Dybbuk Movie Review: Emraan Hashmi and Nikita Dutta's Horror-Thriller Lacks Good Spooks (LatestLY Exclusive)

Dybbuk Movie Review: Dybbuk is the Hindi remake of the 2017 Malayalam horror-thriller Ezra, for those who are not aware of this. Jay K who has helmed the original, has also been given the responsibility of tackling the Bollywood remake, that has Emraan Hashmi, Nikita Dutta and Manav Kaul in the lead. Interestingly, the original had Prithviraj Sukumaran as the protagonist, who had recently appeared in the Malayalam remake of AndhaDhun. Wonder really what to make of this whole remake circus? Total lack of original creativity? Dybbuk Movie: Review, Cast, Plot, Trailer, Release Date – All You Need To Know About Emraan Hashmi, Nikita Dutta’s Horror Film!

Returning to Dybbuk, the story centres around a couple Sam (Emraan Hashmi) and Mahi (Nikita Dutta), who recently move from Mumbai to Mauritius. Sam is working at a nuclear plant there. Mahi had recently suffered from miscarriage, is looking to rephase her life there, by taking on herself in redesigning her new house.

In doing so, she buys a mysterious old chest from a local antiques shop. Unbeknownst to both of them, the chest happens to be a Dybbuk, a possessed ritual box of the Jews. In that house, the spirit within first haunts Mahi, but not soon before even Sam realises something is not right.

Watch the Trailer:

By bringing the original director to helm the remake, the makers intend to keep the vision of the film intact. Jay K has managed to adapt Ezra into Hindi as efficiently as he could, even getting a couple of budgetary upgrades in the process. For one, the location shifts from Old Kochi to Mauritius, though it hardly matters much to the plot. Even if you were told the place is Alibaug or Goa, you wouldn't have thought otherwise. OTT Releases of The Week: Soni Razdan's Call My Agent - Bollywood on Netflix, Emraan Hashmi's Dybbuk on Amazon Prime Video, Kriti Sanon's Hum Do Hamare Do on Disney+ Hotstar and More.

But even with rise in budget, presumably, the special effects remains dodgy as best, especially the ghostly transformation scenes of a couple of characters. Emraan Hashmi and Nikita Dutta are both serviceable in their roles, Emraan feeling a little tired of being seen as the Scream King of Bollywood. On the other hand, Manav Kaul is quite good as Rabbi Markus, who arrives to exorcise the ghost.

Like with every remake, it is hard not to hark back to the original. Same with Dybbuk, it is difficult not to bring Ezra and see how both fares. Ezra isn't one of the best horror films in Malayalam cinema, but what it does good is in recreating the haunting atmosphere with regards to the religious lore that it delves into. That permeates even into the flashback sequence that explores the origin of the haunting. Emraan Hashmi Reveals Why Horror Films in India Are Not Up to Speed Like Other Genres!

Although Dybbuk doesn't change the setting (save for the locales), I feel that Jay K couldn't just recreate the same atmosphere, thereby robbing Dybbuk of the mystique it needed. The first half, especially, felt average, with the usual scare-tactics. Couple of sequences don't make much sense. Like when Sam hears footsteps in his attic and reports it as burglary, the investigating cop (Gaurav Sharma) claims no such thing happens in the town. This, despite the fact that he is presently investigating a gruesome murder of Dybbuk's first victim. Another major negative is that Sam and Mahi's relationship doesn't feel very fleshed out, or for the matter, brings anything new. This is crucial, because how that affects their equation in the climax (an issue I also felt with the Malayalam original, though it had more depth).

Things improve much after Manav Kaul's character arrives in Mauritius. Those who have not seen the original, might be shocked by the twist before the climax (which is loosely similar to the last horror film Emraan was in). Once the twist is out, the climax involving the usual exorcism is quite pallid.

Yay!

- The Second Half is Intermittently Interesting

Nay!

- A Subpar Remake

Final Thoughts

Dybbuk could cast a sense of intrigue over those not familiar with the original, but having not borrowed the mystic airs from Ezra, it feels more like a new installment of the Raaz franchise. Sans songs and sex, though. Dybbuk is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 29, 2021 12:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).