Cast: Bipasha Basu, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Doyel Dhawan, Darshan Jariwala and Shernaz Patel
Director: Suparn Verma
Although Aatma is essentially a horror movie it explores the dynamics of an abusive marriage. It is as much a family drama as it is a scary movie. The film is about a family of three – husband (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), wife (Bipasha Basu) and their daughter (Doyel Dhawan).
Nawazuddin is an abusive husband who loves his daughter and doesn’t think much of his wife. Bipasha realizes he isn’t any good for her and her daughter and decides to file for divorce. During the course of the bitter separation Bipasha gets custody of their daughter. Nawazuddin gets into a car accident and dies only to come back for his daughter from the other world.
Aatma is high on concept. A husband and wife fighting for the daughter from the real world and the astral world is novel. This is Supan Verma’s third outing as a director after two failed attempts.
The film is well executed. The prosthetics look real and don’t make you cringe like other horror movies made in Hindi cinema even today. The movie has exquisite cinematography and the editing is crisp. What the movie lacks is drama. It fails on the writing level completely. The few horror set pieces lack the spook factor and some are there just to freak out the audience.
In terms of performances Nawazuddin steals the show. Although after his entry he goes missing for a large chunk of the first half his presence is felt even in small scenes. This is one of Bipasha’s better performances. She emotes well even in the really tough scenes where she is being abused. Doyel Dhawan the child actor is good and well cast. Her scene of being possessed pre-interval is quite creepy.
Just for the sheer execution this movie is highly recommended, even if you’re not a fan of the horror genre. Just goes to show we are taking the genre that is so loved in our country seriously. Even if you miss this in theatres do catch it on DVD. A few more concept heavy horror movies and we will give Hollywood a good run for its money.
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