Raazing the horror genre
I N RECENT years, the franchise film has become an increasingly attractive option for Bollywood film-makers. The huge success of film series such as Dhoom 2 and Lage Raho Munna Bhai have encouraged film-makers to venture into the franchise business.
As film audiences warmed to the idea of first sequels and then franchise films (or quasisequels), it made financial sense for Bollywood to capitalise on such productions. Bollywood essentially assumes two approaches to the franchise film. The first approach is a typical one: following the development of a story, along with key cast, from the earlier works. Such films include Don 2 (2011) and the Dhoom and Munna Bhai films.
The second approach is not so straightforward. Such films cannot be termed true sequels or sagas, as they tend not to follow a narrative progression, but rather retain some of the original cast and crew members, to produce a film within the same genre.
Vikram Bhatt’s Raaz 3, now showing at the Suncoast Casino, is an example of that franchise approach. It marks the third instalment in the horror film series, following the supernatural theme of Raaz (2002) and Raaz – The Mystery Continues (2009).
In Raaz 3 superstar actress Shanaya (Bipasha Basu) faces a career threat with the entry of the younger actress Sanjana (Esha Gupta), who also happens to be her half-sister. When Shanaya is overlooked for a prestigious industry award in favour of Sanjana, jealousy abounds.
The situation becomes complicated when it is revealed that the two actresses also competed for the love of their father during childhood. Shanaya becomes consumed with regaining her superstar status and resorts to using “black magic” to depose Sanjana.
Critical to Shanaya’s plan is the manipulation of Aditya (Emraan Hashmi), a director friend she is romantically involved with. When Shanaya obtains a potion from a “black magician” (Manish Choudhary) to unhinge Sanjana, she convinces Aditya to get Sanjana to drink it.
Things become problematic when Aditya gets closer to Sanjana and realises that she does not warrant such evil treatment. Aditya becomes Sanjana’s protector and Shanaya is enraged. The three become embroiled in a supernatural battle that threatens their existence.
Having directed Raaz and films like Haunted (2011) and Dangerous Ishq (2012), Bhatt is certainly no novice to the horror genre. He maintains a tight reign on Raaz 3 in the film’s first half. The story has a crisp pace and there are several moments of chilling horror that is guaranteed to spook audiences.
Bhatt shows his mastery of the horror genre, especially during Shanaya’s scary encounter with the evil spirit. Bhatt also deals intelligently with Aditya’s moral dilemma.
It’s the film’s second half that falters and disintegrates into a somewhat fragmented mess. Situations become fairly contrived and Shagufta Rafique’s story succumbs to a matter of convenience rather than narrative progression.
The film’s music (GangulyMithoon-Rashid) is also disappointing, and not up to the standard of the previous franchise series.
Of the cast, Basu makes the strongest impact. She performs her role with a finesse that does justice to her character. Basu casts aside her inhibitions to give one of her finest performances.
Hashmi does a good job but is limited to a few expressions, which is due more to a lack of character development than acting ability. Gupta gives a sincere performance, but is sometimes cast in the shadow due to Basu’s high-impact performance.
Overall, Bhatt’s Raaz 3 elevates the horror film genre in Bollywood. The film’s supernatural theme guarantees a chilling (and entertaining) cinema experience. Rating: 7/10. Looking ahead … this Friday Bollywood fans can look forward to Madhur Bhandarkar’s drama Heroine, one of the year’s most eagerly anticipated releases, with Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Arunoday Singh.