The Horror in Bollywood started much earlier and has been around for many decades Before the Ramsays became popular for it.
A typical thought that comes to our mind when we speak about horror Film is the creaking door or an ugly as hell monstrous creature or the graphics with blood stains , gory scenes or ghosts, vampires, demons, Satan, torture, animals, or supernatural disaster. We know it’s a fiction yet it sends a chill down the spine.
Plots with horror genre often are misleading with supernatural and frequent themes that also overlap with fantasies, fiction, thriller or any prevalent elements but still proves to becomes a popular film among the audience and fans . This segment of films have garnered a niche audience. What is it that make Horror films click ?
We generally relate horror films to be a sub-genre of the Hindi Film Industry and the themes explored in these films have the typical plots that consists of haunted house, evil spirits or natural horrors with lot of violence , bloodshed that at times is very creepy to even watch it alone by yourself and if the filmmaker has managed to give you that kind of a feeling then the film is one of the perfect horror films !!!
Horror films are made to create the kind of excitement for the film buffs who can sense fear, panic and at times even dread watching the film that elevates your heartbeats and shocks the audience to get the hell out of you.!! There are times you have left the theatre with disgust as horrors can go to the capacity of not only frightening you but inducing fears with their spine rippling horrific scenes.. or there are some horror films that stretch too far that leave the audience amused !!! Yet there is no dearth of these films being made as the demand of such films still exist and many front row viewers enjoy every scene with cat whistles and excitement , the thrills some enjoy makes up for the film’s being unsuccessful many times and most of these horror films are considered for mainstream cinema for its popularity .
The censor board is vigilant with their scissors and some of the films have a tough time getting the green signal.
Many directors have become popular for making horror films. In the early 70’s, 80′ and 90’s , when most of the audience liked to watch romantic or action films, we had a bunch of filmmakers like Ram Gopal Verma, Vikram Bhatt and the Ramsay Brothers who got critical acclaimed for their work in horror genre .
The Ramsay brothers horror factory continued making more and more successful films and roped in the most notable film stars for their Horror films.
Bollywood Film Industry has produced some of the greatest hits since 1940. The films that started with the horror stories also left its trademark in Bollywood by the high class music . Their background music for the films like Mahal and Gumnaam and Woh Kaun Thi got very popular over the years.
We take a look back on the films that made to the box office and also gained its popularity….
Mahal – 1949
The first horror film in Bollywood was ‘ Mahal’ in 1949 starring Ashok Kumar, Madhubala, which was directed by Kamal Amrohi. The film was a box office success and the audience lapped up the supernatural suspense it lead to. Considering it was the very first horror film which also dealt with the subject of reincarnation probably left our earlier generation out of their wits and the film has continued to haunt the audience for decades.
Looking at the success of the film, ‘ Mahal‘ many producers and directors followed suit and continued to and many of them produced some of the greatest hits until the 1990’s after which horror films in Bollywood industry failed miserably for almost 13 to 14 years as the typical love stories, family drama genre, action films, biopics took the lead and the momentum of the horror films got lost down the line. However some of the most successful horror films in Bollywood are quite a few.
Bees Saal Baad – 1962
Based on the Bengali Thriller film which was a hit, ‘The Hound of Baskerville’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the film revolves around a mysterious woman walking around midnight through the field crooning ‘ Kahin Deep Jale Kahin Dil’ that not only got very popular but also spooked the entire nation !!! And the film went on to be one of the highest grosser of 1962. Bees Saal Baad continues to haunt the film buffs even after Pachaas Saal Baad.!!! A psychological thriller film produced by Hemant Kumar who also gave music to the songs from this film that went on to be superhit.
Kohra – 1964
An adaptaion of the novel Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier in 1938 and also a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Academy Award winning film with the same name, but many believed that the Indian Horror remake was better than both for its very famous climax scene which was different.
The film by Biren Nag was his second horror film after the first film Bees Saal Baad in 1962 proved to be a successful run. The song Yeh Nayan Dare Dare filmed on the winding roads of Mahableshwar got very popular over the years which is altered to suit the Indian produced film with some super natural elements that made it an interesting outing overall.
Gumnaam – 1965
Gumnaam which is Unknown or Anonymous a 1965 suspense thriller film directed by Raja Nawathe starring Manoj Kumar , Nanda , Pran, Helen, and Mehmood was an adaptation of the book And Then There Were None by the famous writer Agatha Christie. The tag line for this film was ‘ Jaan Pehechan Ho … (We should get to know each other) was also adapted in the Ghost World in the 2011 commercial. Till date the film is still popular for its songs.
