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Indian ghost movies are popular not just in India but in the Middle East, Africa, South East Asia and other parts of the world. Generally the movies are based on the experiences of modern people who are unexpectedly exposed to ghosts. Some Indian ghost movies, such as the comedy horror film Chandramukhi , have been great hits, dubbed into several languages. [1] They usually draw on traditional Indian literature or folklore, but in some cases are remakes of Western movies, such as Anjaane , based on Alejandro Amenábar's ghost story The Others . [2]
The 1949 Mahal (Hindi : महल; Urdu : محل; English: The Mansion) was a groundbreaking Hindi language movie directed by Kamal Amrohi and starring Ashok Kumar and Madhubala, one of the earliest known Bollywood films dealing with reincarnation. Mahal became one of the biggest box office hits of 1949 in India. [3] According to a critic, the film connected Hindu reincarnation stories with the European gothic fiction. [4]
Chandramukhi (Tamil : சந்திரமுகி; Telugu : చంద్రముఖి; Hindi : चंद्रमुखी) (2005) is a horror, comedy and drama film directed by P. Vasu and produced by Ramkumar Ganesan. The soundtrack and background score for the film, which later became successful enough to be released as a separate album, was written by Vidyasagar. It was later dubbed into several languages, and became one of the highest grossing Tamil film ever. [1] Chandramukhi is a remake of the 2004 Kannada film Apthamitra , which was the highest grossing Kannada film in recent times. The movie tells of the experiences of a married couple who buy an ancient palace in Mysore that turns out to be haunted. [5] Apthamitra itself was a remake of the successful 1993 Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu directed by Fazil and written by Madhu Muttam. [6]
The ghost movies often concern modern people unexpectedly involved in the ghostly results of past events. Bhoot (Hindi : भूत, English: Ghost) (2003) was directed by Ram Gopal Varma and starring Urmila Matondkar and Ajay Devgan. A couple takes an apartment that turns out to have a horrifying past. A series of inexplicable experiences drives the wife to near madness. Bhoot was perceived to be different from a typical Bollywood movie as it did not contain songs. [7] Krishna Cottage (2004) starring Sohail Khan, Natassha, and Ishaa Koppikar is a horror story that includes ghosts, death, reincarnation, and love, revolving around a fictional book "Kayi Unkahi Batein" (a few untold things) by Professor Siddharth Das (Rajendranath Zutshi). [8] . A common form of ghost in South Indian horror movies are the interpretations of the White Lady, a female ghost characterized by white dresses (in this case, often sarees) and themes of tragedy and betrayal. The Ur-example of such work is the 1964 film, Bhargavi Nilayam.[ citation needed ]
Some have a more philosophical theme. In Hum Tum Aur Ghost , starring Arshad Warsi and Dia Mirza, the hero is a charming fashion photographer whose life is marred by the fact that he hears voices that nobody else can hear, which disrupts his social life. He becomes aware of his special ability to connect with the souls that haven't crossed over, and sets out on a journey where he assists three souls, in the process learning much about himself. [9]
Indian ghost movies are often based on Indian novels or short stories about ghosts. [10] Anandabhadram (Malayalam : അനന്തഭദ്രം) is a Malayalam film released in 2005 about ghosts, spirits, and black magic, based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Sunil Parameswaran. [11] It is the first Malayalam venture of Indian director Santosh Sivan [12] as well as of Bengali model/actress Riya Sen. [13] The story of Ananthabhadram is a fairy tale. Set in rural Kerala, the tale is dominated by black magicians, martial arts experts, sorcerers and seductresses. Sivan said "it was the story of Ananthabhadram that captivated me. The stories my grandmother used to tell me used to take me to a world of mystery. It was the same feeling when I heard this story and I have tried to capture that in my film." [14]
Paheli (Devanagari: पहेली, Nastaliq: پہیلی,; English: Riddle) (2005) was directed by Amol Palekar and produced by Gauri Khan, Sanjiv Chawla and Shahrukh Khan, who also plays the male lead. It is based on the short story written by Vijayadan Detha and tells the story of a wife (Rani Mukerji) who is left by her husband (Shahrukh Khan) and visited by a ghost, disguised as her husband, who is in love with her and takes her husband's place. [15] Duvidha (1973) was directed by Mani Kaul and was critically acclaimed and won Best Film at the 1974 Filmfare Awards. The film is based on a story by Vijayadan Detha which relates a popular folktale from Rajasthan about merchant's son whose relationship with his young bride is thwarted by his work and a ghost who falls in love with her, resulting in the ghost soon impersonating the husband. [16]
