This post is more about getting it out than merely expressing your views about a movie. This post is about the movie which really scared me in my childhood. It haunted my dreams. It made me change the channel . It is the only horror movie which left an impression, a scar on me and the funny thing is that I saw this movie on POGO! You don't expect to see a witch drinking blood on a channel meant for kids!
The movie is about a mischievous girl Chunni and her docile twin Munni who live in a village where superstition is an integral part of the local belief system. There is an old building which is allegedly the home of a 'Chudail', a witch. Anyone who goes into the building doesn't come out or if they do come out, they come out as animals. A goat, a pup or even a hen ! The local police are synonymous to useless. One day things go wrong and Kallu, a butcher goes after Chunni over a mischief caused by Munni due to mistaken identity and in order to escape the butcher and his knife, Chunni runs into the witch's house. Munni tries to get help but people don't believe her due to her past record and having no option, she too goes inside that dreaded building where she comes face to face with the witch. The witch gives Chunni a hen and claims that it's her sister Munni and in order to have her transformed into her original form, she demands a hundred hens. Now Chunni has to live dual lives in order to keep her secret till she can get this witch her hundred hens. Can this careless girl save her sister? Are things the way as they seem?
Shweta Prasad played the double role of Chunni and Munni in her debut film for which she won the Indian National Film Award for Best Child Artist for 2003. The contrast in the twins forms the initial part of the film so it's her performance which keeps the movie going. Makrand Deshpande plays the role of a sadistic butcher. He has a song picturised solely on him and even though it's a tough task to engage the audience for one complete song on your own, he somehow pulls it off. Having said that, the most interesting role of the film is that of Makdee, the witch played by Shabana Azmi. She is one of the most skilled and experienced actresses in the industry and she makes use of both to scare children as best as she could. This is the thing about Shabana Azmi. Even with her latest role as Neerja Bhanot's mother, I remember she made a lttle girl cry in the theatre with her monologue. The intensity of her performance can't be expressed in words.
The readers should remember that horror films usually don't have a long shelf life due to ever improving technology and transforming society. If the readers don't find the movie scary then they should remember it was made for children in the year 2002. Gulzar's lyrics are up to their usual high standards and he is especially known for his creations for kids. Vishal Bhardwaj did a great job writing and directing the film. I hope the readers get the essence of the film through this post.
| Directed by | Vishal Bhardwaj |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Vishal Bhardwaj |
| Screenplay by | Vishal Bhardwaj |
| Story by | Vishal Bhardwaj |
| Starring | Shabana Azmi Makrand Deshpande Shweta Prasad |
| Music by | Vishal Bhardwaj |
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