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Darna Zaroori Hai
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'Darna Zaroori Hai' - To while away your time

By Aparajita Ghosh
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

Despite some obvious clichés that can be expected of a horror movie, ‘Darna Zaroori Hai’ does entertain, although not scare, primarily because the movie keeps flitting from one interesting story to another. And each story has some unexpected twist, which, by the way, becomes a tad predictable after you have gotten the hang of the directors’ intention.

It is a noteworthy experiment to string together seven different stories directed by as many directors.

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Gopal Varma spearheads the pack with his tale of a professor who believes there is a spooky presence in his house. Amitabh Bachchan plays the professor and Ritesh Deshmukh plays his student who is baffled by the professor’s eccentric claims. Bachchan delivers a fine performance (although some shades of the eccentric teacher from Black are visible in his professor) and Ritesh Deshmukh is sincere in his act.

Sajid Khan makes his directorial debut with an interesting story of a movie-buff who has to cross a graveyard on his way to and back from the theatre near his home. On the day he is about to leave his house to watch the latest film, his mother warns him not to take the route through the graveyard. But the man ignores her. Actor Manoj Pahwa packs a superb performance in this short.

Prawal Raman, the man who directed Darna Mana Hai , comes up with an eerie tale against a setting quite hackneyed in horror flicks. The episode stars Arjun Rampal, Bipasha Basu and Makrand Deshpande. The film is about a man whose car breaks down and he goes to a secluded bungalow to make a phone call. There are repeated allusions to ghosts and spirits in this story. There is also a séance to summon the spirits. The conclusion is quite unexpected. In performances, only Makrand leaves a mark.

The episode by director Jijy Philips can amuse some viewers and irritate others. It tells the tale of a filmmaker who gives lift to a young lady while on his way to Khandala where he is headed to write the script of his horror movie. This short movie largely focuses on the conversations between the two and the allusions thrown by the young lady as to who she really may be. Anil Kapoor and Mallika Sherawat are convincing in their acting.

Director Chakravarthy packs in quite a wallop in his movie starring Randeep Hooda, Zakir Hussain, Rasika Joshi. The film tells the story of a man who runs into a woman on a rainy night. In the morning he finds himself behind bars in a police station, accused of murder. This episode carries a shock value and works primarily because of superb acting performances.

Director Vivek Shah’s episode is a bit of a bummer in this string of spooky stories. The movie is about a couple who are visited by a man pretending to be an insurance agent. Blood is spilled after the man’s true identity is revealed. Sunil Shetty and Sonali Kulkarni play the couple. Rajpal Yadav credibly gives a shadowy, suspicious touch to his character.

Director Manish Gupta’s story of an old lady and five children is the most forgettable episode of ‘Darna Zaroori Hai’.

To sum it up, ‘Darna Zaroori Hai’ is a fine experimental attempt. But it is not really a full-fledged horror film. Some stories in it have more shock value than genuine scare. Still, the movie entertains and keeps a rush in the adrenalin because of the unexpected twists in the story.

A good timepass.

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