BHOOT RETURNS

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Ram Gopal Varma’s(RGV) tryst with the horror genre continues and it is the hapless cine-goer who has to bear the burnt of his senseless torture. What started off from Bhoot(which was by the way a decent watch) has over the years traveled through some depressingly bad movies and come all the way to Bhoot Returns which is in many ways is his weakest and worst horror film. I am utterly and totally unable to understand what makes a master storyteller like RGV, who in many ways changed the face of Indian cinema, even pick up a plot as thin as this one and think of making a film out of it let alone its execution. Bhoot Returns works like a remake of Phoonk 2 but doesn’t even have half of its spook or meat in the storyline.

Tarun(J D Chakravarti), Namrata(a haggard looking Manisha Koirala), Alyana Sharma(Nimmi) their little kid, move into a Bungalow which has been rented out on an unexpectedly low rent. After the initial apprehension from Namrata, the family blends in well but soon Nimmi starts communicating with an imaginary friend Shabbo and things start going awry. The proceeding gets worse when Pooja(Madhu Shalini), Tarun’s sister, installs spy cams all across their home(a la Paranormal Activity stunt) and finds Nimmi communicating with a shadowy figure which they take as a spirit. The film ends with the family loosing their son and the father having to take the toughest decision of his life.

The biggest problem with Bhoot Returns lies in the fact that it is baseless.It has absolutely nothing to do with its predecessor and the title is just a gimmick to get in the crowds who might have liked Bhoot in the first place. There is no development of the characters. We neither care for them nor are we interested in their lives and this very fact sounds the death nail in the coffin for the  movie. The movie doesn’t give any insight into the spirit that is stalking the house hold neither is the ending convincing. There are loads of unanswered question left in the end. I guess they are better left unanswered. The cinematography again leaves a lot to be desired. The crazy camera angles and dark sequences may have your breath for a moment or two but it soon liquidates as the story spills the beans and not the good ones. The 3D is used as another unnecessary gimmick. I mean other than the cast and credit, where is the need for the third dimension in a movie which is so shallow in every dimension.  Watching Bhoot Returns in 3D is like adding an extra dimension of torture to the existing two dimensions.

The ensemble cast has very little to do rather than lurk in a dark and large bungalow in the middle of the night. J D Chakravarti and Manisha are believable. Manisha’s performance however turns irritating as the story progresses. Madhu Shalini shows off her legs and the pretty face but has very little to do. RGV doesn’t miss his trademark leg shot of a lass(remember Nishabd, James, …etc etc etc). Alyana Sharma is ok.

Bhoot Returns is a tedious watch even with its short runtime of 90 minutes. Its the kind of movie which makes us feel why is the big buck wasted in such serious misadventures when we can utilize the same to uplift a niche fraternity of the so called INDIE film makers who have been making some serious ripples with their thought provoking and aesthetically rewarding cinema. Watch movies like KSHAY, LOVE WRINKLE FREE, SHUTTLECOCK BOYS etc etc and you will be asking the same questions.