Tag Archives: Rajesh Jais

Chhorii 2

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Vampire Owl: So, we are now going for this particular sequel.

Vampire Bat: We do not like missing out on the horror movie sequels.

Vampire Owl: Yet, this is no Scream, Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe or anything.

Vampire Bat: This is not Conjuring, Nun, Annabelle or anything similar.

Vampire Owl: Is this the kind of sequel that we have been looking for?

Vampire Bat: The first movie had provided a good dose of basic elements.

Vampire Owl: There is no better master of combining elements than Dr. Frankenstein.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein combines different types of pseudo-science only.

Vampire Owl: He is a doctor and scientist who keeps winning awards.

Vampire Bat: He do not win them, for he only keeps taking them, mostly from unsuspecting humans.

[Gets a kothu porotta and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Seven years have passed after the incidents of the first movie, and Sakshi (Nushrratt Bharuccha) lives with her daughter Ishani (Hardika Sharma) and her newfound support in the form of Rani (Pallavi Ajay). Inspector Samar (Gashmeer Mahajani) who understood the case thoroughly had arranged a place to stay for them, and he had also arranged a job for Sakshi as a teacher in a nearby school, where Ishani was also given admission through his influence. Sakshi still lives in fear, thinking that Rajbir (Saurabh Goyal) and his people of the village will come back for her and the child, and she also feels that they will always continue to have sinister plans for those who escaped from their captivity. The darkness bothers Sakshi, but her daughter is having a certain skin condition which does not allow the kid to go out in direct sunlight as it burns her badly. The school does not give her exemption though, as she goes to school with enough covering as protection, and enjoys her time in the institution.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: They try their best to make the situation best for the child. But it does not take much time to have everything take another twist, as both Ishika and Rani are kidnapped by people who seem to be from the village. The police chase them and Sakshi accompanies them. As they walk through the area surrounded by corn, things feel unusually peaceful, with no signs of the missing child and woman. Surprisingly, they soon find themselves being stoned by children in the sugarcane fields and they hold back to avoid hitting the kids. Sakshi finds herself hit on the head, blindfolded and dragged by her legs by children to an unknown area, as police is unable to find her within the long and broad field of corn. Sameer knows that time is running out for him, as the villagers might waste no time in getting what they want, which might be something even weirder and scarier this time. Can he and his policemen get through the corn and save the women and child in trouble?

The defence of Chhorii 2 :: As a continuation of the first movie, this one covers a good ground while keeping the world going. The atmosphere is really good here, as the setting works perfectly with sugarcane fields, mysteries and fear coming together. The cinematography nicely supports the same as we are glad about what is displayed on the screen. The attempt to tackle the issues like blind superstitions, child marriage, child infanticide and mistreatment of women along with the horror elements — giving it more depth related to the society and its troubles rather than just jump scares. The movie further establishes Nushrratt Bharuccha as the one Bollywood actress to look out for, above the usual performers who are mostly products of nepotism and never came close to acting, with Param Sundari being the biggest example of terrible acting by an actress. The spooky visuals, especially in underground sequences which includes those realistic maze-like tunnels, are just too good – it feels like a world has been created, and there is a certain innovation with an Indian touch. The aerial shot of the sugarcane fields with the well and other structures is just classic. Then there is that well that works.

The claws of flaw :: The movie still has moments which keep us wishing for more, and wondering if things could have really been different. There are scares which could have been better, and sometimes, the movie just seems to hold back. There was chance of infinity of horror at times, but taking the wrong turn might feel not safe for the people of the movie. There are still so many moments where not much happens, that too in the maze where there was scope for some creatures, supernatural or not. The strength of horror is not maintained throughout the overall run of the movie too, as the monsters themselves are not among the scariest or designed well enough to match up with the strength of atmospheric horror and nicely worked surroundings. The story does not remain strong throughout its run either, as it refuses to keep the interest of the audience at all times. Some characters are not dealt with well enough. The attempt to go to the message often makes it lose the flow of the story and the horror power.