A plot wherein eight people who win a raffle prize are trapped on an island when the plane they travel in abandons them on the island. They end up in a large unsuspecting mansion and the butler there seems to know them all! . What follows is a thrilling experience for the audience when one by one out of the eight start dying. Who could the killer be and will the few who are still left alive survive and escape the grasp of the unknown.. The name Gumnaam relates to the unknown evil in the mansion.
Woh Phir Aayegi – 1988
A film with superstar veteran late Rajesh Khanna along with Farha Naaz and Moon Moon Sen. A horror film wherein the evil spirit of a woman who wants to take revenge on her killer possesses the body of Aarti and the entire film is how the husband (Rajesh Khanna) tries everything possible to free her from the evil spirit in her body. Directed by B. R. Ishara .
Tum Mere Ho – 1990
Mr. Perfectionist Aamir Khan essayed a role of supernatural powers in him!!. It’s hard to believe he could play a role of this sorts when we see him today one of the most successful actors, producers and directors of the Hindi Cinema. Aamir Khan played a role of Shiva in this film with magical powers ! Shiva as a young kid was bitten by a snake . The family thought him to be dead but he was saved and little did he realise that he has the power to overcome the female snake who is out for a revenge on him and his family . A deadly creature that is a shape changing snake is a centre of the storyline gives you the creeps every now and then.
Vishakanya – 1991
Directed by Jagmohan Mundra starring Kunal Goswami , Pooja Bedi, Kabir Bedi A story that takes a twist when a mysterious woman who has been fed venomous poison as a child and is now capable of herself administering the poison through Lethal doses. While inspector Rakesh is investigating killing and murder comes across the real killer behind the horrendous crime. A film that will certainly give you a scare and make your feet cold or a shiver a bit too!
Raat – 1992
Raat produced in 1992 is considered to be one of the best horror films in Bollywood by Ram Gopal Verma. The plot sets when a kitten is killed and the leading lady of the film is possessed by its spirit. Once you watch this films you would never find a kitten cute as you always did !!!
Raaz – 2002
The film is a remake of the English film, ‘ What Lies Beneath’ by Michelle Pfeiffer was one of the first few films that actress Bipasha Basu signed in. Bipasha matched every bit of the commendable job that the original actor in the Hollywood film .
Bhoot – 2003
Bhoot in 2003 was one of the most gripping films churned out by the filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma. An award winning supernatural horror film stars Ajay Devgn and Urmila Matondkar. A box office hit which was also made in Telugu . Urmila won several awards for her performance as the ghost possessed wife. Varma later made a sequel of this film in 2012 called the ‘ Bhoot Returns‘
Saaya – 2003
Saaya which means Shadow is a film on supernatural fantasy directed by Anurag Basu and stars John Abrahim , Tara Sharma and Mahima Chaudhry. Adapted from the Hollywood film of 2002, Dragonfly, the film
A thriller film where the hero of the film Akash cannot accept his wife Maya’s death in a bus accident. A doctor by profession he strongly believes his wife is not dead and starts feeling the paranormal experiences whereby he starts searching for his wife’s soul in his patients. Thus gets attracted or drawn to every patient and even starts believing a corpse talking to him when he is alone .. A film on hallucination and a supernatural a fiction wherein he finds the soul of his wife as her spirit beacons him to show him the accident in which she was killed and the incidents that led to it. A story of innovation with dangerous ideas expressed.
Darna Mana Hai – 2003
This film by RGV and Ram Gopal Varma in which he packs 6 of the most creative and scary short stories is an innovative attempt by Ram Gopal Varma and Prawaal Raman . With a host of Bollywood stars like Saif Ali Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Aftab Shivdasani , Shilpa Shetty , Sameera Reddy, Isha Koppikar, Nana Patekar, and Sohail Khan , a film loosely inspired by the film Campfire Tales which revolves around the seven friends who find themselves stuck in the deep jungles middle of the night and to keep each other amused and entertained they start off with each of them telling stories of horror and supernatural elements. The stories were so unreal some of them that only Ram Gopal Varma could leave you getting scared of an apple after watching this film which had an outrageous twists !!
Phoonk – 2008
A creepy horror film directed by Ram Gopal Varma and produced by Praveen Nischol , a film based on superstitions and black magic. Though a blockbuster film which got popular as Varma announced a prize of Rs 5 lakhs to the one who could watch this film alone in the theatre. A challenge of a unique sorts! An outline of the film based on the Telugu thriller novel and a remake of Telugu film Raksha. A sequel with the same name Phoonk 2 was made in 2010.
