Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Bollywood movie review: Raaz - The Mystery Continues
Sure, clichéd horror moments arise, some dialogue is cheesy, and the acting is very B-list, but as far as Indian horror movies go, it’s decent.
Although you would expect Raaz – The Mystery Continues to have something to do with the 2002 hit Raaz, it doesn’t. Even though the word “continues” is used and it’s the same titular font, it still doesn’t.
Now that that’s clarified, Raaz – TMC uses a whole new cast and a new director to create a spine-tingling, suspenseful movie focused on the supernatural. Sure, clichéd horror moments arise, some dialogue is cheesy, and the acting is very B-list, but as far as Indian horror movies go, it’s decent.
The story begins with a very mysterious death of an American businessman that ends up with him being hung and sliced, with threatening words written in blood on the walls. Flash to a fashion show, where we meet protagonist Nandita (Kangana Ranaut), a model who is deeply in love with her boyfriend Yash (Adhyayan Suman).
While the lovers are at a mall, we meet an intense young man, Prithvi (Emraan Hashmi), who keeps staring down Nandita like a creepy stalker. He keeps popping up, and finally she confronts him to find out what’s up with all the stalking. Prithvi is actually an artist who has been having premonitions with Nandita’s face and has been painting her in all these gruesome situations. For example, her wrist gets sliced and she lays on the floor seemingly dead.
These paintings actually start becoming a reality and all of a sudden Nandita seems to be possessed. It’s not until Prithvi paints her dead (in the same manner as the American businessman from the beginning), that they embark on the journey to reveal the mystery … before it’s too late.
The climax, however, falters to support the rest of the movie. The big secret is nothing special. I’ve heard better secrets.
Director Mohit Suri does a satisfying job in creating some great mysterious and startling moments. The scenes in the bathtub, in front of the mirror, and in the car surround by cattle are very well-executed. They rival scenes in any of the Grudge movies or Japanese remakes.
Where it does lag is the forced love story and the songs, which both interrupt the flow majorly. It’s rare for all of the songs to be forgettable and offer nothing to the story. Also, the post-climactic minutes become drawn out and predictable.
As the heroine, Kangana Ranaut does an adequate job. She excellently enacts the possession scenes, but hearing her half-hearted screams throughout the entire movie becomes very drab. She has always been decent enough, but doesn’t have the presence and extreme emotions to make her a satisfying horror heroine. Emraan Hashmi broods when necessary and leaves no real impression, as can be said for newcomer Adhyayan Suman.
Even with some flaws, the movie does intrigue and does leave you on the edge of your seat for many moments. Compared to all the other scary Indian movies, this is definitely a good time. Compared to the 2002 Raaz, it’s missing the actors’ chemistry, the amazing soundtrack, and a better story. But there are already talks for a Raaz 3. Wait, but this one had nothing to do with the original. Is it a trilogy now, or is it a sequel again, or will it have nothing to do with this one? I’m confused.
