भूत

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

When "Raatri" ("Raat" in Hindi, 1992) bombed at box-office I am sure Mr. Varma uttered "Yaad rakhunga, tujhe yaad rakhunga!". Exactly a decade later he changes a few components of the original, re-brands and sells it under the packaging of "Bhoot", and guess what it works. RGV must have smiled and thought to himself "Revenge is a dish, best served cold".

Urmila:: This movie would not have worked without her and no questions to that. She put her heart and soul to breathe life into the Bhoot (paradoxical statement aye). This was the last full-fledged outing with Varma.

Ajay:: Was his usual self.

Rekha:: In the original, this role was assessed by Om Puri. Rekha added a novelty value to the role. Plus it would go down the history of cinema as collaboration of Rekha & RGV.

Nana Patekar:: He adds his own quirkiness to the character.

As usual RGV has played by the unconventional rules resulting in weird camera angles and long drawn shots. I particularly liked the way he toyed by building up momentum and not scaring the audience at the usual places. Instead he catches you off-guard at unusual and unexpected spots. Background music is engaging and adds to the thrill.

If you haven't watched "Raat/ Raatri", you will certainly love "Bhoot" (perhaps the only decent horror RGV made and a successful one!).

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.

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.

This movie definitely has a very creepy setting. What works on you is that its not a haunted mansion setting, but a local apartment in Mumbai, one which you could be renting right now. Add some creepy looking doll and eerie music, you're most likely going to grab the next person sitting next to you and cry to be released. But! this intense thriller, horror remains only in the first half of the movie. The second half, although I'm not going to make any specific remarks, ( want you to find out for yourself) tries to remake some of the earlier Hollywood movies and it sort of takes your attention off of the whole movie. That's when the movie's originality begins to slide and fail.

They should have done something different, but most horror genres have this habit of screwing up some portion of the movie. But let me warn you, this movie is certainly NOT for kids. If you cannot withstand watching supernatural horror, please don't watch this one, it might really grip you tight for a few weeks, or even months maybe!