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At the midnight of January 1, 2020, Netflix India dropped its new Indian anthology, Ghost Stories. As if the world isn't scary enough as it is, do we really need to start off a new decade with spooky tales? Anyway, the anthology involves the creative collaboration of four top directors in Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee and Anurag Kashyap. This is the third such collaboration for the quartet, having earlier done Bombay Talkies and Lust Stories, the latter which was also Netflix exclusive. Ghost Stories Movie Review: Dibakar Bannerjee Exceeds Expectations, KJo Makes a Glamorous Horror Film.
So how good is Ghost Stories? You might have read some very scathing comments about the film on social media (though most of them are RW-ers venting their frustrations against Anurag). The reviews haven't been very favourable, which also includes our own take on the film.
Personally speaking, I didn't mind the film much. It might not have the scares, which was the usual complaint I read. I somewhat disagree here. Horror isn't usually about the Boo!; if the film has the ability to creep you or make you squirm in your seats, still it could qualify for a horror film. But I could also understand the disappointment of certain viewers of the anthology not meeting their expectations. With four high-calibre filmmakers involved in the making of the film, only one segment manages to achieve the status of 'near-masterpiece'. Again I would like to reiterate, Ghost Stories isn't as bad as it is made out to be.
In this special feature, we look at each segment separately and rank them from Worst to Best, based on the storytelling and the impact.
#4 Karan Johar's Segment
Karan Johar can make anything ordinary look Swarovski, but horror is not exactly his forte. He also had the disadvantage of following a really good segment. Everything about Karan Johar's story sticks out like a sore thumb - from the use of colours (that contrasts the greys we had seen before) to the inclusion of ineffective jump scares.
Karan Johar's segment could be seen as a satire on the big joint families that his films usually have. Some of the dark comical elements do work, but it is mostly due to the actors, Mrunal Thakur, Avinash Tiwary and Heeba Shah being quite impressive. But apart from that, the segment feels like a glammed up episode of Aahat right to its downer of an ending.
#3 Zoya Akhtar's Segment
I honestly liked the Zoya Akhtar segment just before the ending. It had all the ingredients of a creepy horror movie - the spooky atmosphere, a weird-behaving old lady, the decrepit house, the tracking camera angles and the pulsing suspense. There is also the fact that Janhvi Kapoor, who was so ordinary in Dhadak, surprises you with a mature performance. Surekha Sikri and Vijay Varma also pitch in good turns.
One thing I particularly love about this segment is how abandonment as a theme links to the two central characters of the bed-ridden geriatric and the young nurse, waiting for her married lover to be with her. However, the short disappoints towards the end with a climactic twist that is so Ram Gopal Varma, that kind of lets down the good buildup before.
#2 Anurag Kashyap's Segment
Anurag's short is not something you can watch on a full stomach. It is creepy and gory, with some very disturbing imagery. The slow pace, with minimal dialogues, and the blackish tint may not appeal this segment to many. I am always uncomfortable watching any horror film with a pregnant woman, like Rosemary's Baby, for example. And this short does little to allay my discomfort.
The thing about Anurag's short is that it leaves you asking a lot of questions, and it begs a rewatch. That is, if you are game for it. Is the little boy, who is obsessed with his mausi, supernaturally strong enough to make her do unspeakable things with his paintings? Is the mausi a metaphor for a crow, which also has a role in the story, and the boy a cuckoo? Was the first scene, which later plays in a dream sequence, a hint at her first baby that dies after birth (the two broken eggs also hint at that)? Is the whole segment an allegory to parasitic tendencies of human nature and guilt? So many metaphors and symbolisms hidden in the segment, that lends to a good discussion Also, brilliant performance by Sobhita Dhulipala.
#1 Dibakar Banerjee's Segment
Speaking of brilliance, why is it that Dibakar Banerjee always makes the best segments in all the three trilogies? His short for Ghost Stories is just fabulous, enhanced by its strong clever writing, fantastic performances and master-storytelling. Merging horror and gore with black humour, Dibakar tells a story of a village plagued by zombies, werewolves and vampires, and how an outsider, who stumbles into the place, tries to figure out what's happening and saving his own skin with two surviving kids.
While Anurag is getting trolled by right-wingers, it is Dibakar who goes on to make a smartly disguised anti-establishment film that takes digs at the current socio-political climate. Through the monsters attacking a hamlet of the 'less-privileged' folks, the short take potshots at how the majority tries to oppress the minorities and how the neutral is made to walk the line for their own survival. Sukant Goel as the baffled outside is wonderful - watch him in the scene where he sees a monster eating a person. His eyes convey the horrors more than what is shown. The two young kids are also really good. The surprise factor, however, is the dependable Gulshan Devaiah, who you would not recognise at all till the very end. He lets his eyes express his malevolence and his body language as a ravenous beast is terrific.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 03, 2020 05:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
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