The performers of the soul :: Nushrratt Bharuccha continues to make us feel like she is a perfect addition in this as much as the original Chhorii. We have known her the most for movies like Pyaar Ka Punchnama, but these two movies might be the works for which we will know her the most and we also see how she establishes herself as a Bollywood scream queen. There is also that feeling that she is looking younger and younger, with this one having her with one of the most beautiful looks ever. She shines as the mother as much as the survivor of horror against all odds, with determination overcoming the fear on her face like Hollywood movies could have in their slasher flicks. Gashmeer Mahajani is a strong addition to the main cast as he makes the police officer role work like a dream, never really overdoing according to the usual tendencies. Then there is my favourite performer from that particular family, Soha Ali Khan doing so well. Saurabh Goyal is once again strong with the brutal villainy here.

How it finishes :: Chhorii 2 is that sequel which would have always been on the list of future horror that is to come. Bollywood really needed some strong horror franchises with some nicely built world, and this is one group of movies which can assure the same. Adding some folklore-like elements here and there would make sure that the effect is something more. I would say that I liked this one better than the previous one, with both the evil and the dark world getting a boost here, while not being as preachy as the previous one. There is also more clarity about this one, and the leading actress also gets more to perform due to her being at better health; the added police officer only serves the purpose further. A certain lack of pace and repetitions does bring some struggle, but the overall situation gets itself at a better level than the previous movie. Not all movies get to create a sequel that match the original, and this one does, which serves a reflection of no ideas being lost, and of still having a possible sequel on the list.

Release date: 11th April 2025
Running time: 134 minutes
Directed by: Vishal Furia
Starring: Nushrratt Bharuccha, Soha Ali Khan, Gashmeer Mahajani, Rajesh Jais, Kuldeep Sareen, Saurabh Goyal, Pallavi Ajay, Hardika Sharma, Mukul Shrivastava, Aarifa Siddiqui

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Chhorii

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Vampire Owl: More of interesting horror to be unleashed?

Vampire Bat: Yes, Dybbuk was a remake from our world, and this one is remade from another language and industry.

Vampire Owl: Some good original horror is always in need.

Vampire Bat: Horror can be original only in a limited way, as it is universal.

Vampire Owl: Unless we become the one true horror.

Vampire Bat: We are never truly into horror.

Vampire Owl: So, we are not into our true nature.

Vampire Bat: The normal terrifying vampire has already been abolished.

Vampire Owl: You mean that there is no normal anymore.

Vampire Bat: Normal is not real as of now, not in our realm.

[Gets some French fries and three cups of white tea].

What is the movie about? :: A pregnant woman is chased in a sugarcane field by unknown forces, and with nowhere to go, they force her to cut their womb. Later, in a city, Sakshi (Nushrratt Bharuccha) is pregnant, and works in an NGO, and lives with her husband Hemant (Saurabh Goyal), who is in trouble for not returning a loan in time, with his business failing. His partner had also disappeared with the money. He feels that he is being stalked by people who needs the money back. She is happy with her work and regarding life in the city, but things don’t get any better with the cash which was borrowed. As people start threatening them, with Hemant even getting beaten at times, this makes the city no longer a safe choice for living. They are given twenty four hours to return the money, and make the decision to leave for their driver’s village which is located in a very remote area, and has a good number of sugarcane fields. Three hundred kilometres away, and a lot distant from civilizations, there are only five houses in the village.

So, what happens with the events to follow? :: It seems that almost nobody comes there, even by mistake. They have to walk a long way through the sugarcane fields, and after almost losing the way multiple times, reach the area which has no network coverage and almost no shop. There, they meet Bhanno Devi (Mita Vashisht), the driver’s wife, a very orthodox woman who seems to be a person completely belonging to that particular village in more than one way. Hemant leaves the place soon enough, to find a solution to their financial problems, and the two women share a bond with each other. What Sakshi doesn’t understand is that there is more than what meets the eye with the people there, as much as the supernatural. Therefore, the fight will be against the dead, the undead and the living to save her world. But is it possible for her to face such terror in a weakened state? Do they have further secrets which needs to be unveiled for her life to be saved from what seems to be doom in waiting?

