Horror comedy with a purpose: How Bollywood is delivering powerful messages with humour & haunt

There’s a scene in the 2018 film Stree where a figure of the ‘female ghost’ is resurrected near the entrance of the quaint little village. ‘O Stree Raksha karna’ says a man as he bows down to her in respect. The message of the film is effectively delivered – respect women. The makers of the film reverse the popular narrative that women must not venture out after dark and that they need the protection of a man and are not safe alone.

Afraid of the demoness, men ask their wives to not to leave them alone in the evening. They don saris to ‘protect themselves.’ In the film that was directed by Amar Kaushik , a wide-eyed Pankaj Tripathi talks about how Stree was different from men and rather sought permission before taking away men from the village. We are told that the village never respected her and she is back for revenge – that she only desires love and respect.

Stree was possibly the first horror comedy to approach the subject of a ‘female ghost’ sensitively. Later, the 2020 film Bulbbul, produced by actor Anushka Sharma, too would go on to weave an impactful story behind the ‘female ghost’ but with a serious and intense approach. Like Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story The Yellow Wallpaper, Bulbbul narrates the story of how the woman became a ghost – how constant internal suppression of her desires and external suppression from her family leads her to madness and the desire to seek revenge – how the woman becomes a ‘chudail’.

In Janhvi Kapoor starrer Roohi , directed by Hardik Mehta, a distraught Roohi calls the female ghost, who has possessed her, her strength and rides with pride, after marrying herself. The female ghost in the film could not marry during her lifetime and was back to find her suitor. However, when actor Rajkummar Rao offers to rescue Kapoor, she refuses during the climax, stating that she might fight her battles alone! The film was a stark response to the age- old ‘damsel in distress’ and ‘Prince Charming to the rescue’ adage. The following year, several cases of monogamy, wherein a number of women married themselves, would come forward from different parts of the country.

What films like Stree, Roohi and Bulbbul do is give back the voice of the female ghost and tell her story.

Among the list of horror comedies that have a strong message, Bhediya too makes an appearance. The recently released film, which was also directed by Amar Kaushik, did its job well without being preachy. From addressing the ridiculing of the north-eastern accent to the message of preserving nature and not interfering in nature’s processes, the film was on par with its predecessors Stree and Roohi. It goes on to narrate the story of the ‘protector of the forests’ – a shapeshifting werewolf who has been protecting the sacred forests of Arunachal Pradesh. Producer Dinesh Vijan and Kaushik yet again surprise the audience with their use of VFX and an engaging storyline.

Producer of the successful series of horror comedies Dinesh Vijan has set the benchmark for the genre. With Stree 2 under production, Vijan will add another marvel to his horror comedy universe. Each time, he chooses to pick a pressing issue and educates his audience as effectively as he gives them a dose of humour and haunts them at the same time.

We have clearly moved away from the times of the stereotypical ‘chudail’ – a demoness with revenge on her mind, long nails, either portrayed too ugly or too beautiful and with her signature feature – twisted feet. Indian cinema no longer delves on horror comedies with no aim even though such sporadic releases in recent times have intended to entertain without delivering a message.

There was a time in the Indian film industry when the horror genre had but few offerings. Ram Gopal Varma’s Darna Zaroori Hai, Bhoot, Raat, Ramsay Brothers’ Veerana, did little to entice the audience even though they were the only horror offerings of their times and hence, remain widely popular.

The horror genre has not been as successfully approached in Bollywood as it has been in Hollywood. However, as time demands fresh and newer content across verticals, one can hope for better and bigger stories.

Reya Mehrotra writes on cinema and its business.

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