After 'RAAT', Ram Gopal Verma has come up with yet another horror movie and his seventh movie with
Urmila Matondkar. Ram Gopal Verma has continued with Ajay Devgan with his terrific performance in
'Company'. 'BHOOT' directed by Ram Gopal Verma and produced by Nitin Manmohan is an urban
horror movie, different from all other horror movies in which there is blood flowing, screaming of a birds, lightning, gusty
winds, skulls hanging around, etc… There is nothing as such in Bhoot, which is very much into a city dwelled by a
handsome population. It's a horror movie different from the regular genre yet very much scary. There is no romance, comedy
or even glamour in this movie. More so there are no songs too to dilute the mood.
Ajay Devgan plays Vishal, a stock analyst while Urmila Matondkar is his wife (Swati). Urmila has
been the central character in a number of Ramu's previous flicks and she continues being so, with the lens following her almost
every time. Vishal is in search of new house and gets one on the 12th floor of a skyscraper. The plot begins with the end of his
search. The earlier occupant of the flat had committed suicide. But, Vishal being a non-superstitious person ignores the fact and
continues to live in the haunted flat. He doesn't even bother to inform Swati about what he has heard about their new home. Facts
cannot be hidden and one fine day Swati comes to know the proceedings. This marks the beginning of an edge-of-the-seat thrill.
She sees a 'ghost' in the house one day and informs to Vishal about it. Many strange things start happening to her. Vishal however
neglects them and concludes that Swati is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Vishal even takes Swati to the psychiatrist,
Dr. Rajan (played by Victor Benarjee) for treatment. But, Vishal has a second thought about the happenings and
plans to unearth the story. Suddenly the tempo of the thrill swells and you come to know that there is a murder taken place. Steps in
Nana Patekar, a cop, Liyaqat Quereshi, to investigate the murder. From this point of time the movie gains the
suspense aspect and becomes scary right until the climax.
Fardeen Khan is the couple's neighbour, whereas Seema Biswas, a maidservant helps building the suspense
with her hoarse voice coupled with a typical role and dialogues. She is the person who pesters Vishal that his wife, Swati is
trapped by some ghost. Rekha along with Tanuja (plays Urmila's mother) resume their yet another
Bollywood innings with a cameo in Bhoot. Except for Ajay and Urmila, the rest of the cast have small but significant roles.
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The background score (by Salim Sulaiman) and the special sound effects (By Dwarak Warrier) surpass their
importance in building the thrill of the whole enterprise. They are as competent as their counterpart in Hollywood. One really feels
the chill and grip in this almost 2-hour story. Ram Gopal Verma's Bhoot is once again an experimental from the stable
with no song sequences this time. The songs appearing in the satellite channels and FM radios are just for promotion sake.
There is no typical romantic sequence between the hot and sexy Urmila and tough Ajay, who has played a helpless husband with
no action. In fact one does crave for a dose of these regular 'masala movie' elements.
All in all, Ramu has done what he intended to, 'Be afraid'.