The defence of Chhorii :: Chhorii adds to the list of horror movies which are part of a human infested, virus infected world, which is not less terrifying than any film which one will get to see. The atmosphere here is really good, and it is really shot here to create the perfect situation for horror. It looks scary enough during the day time, and in darkness, it is something more. Being at the middle of nowhere, with no place to go, is terrifying enough, and there is more here to add to the same. It is certainly a scarier world than the lifeless modernity or a haunted house, with or without the presence of the supernatural. The presence of the children here adds to that eerie feeling more, for we are never hopeless about the terror of some demon kids. The background story which serves as the flashback gets things to be really interesting. The film also has a social message which runs through the background and comes strong in the final moments of the film.

The claw of flaw :: The movie can feel somewhat stretched for one’s liking, as it does feel long with much of time being consumed without a lot happening. With a shorter length, this could have been much more effective, adding a certain amount of crispiness here and there. The language spoken by the villagers can also be difficult to understand, leaving us to look out for the subtitles at regular intervals. The tale could have also been more straight-forward, without leaving the mysterious elements behind. The message also arrives late, and if it had released much earlier, the effect could have been more. The stereotyping and the predictable elements are also allowed to run strong around here. The scary elements could have been more, using the atmosphere to more of an advantage – there were so many moments which could have used better scares, and combined them with the atmosphere. The present world asks for a lot more horror than the pre-Corona world, as people have changed a little too much for everyone’s liking.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is very much centered and focused on Nushrratt Bharuccha. She is very much comfortable in playing the pregnant city woman who ends up in a village, all alone. She deals with the horror genre really well, and it would be nice to see her in a similar role with city horror at some later point. As this film is a remake of a Marathi horror film which released a few years, there would be comparisons, also related to the performances – only those who watched the original can comment further on the same. We know that Mita Vasisht from different movies in the past, and this one is no exception for her, as she runs through the whole thing without holding back. Pallavi Ajay, even though silent throughout the film, makes a strong presence. Yaaneea Bharadwaj plays the one ghost whom we would like for most of the time, and there seems to be a lot of work being put in there. Rajesh Jais plays the man with a mystery to him very well. Saurabh Goyal also does more than what his character seemed to be up to, in the beginning.

How it finishes :: At a time when life is full of horror, especially with humans mostly choosing the evil paths, the requirement for horror films never ends. The one movie that we remember while watching this is the English film, In the Tall Grass, with the environment, and also about an Indonesian film, Impetigore. This movie is also a reminder of humanity’s evil side, and it tells us that humans are always more evil than ghosts, going after their selfish needs all the time. There is so much of evil being repeated in our world, and the movie, even though focuses on the crimes on women, one has to say that the Corona virus infected world has seen too much of the same being done on different unsuspecting people. The film enters the world which has lost its humanity, and repeats its own favourite mistakes – the basic idea that human beings cannot be trusted, will only find a repetition here, as ghosts do have more quality than those who walk on Earth claiming as the superior living species.

Release date: 26th November 2021 (Amazon Prime Video)
Running time: 129 minutes
Directed by: Vishal Furia
Starring: Nushrratt Bharuccha, Mita Vashisht, Pallavi Ajay, Yaaneea Bharadwaj, Rajesh Jais, Saurabh Goyal

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Raman Raghav 2.0

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What is the movie about? :: The movie makes it clear that it is not about Raman Raghav a.k.a. Psycho Raman who was a famous serial killer, who unleashed terror in the city of Mumbai in the 1960s. About fifteen years later, another serial killer named Ramanna (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who seems to follow the same kind of methods, starts his work in the same city. His way of operating is rather strange, and the police has not much clue about what his operations are. His list of victims only get longer, and it also includes Ramanna’s own sister, Lakshmi (Amruta Subhash) who is living with her husband (Ashok Lokhande) and their only son. She reluctantly lets him stay and cooks him food, only to get into an argument with the family. She leaves the place and comes back to take their money as well as kill them all one after the other.

So, what happens next? :: Ramanna is not the kind of person who has any kind of remorse for his actions, and he is surely not the kind of man who thinks twice about what he is to do. He is the worst kind of serial killer whom one could have on their trail. Even after being caught by the police and questioned, there is nothing that comes out of him, and he even escapes with the help of some local boys, thanks to the natural acting that comes to him. ACP Raghavan Singh (Vicky Kaushal) is in charge of the investigation, and has no real clue until finding the photo of Ramanna on the scene of crime, where Ramanna had murdered his sister. He figures out that the man whom they had apprehended a few days earlier has some kind of connection with these brutal murders which have been happening all around the city, keeping the residents terrified.

