Ratings: 2*/5*
Horror movies are area in Marathi. I don’t even remember the last one I saw, perhaps it was A Paying Ghost. Now this week we have another release apart from Nagpur Adhiveshan , Bhootkal which is horror drama which will scare you and make your hair stand on end. While A Paying Ghost was a fun and touching story, this one is a total horror drama as they main characters explore the existence and life of the spirit. The lead charcters are played by Bhushan Pradhan and Hemang Kavi , Shashikant Gandhe, Kiran Navalkar,Namrata Javekar, Sanket Lavande . It is directed by Anil Waghamare.
The Plot : A bunch of youngsters explore the strange happenings in a house that has been abandoned for a long time. The movie is short mostly in the Konkan region of Maharashtra with the indegenuous beautiful locales and mysterious setting. The story begins as a bunch of students , on their excursion, visit an old dilapidated house in the Konkan region. Akshay is the person who takes his friends to this place which is his uncle’s property. The place is not getting sold as neighbours know of the strange occurrings in the house. Planning to convert this old house into a hotel, they meet with unexplained happenings that drive them crazy. The ongoing rumour is that the house is guarded by an evil spirit which is the real owner of the land. Akshay, being a staunch believer in science, questions all the rumours. But at a point even science seems to fail and all that is required is o revisit the past to unearth the mystery.
Analysis: Although there are not many horror flicks in Marathi, this particular formula for horror story has so often been tested and tried. The recent one one can remember is Amitabh Bachchan’s Bhootnath. Despite of good performances, the story does not create any excitement as this sounds and looks very clichéd. The script does not have any novel feel to it and we most of the happenings are a routine in any horror flick from Hollywood to Bollywood. There is total lack of creativity in the story. It looks as if the makers have made this film just for the sake making a horror movie.
The biggest posistive is the performance by the lead actor Bhushsan PRadhan whom we have seen delivering quality films in the recent past. He looks every bit the inquisitive college student who is ambitious and adventurous. Kudos to the other actors who have played their parts well. Hemangi Kavi is a fine actress. Shashikant Gandhe, Kiran Navalkar,Namrata Javekar, Sanket Lavande have also rendered good support.
The direction by Anil Waghamare is decent yet has scope for improvement here and there. Creating horror is indeed as difficult as making the audience laugh. In both the categories, Anil needs to make more efforts. The music and cinematography, the film is only average. Editing is done sharply.
The Last Verdict : Watch Bhootkal only if you are a fan of Bhushan Pradhan and if you love films which has a bunch of youngsters.
Ratings: 2*/5*
