Recent horror films churned out by Bollywood
follow certain prerequisites – sex, love story, lip-sync songs, item numbers, and
unfathomable twists among many others. These films end up being accepted by the
audiences and collect great box-office returns. Surprisingly and to an extent,
thankfully Suparn Verma’s ‘Aatma’ comprises none of the above, and yet manages
to be more effective than any of those films, which do consist of the aforementioned prerequisites.
‘Aatma’ relies purely on the content and, to a
large extent, succeeds owing to clever storytelling, astute direction and
remarkable performances.
The plot of the film is quite simple and
linear. Maya Verma (Bipasha Basu) keeps her daughter Nia (Doyel Dhawan) in the
dark about her husband and the girl’s father, Abhay Verma’s (Nawazuddin
Siddiqui) abusive behaviour and untimely death. It is when strange incidents
start occurring in Nia’s life (Nia’s classmate and teacher die in mysterious
circumstances) that Maya begins to get worried. Soon, she discovers that her
daughter has been talking to someone (whom she claims is her father), not
visible to anyone else. Her fears come true when she realizes that it’s Abhay’s
‘Aatma’ that’s haunting them and that the maverick wants to take Nia back with
him.
The story of the film is very new so far as
this particular genre is concerned. It takes the bold step of doing away with
typical commercial cinema innuendos and keeps most aspects of the film
(screenplay, dialogues, art direction, cinematography, acting etc.) subtle and
realistic. There are a couple of scenes in the film, such as the entire sorcerer
angle with the religious connection, which seem a bit out-of-place. However,
the film manages to do away with most clichés and ends up becoming a compelling
watch. The cinematography (Sophie
Winqvist) deserves special mention for incorporating the bluish-gray colour tone and imbibing it so wonderfully with the screenplay. Even the
background score by Hitesh Sonik accentuates the thrill-factor of the film. As
far as the performances go, Bipasha Basu delivers her career-best performance
as the helpless mother coping with an abusive relationship, a long-kept secret
and the impending loss of her only child. Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Doyel Dhawan
too, deliver first-rate performances. Among the supporting cast, Shernaz Patel
stands out. Suparn Verma has dared to try something different from the norm. Kudos to the director for this brave
and largely successful attempt!
The film is
more intriguing than terrifying. Either way, you should watch it!
Shivom Oza
great stuff! a different horror movie.. its a must watch..I just love how the Aaja Nindiya tune plays in the background of the movie..that tune is soooo scarrrrrry!
ReplyDeleteAmazing film! very different film.. must watch!! I just love the title track - aaja nindiya.. good sound effects too.. appropriately done!
ReplyDeletei saw this movie over the weekend at wave cinema. i thought it would be a scary n spooky movie. but it was a big disappointment. Bipasha really needs to prove her acting abilities now. Bored to see her in the same roles again n again.
ReplyDeleteworst horror movie....it's a horror cum comedy movie...
ReplyDelete