akshay shah

Master Praz

I am a huge advocate for the horror genre, and unfortunately it’s one that Indian Cinema has been getting wrong for the majority of the time. Full credit, however, must go to Ram Gopal Varma as, throughout his entire career, he has revisited the genre with films like RAAT, KAUN (not technically a horror, but close enough), BHOOT, VAASTU SHASTRA and PHOONK and has even met with box-office success. Vikram Bhatt also, has made films like RAAZ and 1920, and both directors’ efforts have been a far cry from the campy films the Ramsay Bros used to churn out.

13b is along the lines of recent Asian Cinema Hollywood remakes like THE RING and THE GRUDGE (the promos gave the impressing that it’s a take-off of POLTERGEIST) and the result is a gripping, thrilling and somewhat freaky horror film, though just a tad too stretched out.

Manohar (Madhavan) is a civil engineer and he lives in a joint family. They buy an expensive apartment – 13B – in a plush locality and move in. Spooky things start to happen to Manohar. The lift doesn’t work whenever he gets into it. He is unable to fix the portraits of Gods in the prayer room. His family members are obsessed with viewing TV serials and he finds out that there is one TV serial called ‘Sab Khairiyat’ that is on at 1 pm every day. Then it unfolds that the events that happen in the TV serial materialise in the lives of his family members. Spooked by this, (as anyone would be) he starts investigating and realizes that some spirits are trying to contact him through TV. What is the secret behind 13b?

Two thumbs to director Vikram Kumar, not only has he written a solid story, but he also manages to make a strong debut as a director. The movie is slow to start in the first half as the scene is established. There are a few scary moments and the tension builds up nicely in the first half. The second half is a tight-knit, roller-coaster ride which is relentless as it doesn’t let the viewer go. As a director, Kumar has done his research well and understands the confines of the genre superbly, as he not only creates fabulous ambience, but also manages to shoot some stunningly chilling sequences. The two things which were a letdown were the extended and rather prolonged second half which tends to drag after a point despite an interesting storyline, and also the inclusion of songs which stand out like a sore thumb. Ideally, like Varma, one wishes that Kumar had done without songs here. Aside from that, the final scene comes across as a cheap gimmick.

Kumar’s team does him full justice here too. P.C Sreeram for cinematography, editing by Sreekar Prasad and the stunning background score by Shankar Ehsaan Loy. All these aspects are crucial for a horror film and they all live up to expectations.
On merit basis, there are three major assets of the movie. The first one is the solid background music and fabulous sound design. In fact, even in the opening titles you immediately get the feeling that some good sound effects are on the cards. The second merit is the outstanding camera work which is visible in each frame and scene. The creative visuals enhance the experience of this thriller to a great extent, especially the scenes with the blind man and his dog, sequences related to the old black & white television and scenes at the mental asylum. The third asset worth mentioning is the superb act by Madhavan, which he can easily rate as his best work to date in Hindi Cinema. He acts better in the tense scenes involving encounters with the spirits. The rest of the cast is also in stellar form – be it Neetu Chandra, Poonam Dhillon (fantastic to see her on the big screen after such a long break), and Sachin Khedkar. Deepak Dobriyal deserves a special mention in yet another knock-out act after OMKARA and SHAURYA.

In conclusion, the movie is successful at grasping the audience’s attention and delivers exactly what is required from a “true” horror/thriller. Freaky!!

Master Praz