HOT: Bollywood's success mantra
Is the celluloid ghost a metaphor for fear, for all that is ideal, or, for unfulfilled wishes of the characters in the film? The much-hyped release of B.R. Chopra Films' Bhootnath, starring Amitabh Bachchan as the filthiest ghost in the history of Indian cinema, calls for a throwback to ghosts in Bollywood films down the years. Shoma A. Chatterji takes a closer look at this interesting intersection between the real and the surreal.
The ghost, in films and in real life, is an enigma for all of us. The very intrigue it raises in our mindset, making us vacillate between belief and disbelief, between the reality of science and the unsubstantiated illusion of fairy tales are made of, makes the ghost a very attractive proposition for the mainstream filmmaker. However, it needs a lot of talent, imagination and technical skill to create a very good 'ghost' film. It calls for a rare skill that may elude even the best of filmmakers who try their hands at it and fail miserably. The Hollywood blockblaster Ghost with Demi Moore still remains a favourite with cine-goers; it has the right mix of a 'ghost', love story and intrigue woven around a well- conceived script.
In Hindi films the story goes back to Kamal Amrohi's Mahal (1949) is categorised in the horror genre but is really an enchanting love story where the 'ghost' in the film, played with just the right dose of mystique by the beautiful Madhubala, was not a ghost at all but pretended to be one when she suddenly found the man in a painting she had fallen in love with appear in flesh and blood. This concept is married to the rebirth theory. Brilliant Black &White cinematography blended with one of the most captivating musical scores by Khem Chand Prakash makes Mahal a milestone in Hindi cinema, ghost or no ghost. Many years later, the theme of a woman pretending to be a ghost in a suspense thriller was encored in Hemant Kumar's blockbuster Bees Saal Baad (1962.)
