aspects of ghost stories is the environment making, and thats the most positive part of this movie. Just the sound of lift coming up and down makes so much of impact. I will recommend this movie to everyone, who enjoys Bollywood movies, and also to those who enjoys horror movies. In my opinion, this movies should go in "101 must watch Bollywood movies" as it is the only good horror movie made in Bollywood till date.

Ram Gopal Varma's Bhoot steps away from conventional Hindi cinema and stands as an outstanding piece of work.

All the actors perform perfectly, the camera work remains consistent and the music as well as the long silences hold the tension. With a quick ending that in context is perfect if a little rushed, the film remains a entertaining fantasy right till the end. Go watch this film and every other Ram Gopal Varma film as well... you wont regret it.

I went to see this movie expecting to find another dumb "chaitan" story. But found that this one is actually pretty darn good, even without qualifying it as a Hindi horror film.

Hindi horror films are awful. I am yet to see one that is really scary, and most of the time, when the *scary* part comes, my friends and I burst out in laughter. The make up leaves much to be desired and the story is always the same.

The story part is pretty much the same here too. This is not exactly a never-seen-before sort of storyline. However, other things make up for it. The movie completely belongs to the actors and the technicians, mainly the sound editor and the cinematographer. They have done away with grotesque make up and stuck to minimalistic approach, which is actually scarier.

The actors are brilliant. The have not given in to the urge that many Bollywood stars have, of going into the rhetoric by making loooong speeches and show extreme expressions. All the parts, except Urmila's and Rekha's have been portrayed very subtly. Urmila is pretty good, Ajay Devgan is very believable. Tanuja gives an excellent understated performance. Rekha is truly amazing. She manages to creep you out even more than the ghost in some scenes.

The one complaint I have, is that the movie loses some of its fear factor after the intermission. It just isn't that scary anymore. Also, there isn't any particular twist. However, there is one part which could have been the twist, but was downplayed. But on the whole, I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a good scare. The movie is not for people who see the same for stories.

Overall - 8 / 10

Not being a huge fan of horror films, and still smarting from my 'Jungle' experience, I began watching 'Bhoot' with some trepidation. 'Bhoot' translates to either 'ghost' or 'spirit', so right away, one knows the subject matter of the film. The title and its succinctness act as a caveat to the faint of heart.

The opening scene has an irritable young man, Vishal, searching, rather unsuccessfully, for rental accommodations in the company of an agent. The broker has shown him several less than satisfactory apartments, and the young man's patience is wearing thin. He points to a towering high- rise building nearby and says, 'That looks like a fine building! Do you have an apartment available there?' We pick up on the broker's nervousness as he responds, 'Actually, yes. But you wouldn't want it.' Vishal insists on seeing the twelfth-floor apartment, which turns out to be huge, even palatial by Mumbai (Bombay) standards, and he cannot understand why the place is still unoccupied. Such an apartment would be snapped up in moments. The broker hesitantly tells him that the previous occupant of the apartment had fallen-or jumped-to her death from the balcony. The pragmatic Vishal retorts that practically all dwellings must have had someone die in them at one time or another, and proceeds to finalize the rental deal. He then moves in with his perky young wife, Swati. With their furniture and belongings, the empty, echoing apartment gets transformed into a comfortable home.

Vishal is a stockbroker, and Swati, a stay-at-home housewife. We gather that they have not been married long; they are playful and romantic, still in the honeymoon phase of marriage. They inherit the previous occupant's maid, so apart from some grocery shopping, there isn't much for Swati to do while she waits for Vishal to return home from work. She sits in front of the TV and channel-surfs distractedly to pass the time.

One such day, the belligerent watchman of the building sneaks into the apartment without knocking and startles her. Swati and Vishal complain to the chairman of the building council, who also happens to be their next-door neighbor. Decrying the lack of good help, the neighbor says there's nothing he can do. As the watchman is a witness in the police investigation of the previous occupant's death, they cannot very well get rid of him. This disclosure comes as a complete surprise to Swati, as Vishal has withheld from her the details of the circumstances in which he came by their new apartment.

Ram Gopal Varma has always been a favourite, and Bhoot is his most intense attempt at horror. I was previously blown away by his little tiny piece "Kaun?", and expected to see something intriguing this time as well. I was not disappointed. The film is interesting and captivating and it flows brilliantly. What I particularly appreciated about it is the lack of simplification, which sets it aside from all the mindless horror films which have no purpose or reason, and you will discover it towards the end. However, I would still not call Bhoot a horror film - because it wasn't really scary. I think it is best described as a very effective and chilling suspense thriller. Cinematography, background score, editing are aspects which contribute to it very well. Urmila Matondkar plays Swati, a ghost-possessed woman whose husband does not know what to do to save her. Matondkar is indescribably brilliant - this is one of the most difficult roles to play and somehow Matondkar seems to do it with total ease and unsettling intensity. This is an exceptional impulsive performance. Ajay Devgan is very believable as the helpless Vishal who loves his life but is also quite terrified of her. Devgan displays both fear, worry, love and concern convincingly. The film has many appearances by different famous actors, most of whom are portrayed as somewhat emotionally disturbed. Seema Biswas is wonderful as the strange, shady and very disturbing housemaid. Rekha is also fantastic as the mysterious exorcist. Other cast members, including Nana Patekar, Victor Banerjee and Tanuja, are great, while Fardeen Khan is unfortunately not up to the mark. Do watch Bhoot. Regardless of how scared you may or may not be, it is an entertaining picture.