1920 – 2008
A film that guarantees chill in the spine is about a newly married couple in a royal deserted mansion and a mysterious caretaker of the mansion. What sets this film apart is its artistic finesse in which each frame is shot.
13 B – 2009
The spine tingling and the chilling experience this film has given isn’t funny . A film that delivers the film with weird camera angles has a strong script with an ensemble star cast that have done a perfect job and a film. The story in which a man experiences a supernatural occurrence where he can see the future of his family exclusively telecast on the Television after he has moved into a newly purchased apartment. A film that audience did not want to miss and did well despite not having a convincing storyline.
Shaapit – 2010
The film Shaapit was conceived by the Ace film maker of Horror films, Vikram Bhatt whose USP likes in making films of Horror! His films are stylish but errie and by the end of the film you really want to believe in the curses and the supernatural and evil spirits!!
A story based on a family whose daughters have been carrying a curse for generations . The essence of the film was the build up plot and the convincingly horrifying ghost /monster.
Ragini MMS- 2011
Ragini MMS produced by Balaji Telefilms and directed by Pawan Kriplani , the film is inspired from the American supernatural horror film Paranormal Activity and they say is also partly a real story of a girl from Delhi. The film gave the audience an edge-of-the-seat thrills and a few had sleepless nights when they hit the bed !!
Ek Thi Daayan – 2013
Ek Thi Daayan a horror of a different kind and an attempt to trying out something new to the horror stories. A creepy horror film on paranormal thrills that is more of a supernatural drama and quite unrealistic but styled with a storyline that was impressive. The spooky Daayan is essayed by beautiful Konkana Sen.
An adaptation from the short story, Mobius Trips by Mukul Sharma, this supernatural thriller film was directed by Kannan Iyer and along with Konkana Sen, Emraan Hashmi , Huma Qureshi and Kalki Koechlin are also in the star cast. An interesting film that attempts to keep our thoughts between reality and fantasy!
Talaash : The Answer Lies Within – 2012
Talaash : The Answer Lies Within a 2012 psychological horror thriller directed by Reema Kagti and produced by Excel Entertainment and Aamir Khan Productions. Starring in the lead roles , Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherji and Kareena Kapoor. Rajkummar Rao , Shernaz Patel Nawazuddin Siddiqui play in supporting roles. A story of a ghost essayed by the pretty Kareena Kapoor. A highest grossing film of that year, the story revolves around a death of an actor whom inspector Surjan Singh is investigating and also living with a guilt due to the loss of his only son, a disturbed marriage and during the course of his investigation gets attached to a sex worker Rosie who is actually a ghost. Kareena looks far from a ghost and is the friendly one though when you get to know the story, in that moment you feel the hairs on your body stand up!
Horror Story – 2013
A film that you would not be alive to believe once you see it !!! directed by Ayush Raina and produced by Vikram Bhatt the new King of Horror Films revolves around seven friends who decide to spend the night in a haunted hotel which was originally a mental asylum for the criminally insane and reportedly gets haunted when an unsuspecting fire destroys it and the inmates. The ghost of the criminal inmates are creating havoc while the seven friends experience strange happenings that also drove the owner of the hotel to a suicide. Extremely frightening scenes some of them which made the audience jump out of their seats! The film is based on Stephen King’s Short Story 1408.
Alone – 2015
Alone a 2015 horror film directed by Bhushan Patel starring Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover. A remake of the 2007 Thai Film with the same name which was again remade in the South in 2011. A haunting story of the spirit of a conjoined dead sister haunts her life and creates havoc. Seeing the dead sister face to face in the mirror and reflection which is actually her hallucinations gave way to a shocking discovery that also gives the audience a psychological equivalence like the characters in the film seem confined with the fear beyond their control.
People will be surprised to know that actress as fine as Bipasha Basu has been dubbed by the Indian Media as the Bollywood’s own Horror queen having starred in 7 horror films from 2001 to 2015 , her last film being ‘Alone’ .
Currently there are about dozens of horror film producers coming up every year and quite recent ones with sequels.
As we conclude part 1 of the Horror films in Bollywood we come across the innovation and non-conventionality in the Indian cinema. A segment where we see dangerous ideas that are expressed , far-reaching techniques explored and filmmakers who are working outside the mainstream emerge with dark little secrets of their fantasies mainly for entertainment purpose with a twist to make their story interesting with the central character which is usually an unexpected element supernatural unreal character in the storyline .
