Raaz Reboot (2016) Review!!

Synopsis – The fourth installment of a horror series that explores secrets, mysteries and human frailties.

My Take – The horror genre of Bollywood definitely needs a reboot there is no doubts about that, but for some reason, producers keep handing the reigns of the genre to director Vikram Bhatt, who has managed to make his take on horror films stand tall next to some of Bollywood’s best laugh out comedies. Personally I believe, there should actually never have been sequels to Raaz (2002), a remake of What Lies Beneath and directed by Vikram Bhatt and starring Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea, a massive hit at the time, as a result the mix of watered-down erotica and mild scares with foot-tapping songs thrown in proved irresistible for the producers to continue the film as a franchise with diminishing results. While the follow up starring Emraan Hashmi & Kangna Ranaut, had its fair share of entertaining moments and did well considerably, the third in the series (which was also for some reason a huge hit), which saw the return of Bollywood’s horror queen Bipasha Basu led to the franchise, led to theme of modern Bollywood horror films inducing unintentional humor in the name of scares, and this fourth installment in the popular franchise is no different. Even though the film itself is hilariously titled Reboot, which doesn’t make much sense in the context, this is nothing but just another typical Vikram Bhatt film. Vikram Bhatt uses the same tropes to scare us that we have seen in all the films till now, to the point that we can guess when the paranormal entity makes his/her appearance next. It also doesn’t help matters that the romantic songs feel forcibly interspersed in the narrative, because, you know, that’s the tradition when it comes to Bollywood horror flicks.

The story follows Shaina (Kriti Kharbanda) moves back to Romania from Mumbai with her husband, Rehan (Gaurav Arora), after he is given a better offer there by his company. Having met and fallen in love in Romania, Shaina was insistent that he take up the job, however Rehan was reluctant, since he had a secret to hide. As soon as they move into their new house, Rehan becomes distant, leaving Shaina confused. Soon, Shaina begins experiences paranormal events around the house, from seeing an eyeball in the sink to seeing someone under the bed, she tries to convince her husband about the intruder in their house, but to no avail. To complicate matters, her junkie ex-boyfriend Aditya (Emraan Hashmi) comes back into her life, claiming he has been having visions of the horrors she has been facing & offers his assistance to figure out what & why is this happening to her. If you have been an avid watcher of horror 3films, this Vikram Bhatt film will remind you of many of them. Or maybe, even all of them. Rewind to the original. In Raaz too, Sanjana (Bipasha) and Aditya (Dino) are dealing with a troubled marriage, owing to the strain of a secret that he keeps from her. Like Shaina, Sanjana too finds out that her bungalow has an evil spirit residing in it. The only difference is, the 2002 horror story unfolded in Ooty instead of Romania. The plot, the scenes — there’s almost nothing that you haven’t seen before in some other ghost drama. So you have windows opening by themselves, creaking doors, possessed woman, dark secrets, unsurprising twists, and yeah, CGI crows. If by Reboot, they mean taking the story of the first Raaz film and making slight changes into it then, yeah, it is. But then that’s the case with most of the horror films we have seen in Bollywood since the first Raaz. While Aditya had ended up being responsible for the death of a woman he had an extramarital affair with, here, Rehaan has the blood of well, I am not going to give away the ‘BIG’ suspense. Yes! The film has one very decent twist post interval that saves the film from being an absolute mess for the time, which could surprise people who have certain expectations about the film and its protagonists. The result is this is one such rare Bollywood film where the second half is better than the first half of the film, but that doesn’t stop the film from touching mediocrity at places. There are a couple of engaging sequences here that will mildly pique your interest. But it will also make you doubt whether it is too late to save the film by then, also leaving a lot of questions in the wake. So what’s new here? The only mystery in this film is why is the film replete with so many laugh-out-loud moments. Proving a point again that the future of this genre in Bollywood doesn’t look anything better than bleak. While, its still a tad better than the third film, but in comparison, the 1st and the 2nd feel like gems worth winning Oscars. Despite being set in a haunting Romania, with ample Dracula references and blood-curling milieu, the film doesn’t make the attempt to use that to its advantage. Instead, it sticks religiously to its predictable cliches. The same scares at the same places with similar faces tends to fall flaccid too quickly. Plain boring? Yes! It would be a stretch to call it a bad film because there is at least some script in place but director Vikram Bhatt pays a tribute to his own genius, using the same old tricks from his magic bag. The title more than justifies the sense of déjà vu it evokes in the viewer. Why build a 127-minute narrative around false hopes, non-existent sexual frisson, non-scary horror scenes, songs that escape memory, and a plot that relies on the power of the mangal sutra to set things right? Even the Ramsay brothers are more fun than this toothless romp in vampire country.

