Spooky thriller has a knock-out lead performance SATYAMEVA JAYATE 2 Self-indulgent vigilante drama is unintentionally funny
THE recent popularity of the horror genre in Hindi cinema continues with this remake of 2017 Marathi-language film Lapachhapi.
The original writer-director Vishal Furia helms the Bollywood adaptation, which premiered recently on streaming site Amazon Prime.
A couple decides to run away from violent debt collectors and hide in a spooky-looking rural house hidden in the middle of a labyrinthine sugarcane field. The heavily pregnant wife is in the care of those living there, who have decidedly outdated views about women, and it isn’t long before she gets drawn into a world of spooky spirits.
All is not what it seems around every corner in the haunted field she finds herself in, and it isn’t long before the nightmarish scenario turns into a fight for survival. Psychological uncertainties of her mind and being heavily pregnant collide with a scary setting filled with frights in every corner
Furia attempts to add some layers to his original story, but ultimately follows the same story arc and the result is a decently made film with enough scary moments to keep you engaged.
Despite the interesting set up and scares, Chhorii can’t improve on the original, and if anything
THE 2018 vigilante drama Satyameva Jayate did well despite not being very good and its surprise success has led to a follow-up with another standalone story of an unforgiving vigilante who is on the rampage.
This time around John Abraham plays the disillusioned man, who takes the law into his own hands and the dedicated police officer trying to catch him. Wait for it, he also plays the father of the identical twins. What follows is every cliché that has ever been seen in a Bollywood action film from over-the-top strength to tired story arcs seen countless times before. Instead of coming together as a whole, the result is a headache-inducing film with little logic and outrageous scenes that are just comedic. In fact, there are so many laughable moments that this so-called action film becomes unintentionally funny from start to finish.
It’s a wonder the cast didn’t feel silly performing the scenes. Everything from the comical looking performances to scenes where John shows superhuman strength insults your intelligence and assaults the senses. removes tension. Although the few supporting cast members are decent enough, this film is very much about lead star Nushrratt Bharuccha. After a string of successful performances, she headlines a film and carries it well with a powerful turn as a pregnant woman trying to protect her unborn child from supernatural forces and what is potentially a real-life threat.
The eerie setting is atmospheric and at times claustrophobic. What prevents the film from reaching a high level is the story running out of steam in the latter half and being overly predictable in places. Horror fans should still find this film because despite its flaws, it is still better than most Bollywood releases this year and deserves to be seen, if only for the knock-out performance from lead star Nushrratt Bharuccha. Just don’t have high expectations.
In terms of acting, the entire cast go through the motions and the particularly bad Divya Khosla Kumar does nothing to disprove the fact that she likely got the role because her husband produced the film. There is of course over-the-top patriotism, which ends up looking like jingoism, and plot holes you can drive a fleet of tractors through.
It is obvious why writer Milap Zaveri is not often trusted to helm films, and if producers are smart, this terrible effort will be his last as a director. The only people who will likely be satisfied with this truly awful film are die-hard fans of John. Everyone else should avoid what is one of the worst films and biggest ego trips that Bollywood has delivered this year. Hopefully, there won’t be a third instalment of this self-indulgent series.