Profit-starved
Bollywood
Turning
to Horror
Package
Mumbai,
Apr 18:
A
chocolate
hero running
around
a tree
with a
sexy siren
is passe.
Turning
away from
titillating
themes,
the Hindi
film industry
is now
banking
on Hitchcock-type
movies
to rake
in money.
Slick
storylines,
mega budgets
and services
of class
actors
and actresses
have made
the horror
genre
a favourite
of producers
and directors.
Recent
scary
urban
flicks
like 'Raaz'
(Secret),
'Makdee'
(Spider)
and 'Raat'
(Night)
which
dabble
with the
supernatural
have been
huge hits
with the
urban
elite.
Upcoming
movies
like 'Saaya'
(Shadow)
and 'Bhoot'
(Ghost)
follow
the same
footsteps.
Mahesh
Bhatt's
'Saaya'
deals
with the
supernatural.
Starring
models
John Abraham,
Tara Sharma
and Mahima
Choudhry,
the film
is based
on a real
life incident.
Bhatt,
the former
LSD, Osho
and women
addict,
says such
movies
tango
with viewers
fed up
with routine
dance-drama
seqences.
"There's
a need
in the
viewer
to see
something
exciting
because
the way
the whole
world
is now
dealing
with entertainment
issues,
it seems
that they
want the
edge-of-the-seat
experience.
They want
the news
to be
exciting,
they want
headlines
to be
exciting.
They want
everything
exciting.
So we
felt when
you take
issues
where
the fundamental
beliefs
are being
questioned,
you get
an exciting
production.
So whatever
is primitive,
is exciting,"
said Bhatt.
'Saaya'
is a story
of a husband
who feels
the presence
of his
dead wife,
making
the society
suspect
his mental
make-up.
Made at
a minimal
budget
of Rs
2 crore,
it will
hit the
theatres
on May
2. Directed
by Ramgopal
Varma,
the man
with the
Midas
touch,
'Bhoot'
is a story
of a couple
who rent
a house
and discover
that it
is haunted.
Bollywood
bigwigs
like Ajay
Devgun,
Urmila
Matondkar,
Fardeen
Khan,
Rekha,
Victor
Banerjee
and Nana
Patekar
star in
'Bhoot',
one of
the most
keenly
awaited
movies
of the
times.
Varma,
famous
for his
painstakingly
scary
films
like 'Raat'
and the
recent
Malyalam
film 'Theyyam'
(The Oracle),
feel horror
movies
bear the
stamp
of success.
"Any kind
of film
becoming
successful
obviously
would
have a
lot of
people
trying
to emulate.
That's
because
the tendency
of human
beings
is to
follow
success.
Secondly,
'Raaz'
has been
made by
certain
'A' grade
makers
involved
in it
like (Mahesh)
Bhatt.
Obviously
that also
would
have a
kind of
value
added
to it.
There
is the
thriller
or horror
genre
that's
almost
forgotten.
It gives
confidence
actually
if you
go away
from romances.
Also you
may also
make a
successful
film.
So I think
that's
the reason
for so
many thrillers
or horrors
to be
put on
the floor,"
said Varma.
Varma
has also
started
shooting
of his
next horror
production,
'Darna
Mana Hai'
(You are
not allowed
to get
scared)
which
will release
next summer.
'Bhoot'
releases
worldwide
on May
2. Industry
sources
feel films
like 'Saaya'
and 'Bhoot'
which
deal with
the world
of the
dark and
unknown
may attract
audience.
In 2002,
98 per
cent of
the films
flopped
at box
office,
leaving
the industry
poorer
by 500
million
dollars.
