Screaming for attention

“Indian folklore and literature are replete with supernatural tales and fear is often the by-product of daily conversations in small towns,” points out the filmmaker. Yet,both he and Vikram Bhatt,who will also release his Haunted in 3D in May,agree that the genre remains under-explored in Bollywood.

Relegated to B-grade cinema today,horror,ironically,made a grand debut in independent India. Directed by Kamal Amrohi,Mahal (1949) staring Ashok Kumar was a big hit and propelled actress Madhubala to stardom. Bees Saal Baad (1962) too gave the genre a big boost and classics such as Woh Kaun Thi and Bhoot Bangla followed.

Production house Ramsay Brothers,set up by five siblings,redefined horror in 1970s. They almost created a sub-culture with films such as Veerana and Bandh Darwaza even as the production quality remained dismal and synonymous with bad make-up. Their films followed a formula where the dead would seek revenge. Skimpily clad women were often the objects of their wrath until rescued by their lovers who got rid of the dead using a religious object.

“Bollywood always looks westward for trends. Films such as The Evil Dead were a rage then,but our budgets were limited,” recounts Deepak Ramsay of the Ramsay clan. “Our approach was simplistic — all evil is ugly. Though the cinematic world in the West moved on to exploring psychological horror,India didn’t follow suit,because it was already B-grade by then,” he adds. Aping the West seems to be in vogue even now as the story of Ragini MMS sounds very similar to the world-wide hit,Paranormal Activity.

In 1992,Ram Gopal Varma busted the cliché with Raat,exploring the “unseen force”,which remains at the core of most Bollywood horror films today. Varma,who has made horror films such as Vaastu Shastra,Phoonk and others,says that the problem lies in the song-and-dance culture of films. “The variety of stories gets limited if you have to bung in a love story to fit in the songs,” he says.

Bhatt disagrees. “The horror classics were equally big musical successes,” asserts the director of Raaz and 1920. Kriplani seconds him. “A horror film isn’t only about scaring the audience with sound effects and visuals. The audience needs to be indulged at an emotional or psychological level too. The success of horror as a genre depends on whether we are able to tell stories that cannot be told without spook in it.”

In spite of the marginal existence of horror films in Bollywood,there is no doubt that a market for it exists in India. Most horror films have recovered the money,albeit because they are made at shoestring budgets and without any stars. And now,with the use of digital technology,horror films are inching towards the mainstream status. Bhatt,who has chosen to go the 3D way for Haunted,adds,“Horror is no longer a cheap enterprise with special effects and long shooting nights. It also has a loyal audience that would see your film if it is scary enough.”

However,it’s the presence of mainstream actors that can really give it a wider audience. “Stars often prefer to stay away from horror films because the focus is never the star but the story and the spook. Besides,if the genre isn’t considered mainstream enough,why would stars want to waste their time,” says Emraan Hashmi,who did Raaz 2 because he saw director Mohit Suri attempting something different.

Producer Ekta Kapoor,who is hoping to tap the latent market with Ragini MMS,seconds Hashmi,“It is a vicious cycle. Producers are unwilling to invest money because the scripts are weak and mainstream filmmakers don’t dabble in it since there is no money or recognition,” she points out.

Now,with actors and producers willing to take risks,the genre,Kriplani feels,is bound to flourish. “Unlike other emotions like love,sadness or patriotism,fear is more universal. The same elements are likely to spook a rickshaw driver,a college student and a corporate,hence unifying them.”