The one thing that is fundamentally wrong with desi horror films is that there is more romance between the leads (yes, tongues thrusting, lips moving and all of that, just like a usual Emraan Hashmi film). You would rather see that the ghost takes the center stage. It is understandable that Vikram Bhatt didn’t find it wise to give Kriti, who plays the ghost, much screen value considering her weak skill set. Formulaic isn’t bad, but in times when films are valued for their ingenuity, this one is a weak throw. You think just people face profound quality emergency? All things considered, phantoms too have feelings and appreciation the implied social mores. At any rate, the non-judgmental one in Vikram Bhatt’s film does. He doesn’t kiss ladies with a “mangalsutra” (The accessory wedded Hindu ladies wear). In any case, he hopes that she takes it off herself. Obviously, there is no halting him after that. Here, even the neighborhood cleric can’t do much. The apparition knows the minister’s past. It actually extorts the minister to leave the scene with a downpour of updates about his corrupted past with children. Like all Vikram Bhatt horror films, we have to bring in the original savior – The Professor. But this time around he is also visually impaired and practicing on Psychometry in Romania. That is a genuine term which implies object perusing. If Vikram Bhatt fancies himself as a weaver of stories, he’s gone over the hemline of logic here. Leaning on tested techniques of evoking fear, the eventual jolt never lives up to the build-up. You will continue spotting Hotel Transylvania, a Gypsy lady and different platitudes, with the goal that you don’t get a handle on of sync. Bear in mind it’s a Vikram Bhatt film. The pastor’s fizzled expulsion offer means God’s notoriety is in question and that requires some compelling measures. The rest is a change and mix of words – ‘soul’, ‘had’, ‘peril’, “frequented” and ‘Jesus’. Deep music will calm your ears, and Emraan Hashmi is likewise there. Some underlying scenes of contentions amongst Rehaan and Shaina are also elegantly composed. The show heightens and the phantom says, f*** y**. Yes, this soul swears. That too repetitiously and unnecessarily. I am no Pehlaj Nihalani or his censor board team, but this factor too might remove a segment of the audience. When you view a film with the intent of giving claps you do not expect such cuss words. Is this all it takes to being ‘contemporary’ or ‘authentic’ by today’s standards? We live in an era, where films like Don’t Breathe show us you don’t even need ghosts to make a good scary film. But in Bollywood, we still stick to age-old tropes like the power of mangal-sutra and mantras to solve things. Speaking of scary scenes, well, there are a few, but you can smell them from a mile. And the ridiculous getup of one character in the climax makes the supposedly tension-filled conclusion actually amusing. The music is passable, the location is beautiful and the performances, just about okay. Debutant Kirti Kharbanda has lots of promise, though she is unlikely to be a major star as she lacks the X-factor. Gaurav Arora acts well, but his performance is pulled down by the laziest dialogues ever. Emraan Hashmi is self-assured, but again does not rise above his routine. This time, he has a shorter role, making his first appearance almost an hour into this 128 minute film. With this being his (possibly) 10th failure in a row, its time he stars worrying about his choices. On the whole,’Raaz Reboot’ is a clichéd travesty marking it as one of the worst horror films of Bollywood, apart from an interesting twist, the whole film just offers pure blandness! The good news is that this fourth entry marks the last film of this once promising franchise.