Shaapit: The Cursed

When I first heard about Shaapit, I was a li'l thrilled as it was a "The Vikram Bhatt" movie. Vikram Bhatt established himself in the area film direction with his super hit Raaz, a movie which will always stand the test of time. After Raaz, Vikram Bhatt seemed to loose his roots. His style, though present in bits in pieces, lacked that finesse that was present in Raaz. 1920 did provide some promise but the end result was far from satisfying. Shaapit is a movie which shouldn't have been made, a waste of money. The essence of a horror movie is the build up of the core plot and most importantly a horrifying ghost/monster. The build up was OK but the monster really sucked. 3rd grade CG used in portraying the ghost. Secondly, the emotional part of the lover duo was extended without any purpose. There wasn't any chemistry present between them. No match for the Dino-Bipasha pair. Thirdly, horror content of the movie was very low. Shhh...Phir Koi Hai of Star One would have done better than this movie. The positives of the movie were the thought behind the movie which could have been netter executed. Implementation of CG in Hindi horror for the 1st time perhaps. Locales. And Aditya to some extent. As a horror movie fan and a small time critic, I really would like to convey 1 or 2 things to Sir Vikram Bhatt. A love story isn't necessary to be included in a horror movie. Just once watch movies like Jeepers Creepers, Nightmare on the Elm Street, Night of the Living Dead, Grudge, Ring and Silent Hill. These movies are unorthodox, innovative, gory, psychologically impacting and super hits. Can't we make movies like this??? Isn't the Indian audience ready & mature enough to experience another level of thrill??? Is there a dearth of ideas and courage to make such movies??? I would say NO. We can definitely make much better movies than these, horror movies in the real sense. And, you Vikram Bhatt definitely is one of those people who are capable of making such movies. As for summarising Shaapit, I think it should be skipped for some other task worthy of our time.

micky23

When I watched Vikram Bhatt's previous horror outing "1920" I thought man, this guy has got some style. It was like giving stiff competition to Ramgopal Verma. And with the same expectation levels if you happen to watch "Shaapit", the whole experience is so Ramsay Bros.

The writing is culprit, too many cinematic liberties. In terms of execution there are huge lapses. The love-track between the couple loaded with infatuation. One would expect an impact when Rahul Dev enters, sadly his character shapes up to blue-collar quack. The scary moments are glorified Ramsay's flick. The climax should have been trimmed to make it sleek. The period drama portion deserve special mention though.

The cat is out of the bag that Aditya Narayan has chosen unwisely. He lacks screen-presence. Shweta Agarwal barely has anything to contribute in second half. The chemistry between the pair is zero. Natasha Sinha apes Ila Arun. The performance of the priest who sets the curse in motion deserves special mention.

On a whole "Shaapit" barely escapes being classified a B-grade flick.

PS: Nearly forgot, I am enlightened that a few centuries ago even the royal blood had a penchant for item songs!

Shaapit was my first horror movie seen in a theater. and believe me, it justified the price paid for the ticket. Most of the theater was empty which added to the atmosphere. It may not be the best Vikram Bhatt horror flick but still has some good jump scares. I consider Vikram's Raaz as one of the best bollywood horror films.

the positives: spooky atmosphere, great story setting and build-up, a good mix of science, mythology and history, melodious music, some scary effects & BGM considering it was a low-budget film

the negatives: the cast was new except Rahul Dev so acting was a bit hit-n-miss, Aditya Narayan looked a little childish for the the part of hero but his efforts are worth appreciating, the CGI effects on ghost's design were cheesy

On the whole, a very entertaining fare from Bollywood horror veteran Vikram Bhatt

Vikram Bhatt is a terrific storyteller. Right from 'Gunegaar' to his last film '1920', his work has made me a fan of his, so watching 'Shaapit' was a must.

The story of a girl who is trapped in a generational curse, which does not allow her love & marriage and her lover who vows to conquer this curse. Will she come over the curse? 'Shaapit' is a fantastic idea, and so is Bhatt's direction. But the writing falters, especially in the second hour. The climax also is embarrassing and leaves no impact. Anyways, it has it's share of eerie moments, which leave a impact.

Aditya Narayan makes a fine debut. Plus, he's a good singer. Shweta also does a fine job. Rahul Dev is fantastic in a supporting role. Others are adequate.

'Shaapit' is an average watch, but it's worth a watch for Bhatt's terrific direction and Rahul Dev's fantastic performance.

I just watched this movie and I liked it. This movie is completely Indian one. Horror quotient is great. The story is quite good. But I think there should be more clarification given about the connection between the curse and the ghost.

They successfully created a spooky environment in this movie which I think very new to Hindi movies. I liked the professor concept also. They successfully make this character believable also. And they made a good balance between the love and horror. The direction, editing, sound and camera is great. I jumped a lot times in my chair during this movie.

Now what I don't liked: 1. design of the Ghost. They should have worked more on that.

2. The song ( I think we can call that item song ) sung before the prince, totally ruined the environment of the movie.

3. The last destruction scene of ghost. That was too childish.