Khamoshiyan Review
Director: Karan Darra
Co Producers: Mahesh Bhatt (Presenter), Mukesh Bhatt
Distributors: Fox Star Studios, India
Starring: Ali Fazal, Gurmeet Chaudhary, Sapna Pabbi
Cinematographer: Nigam Bomzan
Horror films tend to use two methods to scare viewers. The first consists of horror created from the atmosphere of a film. The second is with a set of weird, bloody (or muddy) ghosts/ creatures that set to draw blood & spill guts. Mixing the two is not a good idea. And that’s where ‘Khamoshiyan’ fails.
In brief, the film is a horror suspense story about a writer who decides to leave behind a sad, lonely life to remove his writers’ block (Ali Fazal). He lands up in an isolated guesthouse, a classic old-fashioned wooden bungalow, in Kashmir. The sole manager of this empty guesthouse is a sexy, sultrily dressed married woman (Sapna Pabbi). She is nursing an ailing and bed-ridden husband, and therefore, refuses to leave the house. She suffers in silence. Both lonely souls are drawn to each other, although there is lot that this woman is hiding with her silences.
The first half of this film does a commendable job of creating fear from its setting and claustrophobically quite atmosphere. It builds tension by using the house and it’s eerie emptiness to keep the viewer engaged. The mystery woman is also fairly intriguing- you do want to know more about her reality. She is mysterious, and vague about her circumstances. Intimate sequences establish the addictive nature of this writer’s affliction with this woman. It has been shot remarkably well with real locations in natural light looking lustrous and adding value to its narration.
In the second half though, the plot flounders in execution. Animated fright is yet to come off age in Bollywood, and ends up resembling comedy. To the observant viewer, that the locations are not Jammu & Kashmir but South Africa is quite obvious. But that is not it’s major flaw. A noticeable weakness in this film is its inability to retain the scare factor and failure to capitalize on the numbing allure of the dark arts. Add to that, unimpressive performances by Ali Fazal & Gurmeet Chaudhary don’t help matters. Sapna Pabbi though is decent and her face has an element of mystique. And a dreadful climax diminishes this film’s experience considerably.
Reviews rarely impact horror as a genre. Which is why it is surprising that this film was not promoted as one. It is not much of a humane tale or love story. I would recommend this for fans of horror films only. And the lilting ‘Khamoshiyan’ title song by Arijit Singh does stay with you after you leave the theatre.
Ticket Price Value 55 per cent.
