Raaz Movie Review

It's the story of a young couple, Aditya Dhanraj (Dino Moreo) and his wife Sanjana Dhanraj (Bipasha Basu). They are on the brink of a divorce. They decide to give their marriage one last shot and go back to Ooty.

Ooty – the place where they fell in love!

Ooty and their dream house, however, turn out to be a nightmare. Their house is haunted. There is someone there and only Sanjana can see that. There seems to be a link between their crumbling marriage and the haunting.



RAAZ is a supernatural thriller that takes the viewer by his hesitant hand and leads him through a series of suspenseful occurrences. It reflects a fascination for Hitchcock's classic thrillers REAR WINDOW and PSYCHO.

Unlike films of this genre, where the eerie atmosphere is introduced after the mandatory songs and clich? director Vikram Bhatt and writer Mahesh Bhatt come to the point in the first reel itself.

These sequences have been canned with utmost care. The slow camera movement, the usage of extended silences and sudden noises, and thrill-seeking moments, like the sudden double reflection in the mirror (interval point), send a chill down the spine.



The pace picks up again and the narrative gets absorbing when the girl (Malini Sharma) starts getting extra possessive. The telephone conversation, involving Dino-Bipasha, and Malini's subsequent outburst is simply brilliant. So is the death sequence that follows soon after.

But the climax looks contrived and doesn't measure up to the expectations. Although deftly executed, the end seems like too much of a cinematic liberty, with the spirit, who has entered Ashutosh Rana's body now, getting unconscious after Bipasha crashes her car into him.

This particular aspect seems a bit far-fetched, for the extremely powerful spirit has the capacity to make people fly, have blood pouring from the chandelier, electrocute people and what not. In that context, for the spirit to suddenly remain dormant temporarily, more so when Bipasha is out to put an end to it, seems implausible. A more appropriate sequence should've been thought of!



Nadeem-Shravan's music is easy on the ears. The songs are pleasant-sounding and extremely popular with cinegoers as well. 'Jo Bhi Kasme Khayi Thi Humne', 'Main Agar Saamne Aa Bhi Jaaya Karu' and 'Aapke Pyaar Mein Hum Sawarne Lage' are gems, although 'Kitna Pyara Hai Yeh Chehra' can easily be deleted for it seems forced in the goings-on.

Pravin Bhatt's cinematography is up to the mark. The background score (Raju Rao) enhances the impact of several sequences. Dialogues (Girish Dhamija) gel well with the mood of the film.

Dino Morea looks photogenic, but needs to work hard on expressions. Although this is Bipasha Basu's second film, the actress carries off a complex role with aplomb. She shows a marked growth as an actress.



Shruti Ulfat, as Bipasha's friend, is first-rate. Vishwajeet Pradhan makes his presence felt.

On the whole, RAAZ is a well-crafted film that has the right combo required for a psycho-thriller – eerie atmosphere and tuneful music. But a theme like this always has its share of non-believers. In that respect, the response to the film will be mixed. Business in Mumbai should prove to be the best.