Let’s not talk too much about the story. For, revealing its narrative in details will subside the interest you may have in you to see it in a cinema. Let’s discuss it in short. In a Mumbai skyscraper, a flat on the top floor was lying vacant since some time, as a woman called Manjeet (Barkha Madan) had died after she fell off from the balcony. A professional and non-superstitious Vishal (Ajay Devgan) wholeheartedly rents it out for himself to live in there with wife Swati (Urmila Matondkar). But little did he know and hardly did he believe that something called ghost is more than an illusion. Until, off course, his family is actually entrapped in…

Bhoot is too good to accept as a Hindi film. Of the four locations it has, three are seen just randomly. And you won’t wish to have all those scenic foreign locations Hindi film use to work as crowd pullers. The narrative is so simple yet striking that after first five minutes or so; you will not be able to put your mind to work in something else than the movie. And it is the style that makes it so gripping.

The pace is comparatively slow and happenings are scattered. Still, this around two hour movie keeps on moving so well that, ‘be scared and enjoy’ will be the mantra the viewer will live. Writers Sameer Sharma and Lalit Marathe have written small and simple dialogues. No character is seen speaking aimlessly and it is like a fresh experience of its kind. Their screenplay too is quite imaginative. The other asset is sound designed by Dwarak Warrier. His work is one of the main forces behind all spine-chilling moments that keep on hitting till the end. From irritating doorbell to falling utensil and from lift’s annoying noise to sound of heavy rain, he has used lots of things creatively to let you miss your heartbeats.

Once Vishal and Swati get settled in their new house, things start moving and from a watchman (Sabir Masani) to inspector Liyaqat Qareshi (Nana Patekar) to Dr. Rajan (Victor Banerjee) and Sarita (Rekha) and Mrs. Khosla (Tanuja), all characters are introduced just when they are actually required. Imagine stars are cut to the size of the film’s demand and you can say this never happens in Bollywood. Bhoot breaks this rule overwhelmingly and with authority. That’s why; Sanjay (Fardeen Khan) is introduced in the climax moments, though his reference comes much earlier.

Being intellectuals and educated people, we may not like to accept the existence of ghosts. Varma’s own grinning note in the beginning makes it clear his work does not mean he believes in such things. But when you will see Bhoot for around two hours in a blackened cinema with hi decibel sound system, you will have no choice but to accept ghosts and their existence. So much so that your jokes and comments for the time being, after seeing the movie, will revolve around ghosts.

There are some weaknesses that needed to be mentioned. Varma has shown elevator scenes many times (style courtesy Alfred Hitchcock?) but has failed to make it useful or live as a character. The film ends faster than expectations and in an attempt to keep the movie compact, the director has actually ended the show little hastily. The inspector’s character, which is the only one of its kind that brings in few lighter moments, is not as sensible as it could have been.

Technically, Bhoot is too good. Vishal Sinha’s cinematography matches mood of each frame while Shimit Amin’s editing keeps the movie flowing till the end. Art by Priya Raghunath is realistic. Hufeeza Lokhandwala’s visual effects add power to sequences where it is used. It is Salim-Sulaiman’s background score that makes everything scarier than you can digest.

Performancewise, Ajay Devgan excels in a role that is conceived well. He is remarkable in the second half. Urmila Matondkar is so good that your heart will go with her throughout. She looks real, acts as real and steals the show. Nana Patekar lives up to his image and delivers a watchable act. Victor Banerjee does justice to his character. Seema Biswas enlivens her role. She has hardly got some dialogues to speak but that makes no difference to this able actress’ performance. Rekha makes her presence felt just with the help of her eyes. Tanuja and Fardeen Khan lend able support.

Bhoot belongs to Varma more than anyone else. He has once again proved that he is a director who can handle any subject as honestly as you can expect. Bhoot is a no nonsense film with lots of scaring moments. You must go and enjoy this film because Hindi films are rarely made in such a way. Get scared, go and see Bhoot.

Courtesy : nowrunning.com