Spice Girl Caravan To India

Haunted is India's first stereoscopic 3D movie. It's a Vikram Bhat film, starring Mahakshay Chakraborty, who has a few flops to his credit. Yet, Haunted received good reviews and I think the entire cast performed admirably.

Bollywood has always dabbled in the horror genre but with little commercial success. I've recently suffered a lot at the hands of Hollywood horror movies, which start out well but sadly lose track of all reason by the end.

Haunted is not like this. The compelling story begins with Rehan visiting the mountain areas of Koti near Delhi, where he must look after Glen Manor. This is an estate his brokerage firm is disposing of on behalf of a client. However, when Rehan reaches Glen Manor, he learns a servant at the mansion has died of heart failure. The remaining staff tell Rehan the house is haunted and refuse to work there anymore. Thus, Rehan must wait in the manse alone till new owners arrive.

His first night, Rehan witnesses supernatural phenomena in the screams of a girl. Over the next few days, these screams grow more intense. He discovers from a letter in a book that a young girl named Meera inhabited the mansion 80 years before. 

While Meera's parents were away on a trip, her music tutor Mr. Ayyer tried to rape her, but she killed him in self defense. Still, slaying the villianous teacher opened a miserable chapter in her life. Ayyer's evil spirit proceeded to murder all the household servants then rape Meera. The girl promptly committed suicide to escape her anguish. Nevertheless, her soul is now trapped in the mansion along with Ayyer's spirit, which continually violates her.

Rehan can't bear the painful screams of Meera and wants to aid her tormented soul. The rest of the tale reveals how Rehan frees Meera from her suffering, despite the two of them coming from very different eras.

I enjoyed the film immensely. Yet, 3D technology had little effect on my experience. Most scenes were exquisitely done, with the exception of those portraying Ayyer as an apparition, which were fake and silly. One part, where his spirit flys in the forest, was more laughable than scary.

This captivating film is accompanied by a superb soundtrack. I recommend you give Haunted a ghost of a chance, especially if you like horror movies. 

Zaira Rahman is a spicy Islamic girl who writes travel reports from her home in Pakistan. Unlike the British Spice Girls, she's not a ho and speaks comprehendible English. She's an advocate for the ethical treatment of people and animals plus the author of the books Pakistani Media: The Way Things Are and If Mortals Had Been Immortals & Other Short Stories.