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BHOOT - (Reviewed By Komal Nahta)

STARRING: Ajay Devgan, Urmila Matondkar, Nana Patekar, Rekha, Fardeen Khan, Victor Banerjee, Seema Biswas and Tanuja
DIRECTOR: Ram Gopal Verma
PRODUCER: Nitin Manmohan

RATING: 2/10

Dream Merchants Enterprise’s Bhoot (A), as the title suggests, is a horror film. But there’s a difference here. Unlike other films of this genre, the horror element is created more through sound effects and less through content and visual effects. In that sense, the film’s sound engineer, Dwarak Warrier, is as much the hero as its lead players viz. Ajay Devgan and Urmila Matondkar.

Writers Sameer Sharma and Lalit Marathe have succeeded in maintaining the element of fear in the first few reels but that tapers off as the film about a possessed woman progresses. In fact, once it is shown that the woman is possessed, the elements of fear and excitement quite vanish. Since there is no suspense angle (the viewer is told right in the beginning that the house is considered haunted), the fear factor in the story becomes minimal after a point of time. The writers should have made up for this by thinking up new ways of frightening the audience but unfortunately, that responsibility falls completely on the sound department.

While both, the sound effects and the background score, are incredibly superb, the question is: will an audience brought up on content-based fares be able to appreciate sound over story? The answer is ‘yes’ and ‘no’ – ‘yes’ for the city audience frequenting multiplexes mainly, and ‘no’ for the traditional audience in circuits like East Punjab, Bihar, Rajasthan as also in ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’ class centres.

The last couple of reels are not as exciting as the first half of the film if only because the audience does not get a feeling of fulfillment. And that’s due to the fact that the culprit in the drama is shown just ten minutes before he is meted out punishment. Therefore, the audience doesn’t have an aim to chase. While the first half has its share of frightening moments, the post-interval portion has very few of them.

Among the film’s other weak points are its repetitiveness (for example, showing the elevator go up and down in scene after scene, to no consequence; showing the hero going to and returning from office) and slow pace. Why the police inspector also behaves as if he is part of the ‘possessed’ drama is unexplained. Maybe, the writers and director wanted everyone to behave mysteriously in the film to go with the film’s mood but the investigating officer too?!? The track of the doctor’s daughter is a weak side-track and has no relevance to the story.

Ajay Devgan does splendidly well as the husband of the possessed woman. He plays his character with maturity and a rare understanding. Urmila Matondkar, as the possessed lady, is superb. Not once going overboard in a demanding and difficult role, Urmila delivers a performance that should win her plaudits. She also looks chic. Nana Patekar is alright as the police inspector. Rekha is effective. Fardeen Khan has a tiny role and is fair. Victor Banerjee makes his presence felt as the doctor. Tanuja is restrained. Seema Biswas does well. Sabir Masani is good as the watchman. Barkha Madan, Amar Talwar, Lalit Marathe and master Akshit lend good support.

Ramgopal Varma’s direction is very good but the same can’t be said of his choice of (a one-track) storyline, that too with such little content value. While the audience may enjoy getting frightened out of their wits during the film, many will get up at the end with a feeling of having been taken for a ride because, as mentioned earlier, the fear is born more out of sound effects and less out of incidents in the story. The more mature and elite audience (in cities) will be able to appreciate the ‘sound fear’ but the traditional audience, looking for content, will feel dissatisfied. Absence of songs will also have a double effect – while some would welcome it, the majority would resent it. Background score (Salim-Sulaiman) is extraordinary. Camerawork (Vishal Sinha) is superb. Action scenes (Allan Amin) are remarkable.

On the whole, Bhoot is, at best, a city film and one for multiplexes and good cinemas with excellent sound system. It has taken an extraordinary start in circuits like Bombay, Delhi-U.P., C.P. Berar and South, where it can be expected to sail safe or earn commission. But it may find the going tough in circuits like East Punjab, West Bengal, Bihar, C.I. and Rajasthan (although it must be said that the opening in Jaipur was outstanding; not so in Jodhpur), its reasonable price notwithstanding. For the producers, its reasonable cost would ensure a profit.

Released on 30-5-’03 at Eros, Maratha Mandir and 27 other cinemas of Bombay thru Raksha Distributors. Publicity & opening: excellent. .......Also released all over. Drop in collections was noticed in centres of Maharashtra, Gujarat, U.P. etc. in the 2nd/3rd show of the 1st day itself. At places, the drop was big!

. Buy Bhoot DVD From The RS Shop
. Buy Bhoot From The RS Shop

RELEASE DATE: 30th May 2003

REVIEWED BY KOMAL NAHTA