Truth About Horror | Aahat The All New Series

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Taf Khan

@ThE_kHan07

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Posted: 17 years ago

an old article on Bollywood horror
Truth about horror
By: Upala KBR
September 6, 2004

THE GHOST THAT WORKED: Raaz

Kamal Amrohi's debut Mahal (1949) starring Ashok Kumar was the first horror film in Hindi cinema that worked.

Films like the Exorcist — inspired ones like Gehrayee or a Jaadu Tona (Reena Roy-Feroz Khan) bombed at the BO. Once in a while if a successful Jaani Dushman would come it would be followed by a Woh Phir Aayegi or Raat.

From the '70s to the '90s horror films continued to remain stuck in a time warp. Shoe-string budgets and awful special effects were the common factors. And yet the films were entertaining and offered something different.

A fact proved even today. A film like Devdas lost out to Aadamkhor Haseena (2002) when it attracted 100 per cent houseful shows in the first week.

2000 onwards saw a different phase of horror films. Vikram Bhatt's Raaz and Ram Gopal Varma's Bhoot brought in a more stylised, subtle sense of the supernatural without the ghastly special effects.

The success of Raaz and Bhoot brought in a spate of other ghostly films. Saaya, Hawa, Darna Mana Hai, Krishna Cottage, even a Bhoot Ke Peeche Bhoot which failed.

Inspite of the fascination for the supernatural, mainstream Hindi horror films, barring a handful, have not really worked at the BO.

The latest examples being Rakht and Hum Kaun Hai despitetheir big stars and special effects.

The Ramsay effect

Shyam and Tulsi Ramsay's biggest grosser till date has been Purana Mandir (1984).

In 1972 Shyam Ramsay made Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche and there was no looking back.

Made in Rs 35 lakh and revolving around evil spirits and twisted creatures with sex and nudity thrown in, the films always would gross over a crore.

Says Ramsay, "The reasons why our films made money was because they were of a different genre from the routine-type horror. In other films at the end it would be revealed that there were really no ghosts whereas we would show real ones."

But last year the Ramsay brothers decided to go in for a change with Dhund – The Fog. "It was a mistake," Ramsay admits. "It was a thriller when people were expecting a horror film from us." Now they have gone back to their old forte — horror with Aatma and Ek Raat.

Ingredients to make a bhoot blockbuster

Film critic Indu Mirani: "A scary horror film is weaving a story that keeps you on the edge of the seat and frightens the life out of you.

Horror films shouldn't have songs especially item numbers. That's why Bhoot worked. Most horror films don't work because they lack logic.

You can't take creative license in a horror film. There has to be a logical progression of events. The Ramsays films worked because they were low-budget yet scary. You expected green hands rising from the grave and you got it."

Film analyst Komal Nahta: "The film has to keep the viewer frightened and yet keep him involved in a guessing game right till the end. It has to have hit music. Raaz had superhit music.

Also Raaz clicked because it had the right blend of tradition and modernity. You can't have a Sunil Shetty (Rakht) burning his father alive.

Top 5 horror grossers

• Mahal (1949, Ashok Kumar, Madhubala)
• Madhumati (1958, Dilip Kumar Vyjayanthimala)
• Gumnaam (1965, Manoj Kumar, Nanda)
• Jaani Dushman (1979, Sunil Dutt, Sanjeev Kumar, Rekha)
• Raaz (2002, Dino Morea, Bipasha Basu)

THE COLLECTIONS (APPROX FIGURES)
• Bhoot — made at Rs 6.5 crore — above average
• Saaya — Rs 2.5 - 3 crore — flop
• Hawa — Rs 2.5 crore — flop
• Darna Mana Hai — Rs 3.5 — 4 crore - broken even
• Krishna Cottage — Rs 4.5 - 5 crore — flop

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purvi mehta

@purvimehta

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Posted: 17 years ago

hey thnx
great article to share
keep updating if u have more of them 👏

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