Horror of horrors, it may make you laugh

Sheetal

The film marks the debut of Krishna Bhatt, another daughter from the Bhatt clan, but as a director. It also marks the Bollywood debut of TV’s very own Balika Vadhu, Avika Gor, as the lead heroine. Inspired by ‘The Exorcist’, Krishna’s father Vikram Bhatt had made the first film in the ‘1920’ series back in 2008. Here, she steps into her father’s shoes to make the fifth film in the series.

The plot revolves around Avika, who plays Meghna. Her father, Dheeraj, played by Randheer Rai, commits suicide and leaves a diary to answer all her questions. The revelations lead her to exact revenge from her mother, who lives in a secluded mansion in a forest with her second husband and a 16-year-old daughter, Aditi.

Written by Mahesh Bhatt and Suhrita Das, the storyline is engaging, if not great, but the horror it wishes to evoke is lost. It seems more like a good TV show. Avika has delivered her best despite weak direction. Amit Behl and Rahul Dev’s roles lack depth and finesse. Ketaki Kulkarni, as Aditi, leaves a mark as she shows a wide spectrum of emotions to play a girl possessed. Randheer is the weakest link in the film.

Rather than any collective gasps and screams, ‘Horrors of the Heart’ only manages to evoke giggles and laughs from the audience. Be it the way Aditi exits a scene after being possessed or a ghost chanting the ‘Gayatri Mantra’ backwards, some things just don’t make sense. For instance, Amit Behl’s character of a half-dead tantrik seems unjustified as the subplot around him is never explained. Love-making scenes between Avika and actor Danish Pandor seem forced.

The story has no sense of time or place. The audience never gets to know the ‘how, ‘why’, ‘when’ and ‘where’ of most characters or places shown in the movie.

The cinematography and VFX effects are not up to the mark. The technology seems as dated as the period shown in the movie. The dialogues are clichéd too.

Good music being the speciality of most Bhatt films is the only saving grace. The film is worth a one-time watch, but for those who like comedy.