NARRATIVE DOOMED LIKE A SINKING SHIP

BHOOT PART ONE: THE HAUNTED SHIP

STARRING: Vicky Kaushal, Bhumi Pednekar, Ashutosh Rana

DIRECTOR: Bhanu Pratap Singh

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Vicky Kaushal fans have waited over a year for a new lm post the blockbuster Uri and unfortunately, Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship just doesn't seem worth it. Why Kaushal opted for an assembly-line horror ick at a time when he was expected to take his game to the next level is anybody's guess.

In Bhoot…, an abandoned ship named Sea Bird gets stranded off the coast of Mumbai, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Vicky Kaushal plays Prithvi, a shipping of cer who becomes obsessed with unravelling what might have happened on-board though he is warned that Sea Bird is widely believed to be haunted. He believes he saw a girl inside and grappling with a personal tragedy, he is convinced that he needs to solve the mystery.

Kaushal renders Prithvi with gravitas in a screenplay that is mostly about throwing the hero into a quagmire of special effects and sound effects. The strong psychological subtext of his character forms the de ning core in the story, but he has taken a calculated risk signing up for a mediocre horror lm that barely lives up to his talent.

Rao and Gupta bene t from the fact that this lm, like most of Aanand L. Rai's productions, sets up every character with a balance of the real and the entertaining. Proven talents like Manu Rishi Chaddha and Maanvi Gagroo, who play out vital cogs, also impress in interesting roles.

The lm's biggest assets are its actors and its quirky comedic appeal. However, the nale is not altogether unpredictable. In exploring gay romance through a formulaic Bollywood love story, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan skims beneath the surface while addressing a subject as gay relationship, which has acquired topicality in our times.

Given the reach of the lm and its lead actors, one could look at this lm as an opportunity lost.

Vinayak Chakravorty

Bhumi Pednekar’s cameo and Ashutosh Rana in a small role, too, are left with roles that suffer due to weak writing.

Debutant director Bhanu Pratap Singh falls back on familiar tropes like a haunted con ned space in this lm, which has been touted as the rst release in a planned franchise. Perhaps it would still have worked if the story had a few original scares. But the lm reels under generic cliches in the horror genre as it meanders aimlessly from one stock scare to another.

At a runtime of just under two hours, it uses stereotypical sound and music effects, blending it with formulaic jump cuts, some nifty cinematography, and lots of mediocre special effects. Even Vicky Kaushal, with his proven screen presence, valiantly struggles to salvage a narrative that is as doomed as a sinking ship.

Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship might satiate hardcore horror buffs who are game for anything that the genre offers. All others, including Kaushal fans, would be hoping that Part Two is better crafted.

Vinayak Chakravorty