Shodh (1981) is based on the book Steaming Rice and a Ghost Story by Sunil Gangopadhyay. Surendra (Om Puri), having been exiled from his village in youth and established himself in the city, comes back to the news of his father's demise, reportedly at the hands of a phantom. He announces a prize for anyone who succeeds in showing him a ghost, which attracts the greed of the poor hungry peasants, resulting in the accusations of innocent people as haunted and even murders with the hope of producing a ghost. [17]
Some Bollywood ghost movies are adapted from Western sources, with varying degrees of success. The 2003 Saaya (Hindi : साया; Urdu : سایا; translation: Shadow) is a direct lift of the 2002 Hollywood film Dragonfly. Raaz (Hindi : राज़, Urdu : راز translation: Secret) (2002) directed by Vikram Bhatt, is an unofficial Bollywood adaptation of the 2000 film What Lies Beneath . [18] The film is based on the story of a couple who have moved to Ooty to save their failing marriage. However, what they find in their new home is more than they expected when a ghost starts haunting the place. Sanjana suddenly finds that her husband is part of the ghostly conspiracy, which she must fix in order to escape. [19]
Anjaane (2005) starred Manisha Koirala, Sanjay Kapoor, Tejasvini Kolhapure and Helen. The film was based on Alejandro Amenábar's ghost story The Others starring Nicole Kidman. The film was criticized for being a copycat of the American version and the acting of Koirala was described by reviewers as "uninterested" and "mechanical". [2] Bhoothnath (Devanagari: भूतनाथ; translation: "Lord of Ghosts") directed by Vivek Sharma and produced by Ravi Chopra, is an adaptation of the Oscar Wilde short story "The Canterville Ghost". [20] The story is about the relationship between a deceased old man (played by Amitabh Bachchan) and a boy named Banku. [21]
Some Hollywood movies refer to Bollywood ghost movies. For example, the 2001 movie Ghost World by Terry Zwigoff includes a clip from the 1965 hit Gumnaam by Raja Nawathe, which tells of a group of travelers in an isolated hotel who are murdered one by one. Gumnaam itself borrows from Agatha Christie's detective fiction novel And Then There Were None . [22]
Chandramukhi is a 2005 Indian Tamil-language historical psychological horror comedy film written and directed by P. Vasu. It is an official remake of the Kannada film Apthamitra (2004) which is adaptation of Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu (1993). The film stars Rajinikanth, Jyothika and Prabhu in the principal roles along with an ensemble supporting cast. It revolves around a woman who suffers from dissociative identity disorder that affects a family, and a psychiatrist who intends to solve the case while risking his life.
Amol Palekar is an Indian actor, director and producer of Hindi and Marathi cinema.
Urmila Matondkar is an Indian actress and politician. Known for her work primarily in Hindi films, in addition to Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi and Tamil films, she has received numerous accolades, including the Filmfare Award and the Nandi Award. Having established a distinctive on-screen persona, she is known for her style statements and dancing skills.
Paheli (transl. Riddle) is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language fantasy film and is a remake of the 1973 Hindi film Duvidha by Mani Kaul based on the short story written by Vijayadan Detha in Rajasthani. It was also reported to have been partially inspired by the 1997 Kannada movie Nagamandala based on the play of same name by Girish Karnad. Directed by Amol Palekar and produced by Juhi Chawla, Aziz Mirza, Sanjiv Chawla, and Shah Rukh Khan, who also portrays the male lead, the film tells the story of a wife whose husband (Khan) goes on a business trip and is visited by a ghost, disguised as her husband, who is in love with her and takes her husband's place. Detha's story, which had earlier been adapted into the 1973 film by Mani Kaul, is folkloric in origin. Paheli diverges from its source material and the earlier adaptations in giving the plot and its lead female character a more feminist agency.
Helen Ann Richardson Khan, known mononymously as Helen, is an Indian actress and dancer. She has appeared in over 1000 films, making her a prolific performer in Hindi cinema. She is known for her supporting, character roles and guest appearances in a career spanning 70 years.
