Bhoot (2003)

Director:

Ram Gopal Varma

Writers:

Lalit Marathe (writer)
Sameer Sharma (writer)

Release Date:

30 May 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Plot:

Manjeet Khosla lives with her widowed mom in Bombay, India. She gets married, gives birth to a son, and separates from her spouse...

Plot Keywords:

Building | Apartment | Watchman | Police Inspector | Murder

Awards:

10 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Ajay Devgan	...	Vishal
Urmila Matondkar	...	Swati
Nana Patekar	...	Inspector Liyaqat Qureshi
Rekha	...	Sarita
Fardeen Khan	...	Sanjay Thakkar
Victor Banerjee	...	Dr. Rajan
Tanuja	...	Mrs. Khosla
Seema Biswas	...	Kamla Bai
Amar Talwar	...	Thakker
Barkha Madan	...	Manjeet Khosla
Sabir Masani	...	Watchman
Rajendra Sethi	...	Patil
Lalit Marathe	...	Dr. Shyam
Peeya Rai Chowdhary	...	Peeya
Rekha Kamat	...	Vishal's neighbor - Old woman

Also Known As:

Ghost (International: English title) (informal literal title)
Ghost House (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

India:113 min

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

India:A | Philippines:PG-13 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Filmistan Studios, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Company:

Dream Merchants Enterprise

Trivia:

The film broke several rules of Bollywood formula films and was nonetheless successful. There were no songs, it was only two hours long, it was heroine-centered, and it was a horror story, not a love story.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Urmila must climb 12 flights of stairs she is wearing peep-toe sandals with a heel of about 1 inch. But when she enters the flat she is wearing a three-inch heel with straps around the ankle. Similarly, when Rehka first meets Ajay Devgan she is wearing heels. When we see her entering the apartment building she is wearing flat sandals, but once inside the apartment she is wearing another - different - pair of heels.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Shock (2004)

Impressively and decently made horror film!

Ram Gopal Varma has always been a favourite, and Bhoot is his most intense attempt at horror. I was previously blown away by his little tiny piece "Kaun?", and expected to see something intriguing this time as well. I was not disappointed. The film is interesting and alluring and flows brilliantly. What I particularly appreciated is that the film had its share of hidden sentimentality, which sets it aside from all the mindless horror films which have no purpose or reason, and you will discover it in the end. However, I would still not call Bhoot a horror film - because it wasn't really scary. I think it is best described as a very interesting suspense thriller. Cinematography, background score, editing are aspects which contribute to it very well.

Urmila Matondkar plays Swati, a ghost-possessed woman whose husband does not know what to do to save her. Matondkar is indescribably brilliant - this is one of the most difficult roles to play and somehow Matondkar seems to do it with total ease. This is an exceptional impulsive performance. Ajay Devgan is very believable as the helpless Vishal. Devgan shows both fear, worry, love and concern convincingly. The film has many appearances by different actors, most of whom are portrayed as somewhat emotionally disturbed. Seema Biswas is wonderful as the strange, shady and very disturbing housemaid. Rekha is also good as the mysterious exorcist. Other cast members, including Nana Patekar, Victor Banerjee and Tanuja, are great, while Fardeen Khan is as unbearable as ever. Do watch Bhoot. Regardless of how scared you may or may not be, it is a very entertaining picture.