And, what is to follow next in this tale of terror in the streets? :: Even as he puts a tough cop act all the time, and seems to be righteous cop looking after criminal when someone looks from outside, Raghavan Singh is a a troubled person in his mind, having an unparalleled addiction to drugs, and has an even more terrible anger management issue. He is in a relationship with Smrutika Naidu (Sobhita Dhulipala) at whose place she is staying. It is another terrible relationship that they are having, with him forcing her to have more than one abortion after she keeps getting pregnant as he has his way as he likes. He also has no shame in beating her, but she stays faithful to him, and refuses to go home even after her family hopes for her return. Raghavan gets obsessed with catching Ramanna to such an extent that his issues deepen, and Ramanna at the same time, keeps an eye on the investigating officer – where does this game end?

The defence of Raman Raghav 2.0 :: The dark and terrifying avatar is given more and more life as the movie progresses, and then there is the other side which gets rather scarier. You feel the power of darkness in this movie, and there is so much of energy throughout the flick, thanks to the two main performers. It successfully makes you depressed and leaves you disturbing, with not much hope in the world of chaos. Humanity is surely capable of terrible things, and a lot of these capabilities are there right from the beginning, and are further powered by upbringing and the society. We keep wondering what is to happen next, and we are always interested to know how it all ends, or reach a new beginning. It takes only one serial killer to inspire more, and lets hope that Ramanna becomes our Hannibal to bring more of such movies which can prove to be even better. The final twist is something that breathes life like no other.

The claws of flaw :: There is no doubt that we had expected more from a movie like Raman Raghav 2.0 with its cast and the people who are the helm. We feel that a certain amount of hollowness do exist at times, and this one isn’t that much focused on what we would have been hoping to see with a police officer after a serial killer – this one has almost nothing about the investigation about the murderer. More focus could have been on the characters, and they could have had origin tales, even at the cost of the movie going longer – there are some parts of the movie which could have been cut down to provide space for more of the tale. This kind of movies should have more action, thrilling sequences and deeper story-line which should make us wish to remember the tale more than once; but the focus of Raman Raghav 2.0 seems to be rather a little too much divergent. Then there is the violence – nobody is a role model here.

Performers of the soul :: There is Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Vicky Kaushal doing a fantastic job in this movie, which surely keeps things going strong. We keep wondering when we will see more of them with movies which get the wider release here. If it was more about the former in the beginning, the latter of Masaan fame takes it to the next level in the second half towards the end. You will also notice Sobhita Dhulipala and Amruta Subhash, as two actresses who brings some great performances in two of the best sequences of the movie. The one thing about Bollywood is that these names which are not regularly talked about as superstars are the real actors and acting stars – I really hope that their movies get release in every theatre here rather than those which brings the crowd; if I was running a theatre, I would run a special show for sure, no matter how much of box-office collection such movies are to bring.

How it finishes :: The movie leaves one with the message that everyone has the tendency to be bad, or rather evil, as it is the inherent evil in man which has more certainty to it than anything else. It is the situation that brings the worst out of people, whether they are branded good or bad. The hopeless state of humanity is directly or indirectly reflected in this movie, which struggles to find goodness which seems to fade away further and further as the flick progresses, and by the end of this, we have lost almost all hope in mankind – it is the ultimate truth, right? We do our best, and still we live in a society which is all about money and power, and the need for it as well as the possession of it, will only turn more people against each other. Evil is so easy, right? Being good is so difficult, especially with a new generation caught inside more than one kind of addiction. Raman Raghav 2.0 has that kind of protagonists, and we know that there is a good chance that we are all going to die an early, terrible death considering where the world is going.

Release date: 24th June 2016
Running time: 127 minutes
Directed by: Anurag Kashyap
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vicky Kaushal, Sobhita Dhulipala, Amruta Subhash, Vipin Sharma, Ashok Lokhande, Harssh A. Singh, Anuschka Sawhney, Hitesh Dave, Rajesh Jais, Kalidas Parthitan, Rhea Pagar, Arun Singh

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.