Vikram Bhatt's daughter Krishna Bhatt steps into the shoes of her father to direct the latest installment of the 1920 horror franchise. 1920: Horrors of the Heart (still not sure why the name) stars Balika Vadhu fame Avika Gor in the lead, while Barkha Bisht, Rahul Dev, Randhir Rai, Amit Behl, Ketaki Kulkarni, Danish Pandor and Avtar Gill form the supporting cast. Like with the previous films, the movie is set during the British India and has spooky mansions, plenty of fog and cheap jump-scares. 1920 Horrors of the Heart Movie Review: Avika Gor's Hilariously Dumb Horror Film Can't Exorcise The Absurdity of Its Making.
So what is the story about this time? Meghna seeks vengeance on her mother Radhika, believing that she had abandoned her as a child and left her father because he wasn't rich enough for her, after her father Dheeraj dies by suicide. Through Dheeraj's diary she also finds out that Radhika had also tried to poison him, following which his health deteriorated. Meghna invokes the spirit of Dheeraj and asks him to help in her revenge, which he agrees. Meghna also keeps seeing a half-burnt tantrik who disappears when she looks closely.
Meghna travels to Girivaan where Radhika stays with her second husband Shantanu and their 16-year-old daughter Aditi. She doesn't even inform her boyfriend Arjun about her travel plans. At her mother's house, she realises that her family members are actually nice people, especially Aditi who sees her as the older sister she always wanted. However her revenge for her father instigates Meghna to allow the spirit to enter the house and into Aditi's body to start all the 1920 Shenanigans in the mansion.
So what happens in the end? Was Radhika really a vile woman? Read ahead as we decode the finale, though let's warn you that there are MAJOR SPOILERS ahead.
Dheeraj Was Lying
Well, it turns out that Dheeraj was far, far from being the perfect human being as Meghna thought him to be. In fact, he was a sexist pig who used to torture and abuse his wife and pimped her out to his British associates for favours. He even threatened to commit suicide to keep her in line, claiming that he would blame her for his death. However, when Radhika had enough of his abuses, she left the house and instead found solace in Shantanu's arms. Unlike what Meghna thought, she actually looked out for Meghna, but Shantanu did a good job of hiding their daughter and their whereabouts.
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That's not the thuggery he has done. Meghna recalls having a dream as a child where he sees her father striking a deal with that tantrik, where he gives his heart to the tantrik (hence why the doctors found no heart during post-mortem) and in return, Dheeraj is allowed to return as an evil spirit to haunt his wife. Such an evil man he was, Dheeraj waited for his daughter to turn adult so that he can die and then turn her into an unwitting accomplice into his deadly nefarious scheme.
How Was Dheeraj's Spirit Defeated?
Shantanu manages to kill the tantrik though how he was able to do so when latter can take spectral form, should better not be asked. Meanwhile Dheeraj, in Aditi's body, continues to taunt Radhika and Meghna, even injuring the former and making the latter vomit a dead rat. Meghna figures out the only way to beat Dheeraj is an extreme route -fighting him as a spirit herself. She lights up the diya in front of the mansion's deity that she had earlier extinguished to allow Dheeraj's spirit in the house. After asking for forgiveness and blessing, she kills herself using the trishul from the deity's hand.
In doing so, her spirit rises from her body. As per the film, if the spirit doesn't accept to enter the light sent from heavens, then they will continue to roam on Earth as an aatma. When the light comes for Meghna, she capsizes a struggling Dheeraj and both enter the light, the latter can helplessly watch as he is taken away from Earth, while the former readily accept her transition. However, someone gets hold of her and drags her back. Avika Gor's Hot Kissing and Lovemaking Scenes From 1920-Horrors of the Heart Songs Go Viral; Fans Say 'Balika Vadhu' Has Grown Up!
That person turns out to be the spirit of Arjun, her dead boyfriend, who also seems to have not accepted the light. He tells her that it is not the time for her to die and says when it is time, he will wait for her here. So if there was a choice to return to their body, why didn't Arjun do so for himself? Is it because his body has lost its head?
Anyway Meghna's spirit returns to her body and she awakens in the hospital and have a happy reunion with her mother and her new family. The End.
Devotion vs Atheism
Interestingly, a repetitive theme in 1920 films gets a wicked twist here. Here, Radhika and her family are so pious - the mom and daughter even chant Gayatri mantra before they go to sleep - so God protects them from evil spirits, though it is all restricted to one burning diya. On the other hand, Dheeraj and Meghna, initially, don't believe in gods, and therefore were evil. Is it the film's way of saying atheists are evil and religious ones are nice people? What do you say, readers? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2023 08:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).