Raaz: The Mystery Continues

Well, you are bound to raise the expectations bar high if you tag it as a sequel to one of the highest grosser of 2002. While the former was a rip-off of an Hollywood movie, the writing/ story in the sequel seems to be an original piece of work - barring the few scenes which are heavily borrowed from famous horror movies.

Emraan Hashmi:: Reprises his "Awaarapan" role. Look is copied from "Iron Man". But safely to say, he is confident.

Kangana:: This lass is getting better as each movie passes by. One gets to feel, she has yet again done a bit of Fashion in here too. And yes, her choice of costumes is indeed commendable.

Adhyayan Suman:: Confident for a new-comer and perhaps can polish his skills as he goes along.

Jackie Shroff:: Was good for his part however better writing was warranted to make his track integrate seamlessly with the plot.

When the Raaz unfurls, you feel a bit letdown. So is the father-son relationship which is quite Bollywoodish. I never the got the logic of linking this movie to Raaz - could have been a stand-alone in its own right.

Happened to watch back-to-back with "1920" and felt the latter a few notches above.

The movie has an enticing beginning on a dark night with a gruesome surprise that cuts rapidly to join the bustling present of the heroine's unsuspecting and usual complicated life in Mumbai. 'Nandita' (Kangna Ranaut) is an established model in love with a reality news show anchor 'Yash' (Adhyayan Suman). The movie opens with the two uniting where they left off and both characters on a professional upswing. Suddenly, a brooding and determined painter, 'Pritvi' (Emraan Hashmi), emerges from the shadows to follow Nandita around. In their first meeting in an elevator he gives her a succinct summary of why he has been drawn into her life against his wishes. Prithvi counsels her that he thought that he had painted his masterpiece - the face of a woman who he thought didn't exist when suddenly he realizes that she exists and has a life of her own. To further complicate matters he can see her dangerous future unfold. The movie now erupts into a sharp ride of Prithvi trying to save the hapless Nandita from near certain death as well as disbelief from her doting boyfriend - Yash, a firm non-believer of the paranormal. Emraan is actually quite balanced in his performance and seems completely sincere and free of any melodrama. Kangna is well cast in the character though her dialog delivery lacks punch and is often limp. Wardrobe and styling are mostly good. Nandita (Kangna) must journey to the source of her troubles with the help of the mysterious painter - Pritvi, who seems to rescue her each time from certain death. Adhyayan could be better in his debut, with his dance steps seeming ill choreographed, his protestations of love seeming a little too maudlin and only his performance in the climax showing any real spark. The movie certainly had the audience riveted and on the edge of their seats, however, could have done without at least one song and a stronger portrayal of the boyfriend in Adhyayan. Worth special mention are the scenes where Nandita has her first tryst with the strange force that nearly kills her in her bath and a dream flash that has Prithvi incorrectly imagining her being mowed down by a truck, realizing the error and then actually seeing her at the exact same place. Towards the climax is an interesting special appearance and a lamentable explanation of Prithvi and Nandita's connection to each other. All in all, this will certainly spook you if you watch this at night and go home alone to your apartment! The scenes of self torture and the attempts to depict Indian occult practices are scary though brief.

This film begins with a fashion model by the name of "Nandita Chopra" (Kangana Ranaut) having just completed a show and subsequently being invited to a party afterward. It's during this time that she receives a call from her former boyfriend "Yash Dayal" (Adhyayan Suman) inviting her to an awards ceremony that is taking place for which he is being considered as a possible winner for a news segment that he filmed previously. She reluctantly accepts and it's during this time that the two of them get back together again. Not coincidentally, it's also during this time that she begins experiencing hallucinations and discovers that a strange young man named "Prithvi Singh" (Emraan Hashmi) has begun stalking her for reasons yet to be revealed. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film started out great but began to fizzle toward the end before totally collapsing in the final few minutes. As far as the actors were concerned, I thought Emraan Hashmi and Nandita Chopra performed adequately enough but neither were superior to Bipasha Basu or Dino Morea in the previous film. That being said, while this certainly wasn't a bad horror film by any means, I didn't think it rose to the same standard as its predecessor and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.

The first half of this movie was acceptable. Credit goes to Emraan Hashmi. The second half was abysmal to say the least. The theatre was packed. If it wasn't for Emraan Hashmi's brilliant performance & entry, I would certainly have left the theatre during the interval. The beginning of the film was somewhat bizarre. I kept on watching expecting explanations for what I just witnessed. As the plot unfolds, you realise that this movie is balderdash. The script was absolutely weak. This is a horror film and I was laughing. That isn't a good sign. Kangana Ranaut's acting skills were good. Adhyayan Suman is abominable as Kangana Ranaut's boyfriend/lover. He should quit acting altogether or at least improve his acting knowledge by joining 'ACTOR PREPARES'. His dancing was beyond ridiculous. The climax of this film was hilarious, especially Jackie Shroff's entry. This film is one to avoid at all costs. Only go to watch this film to witness Emraan Hashmi's revitalising performance. He's the anchor that saves this film from drowning.

Bonne chance.

The cinematography was the best part of this film...The lighting and photography was brilliant! Also, some of the angles had a very frightening and mysterious feel to it. The direction and story was also unique.Yes, this was overall a well made film but it could have been so much more! A few unnecessary scenes slowed the pace down a bit. The director attempted some cliché gags to frighten the audience. Sometimes it gave me the "been there done that" feel. The acting in the film was OK. Emraan in my opinion, was the best. Adhyayan Suman and Kangana Ranaut were OK. One thing I don't understand is, what was the need of the random English dialogues? That made things a bit less believable. The film was also a bit melodramatic...But it was a good movie overall.