Bhoot (transl. Ghost) is a 2003 Indian supernatural horror film directed by Ram Gopal Varma and stars an ensemble cast of Ajay Devgn, Urmila Matondkar, Nana Patekar, Rekha, Fardeen Khan and Tanuja. It was the second horror film made by Ram Gopal Verma after Raat. It was perceived to be different from a typical Hindi film as it did not contain songs. It was later dubbed in Telugu as 12 Va Anthasthu and remade in Tamil version as Shock.
Vineeth Radhakrishnan is an Indian actor, Bharatanatyam dancer, voice artist and choreographer who primarily works in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu language movies. He has also appeared in a few Bollywood and Kannada films. He has won several awards including 2 Kerala State Film Awards, Kalaimamani Honour from Government of Tamil Nadu and Filmfare Award South Nomination.
Mahal (transl. "Mansion") is a 1949 Indian Hindi-language horror film produced by Savak Vacha and Ashok Kumar under the banner of Bombay Talkies, and directed by Kamal Amrohi as his directorial debut. The film centres on a screenplay written by Amrohi, while its music is composed by Khemchand Prakash. Cited as Bollywood's first horror film, it revolves around an aristocrat who moves into an ancient mansion, where he gets visions of a mysterious lady (Madhubala) claiming to be his lover in their previous lives.
Anandabhadram is a 2005 Indian Malayalam-language dark fantasy horror film based on the novel of the same name by Sunil Parameshwaran. The film was the debut Malayalam film venture of director Santosh Sivan and actress Riya Sen. The story concerns ghosts, spirits, and black magic. The film stars Prithviraj, Kavya Madhavan, Manoj K Jayan, Kalabhavan Mani and Biju Menon.
Vijaydan Detha, also known as Bijji, was a noted Indian writer of Rajasthani literature. He was a recipient of several awards including the Padma Shri and the Sahitya Akademi Award.
Strangers is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language thriller film directed by Aanand L. Rai and starring Jimmy Sheirgill, Kay Kay Menon, Nandana Sen, Sonali Kulkarni. It is an adaptation of the 1951 Alfred Hitchcock film Strangers on a Train, which was based on the 1950 novel Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith.
Saadhika Randhawa, also known as Saadhika, is an Indian actress. She has mainly appeared in Hindi language Bollywood movies and has also worked in several regional language movies including in Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi & Bhojpuri movie industry.
Duvidha (transl. Dilemma) is a 1973 ghost movie directed by Mani Kaul, based on a Rajasthani story of the same name by Vijaydan Detha. The film stars Ravi Menon and Raisa Padamsee in lead roles. The film was critically acclaimed and won the director the National Film Award for Best Direction and Critics Award for Best film at the 1974 Filmfare Awards. This film was remade in 2005 as Paheli, starring Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee in the lead roles.
Bhoot Returns is a 2012 Indian Hindi 3D horror film directed by Ram Gopal Varma and written by Ravi Shankar. The film was released on 12 October 2012 to mixed reviews.
Bhoothnath Returns is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language supernatural comedy film directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Bhushan Kumar. A sequel to 2008 film Bhoothnath, the film revolves around Bhoothnath who is mocked in a Bhoothworld for his inability to scare children before being sent back to Earth to redeem himself. The film was released on 11 April 2014.
Bhoot Ka Darr is a Hindi horror film of Bollywood directed by S. Gawli and produced by Pankaj Johar. This film was released on 2 April 1999 in the banner of Kanti Shah's Gulab Films.
Bhoot – Part One: The Haunted Ship is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language horror thriller film written and directed by Bhanu Pratap Singh and jointly produced by Karan Johar, Hiroo Yash Johar, Apoorva Mehta, and Shashank Khaitan. The film features Vicky Kaushal in lead role and is the first film of what was a planned horror film franchise.
Kaanchli: Life in a Slough is a 2020 Indian period drama film that was produced and directed by Dedipya Joshii, and stars Sanjay Mishra, Shikha Malhotra, Lalit Parimoo and Nareshpal Singh Chauhan. The film was co-produced by Shobha Devi and presented by Anup Jalota. It is based on a story by Vijaydan Detha, a folk-story writer from Rajasthan, India, whose stories have been adapted into many films including Shah Rukh Khan's Paheli. Kaanchli, whose theme is social welfare, tells the story of a strong, self-reliant woman's struggle for survival.
Bhoot and Friends is a 2010 Indian action adventure horror-comedy film directed by Karanjeet "Kittu" Saluja. The film has got "U" certificate by CBFC.
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