Somewhere - A Fear of Love, Somwhere - A Love of Fear....

After watching Robert De Niro in Cape Fear, I couldn't sleep for several nights. Not because Cape Fear was a horror film (a genre that always leaves me petrified), but because De Niro portrayed his character in a manner so chilling it made me numb with fear. In Sanghamitra Chaudhary’s “The Bhoot of Rose Ville”, I experienced the same sense of terror as the film moved straight from romance into horror. I wondered if I'd get out of the cinema hall alive. The film with its nail biting storyline with added dosage of steamy scenes, visual effects and a stunning background score, had me trembling with trepidation. I remembered the film's tagline – “The boldest, wildest and scariest movie” and felt even more nervous.

The Bhoot of Rose Ville is the story of Rose who stays at Rose Ville - a small bungalow at a sea side resort, Digha along with her father who is the Pastor of the Holy Church. Being very orthodox, he does not approve of his daughter’s relationship with a Hindu boy Samir Dutta and her plans to marry him. Rose succumbs to her father’s pressures and gets ready to marry Robin, her childhood friend, who is also an orphan. Cute young and very cheerful, Robin loved Rose right since childhood, unknown to her as he could never express his feelings. He is very happy and is on cloud nine

However, life has something else in store for him. Robin meets with a severe accident, just three days before their wedding, and dies. Unable to bear the separation and that too with Rose whom he loved very much, his soul comes and meets Rose. He gives a wedding ring to Rose and proceeds to make love. Rose later discovers that it was the soul of Robin as he is now dead. She is too scared to talk about it but eventually pours out her heart and her fears to Samir. Meanwhile her father has become a clergyman and starts living in a church.

Three months later, Rose discovers that she is expecting a child. She is shocked beyond her senses. Samir advises her to abort the baby and takes her to Kolkata and also seeks her father’s permission to marry as Robin is no longer alive. After three years Rose returns to Rose Ville to sell the house only to find a lot of unnatural activities happening there.

The highlight of Bhoot is its nail biting plot and the stylized cinematic presentation. The director uses the background music and close up shots to create the right atmospherics. Moreover, the movie has no songs because of which the flow of the narrative is not broken.

Even the romantic track between the lead pairs - Arpita Mukherjee and Dronn Mukherjee has been treated differently. Unlike other Tollywood movies, the intimacy between the couple is more mature. In a nutshell The Bhoot is atmospheric, spooky and sends a chill down the spine. And the commendable performances by its key players, propped by Sanghamitra’s sleek direction, send the shivers down the spines of the viewers.

A Tri Color Entertainment's Production, The Bhoot is an unusual fare that Tollywood hasn't produced till now. It is something beyond the usual blood-and-gore concoctions, and definitely gives a new dimension to horror films. But surely Sanghamitra has the ability to do better than this if she is given the right kinda budget and a better platform to paint her canvas well...

Siddharth Mohan

Film Analyst