Starring: Bipasha Basu, Dino Moreo, Malini Sharma and Ashutosh Rana
Director: Vikram Bhatt
Producer: Mahesh Bhatt
Music: Nadeem-Shravan
It is the story of a young couple, Aditya Dhanraj (Dino Moreo) and his wife Sanjana (Bipasha Basu). They are on the brink of a divorce. They decide to give their marriage a last shot and go back to Ooty, the place where they fell in love! However, the dream house turns out to be a nightmare. There is someone there and only Sanjana can see it. So it turns out that the spirit of a girl named Malini (played by Malini herself) haunts Sanjana (Bipasha). Who is Malini? She is Aditya’s (Dino Morea) ex-lover. And there is a gory secret to her death. Troubled by Malini’s apparition following her like a shadow, Sanjana approaches professor Agni (Ashutosh Rana) to help her out of the dark world. Armed with Prof. Agni’s admonitions Sanjana swallows the anger at her husband’s infidelity (in keeping Malini a secret) and gears to take on the wandering spirit. The end, of course, sees the triumph of good over evil.
A supernatural thriller, the movie takes the viewer through a series of suspense-filled moments. Unlike films of this genre, where the eerie atmosphere is introduced after the mandatory songs and cliches, director Vikram Bhatt and writer Mahesh Bhatt come to the point in the first reel itself. Mahesh Bhatt has convincingly spun a spooky yarn and Vikram Bhatt has further lent it a sinister edge with his directorial finesse. Rather than straightaway hopping onto the horror-filled chills and sequences, Vikram gradually builds up the suspense and uses special effects deftly to give the viewer the creeps. He, however, seems to have taken some inspiration from Hitchcock’s eerie style.
The sequences have been canned with utmost care. The slow camera movement, the usage of extended silence and sudden noise, and thrill-seeking moments, like the sudden double reflection in the mirror send a chill down the spine. The shots between Bipasha and the spirit succeed in terrifying the viewers. But after a promising first half, the pace slackens in the post-interval period. The flashback, which is supposed to be the soul of a psycho-thriller, starts off on a slow note and picks up momentum gradually. The pace picks up again and the narrative gets absorbing when the girl (Malini Sharma) starts getting extra possessive. The telephone conversation, involving Dino-Bipasha, and Malini's subsequent outburst is simply brilliant. So is the death sequence that follows soon after. But the climax looks contrived and doesn't measure up to the expectations. Although deftly executed, the end seems like too much of a cinematic liberty, with the spirit, who has entered Ashutosh Rana's body now, getting unconscious after Bipasha crashes her car into him.
The film’s songs, composed by Nadeem-Shravan, are not in consonance with its spooky theme. Pravin Bhatt's cinematography is up to the mark. The background score (Raju Rao) enhances the impact of several sequences. The dialogue (Girish Dhamija) goes well with the mood of the film. Dino Morea looks photogenic, but needs to work hard on expressions. Although this is Bipasha Basu's second film, the actress carries off a complex role with aplomb. Ashutosh Rana is excellent in a role that fits him like a glove. His expressions, when he senses the presence of the spirit around him, deserve special mention. Malini Sharma comes in the latter half and although her role is small, the impact is seen. Shruti Ulfat, as Bipasha's friend, is good. Vishwajeet Pradhan makes his presence felt.
On the whole, Raaz is a well-crafted film that has the right combination required for a psycho-thriller with an eerie atmosphere and tuneful music.
published on 7/3/2002
