Horrorscope

Aik,Kadam assures,will not be a B-grade horror movie with poor script and actors in bad make-up. “In the last decade,the industry started making films on social issues,but soon then began to ape Bollywood. After the release of Shwaas in 2004,which marked India’s entry to the Academy Awards,Marathi filmmakers went back to ‘socially aware’ cinema and horror as a genre has been perpetually neglected,” he points out .

Award-winning screenwriter Abha Gaikwad points out that herd mentality on part of filmmakers also contributes to the issue. “If a comedy film becomes a blockbuster,producers want to replicate the ‘formula’. It happened with me after the success of Antardaha,a film on social issues,” rues Gaikwad who is now working on a few scripts in the thriller and horror genre.

The response from distributors is not encouraging either who believe that most Marathi horror films are a watered-down version of Bollywood counterparts. However,the industry members hope that Aik will change that. Shot in digital format with a Canon C-300 camera,Aik is the story of a man who has conceptualised a horror game show. As the film progresses,it shows how his family finds itself in the face of danger when the game show becomes reality. Actor Mukta Barve,who acted in Chakwa,says,”Unusual themes such as these are hard to come by. That is also a reason why the genre hasn’t done well. However,with Marathi filmmakers willing to take more risks,it could spell change for the genre.”