Horror Story: Does Bollywood need more Bulbbuls and Bhool Bhulaiyyas?

Talking about classic horror films of the past, Veerana comes to mind as well. Though shot at that time with minimal use of visual effects or even without a strong star cast, the film made its mark and is till date remembered for its lead actor Jasmine’s portrayal of the possessed. A few years down the lane, one would remember Krishna Cottage and its melodious song that its female ghost sung - Bepanah Pyar Hai Aja? Or Raaz’s haunting forest scenes? In the horror genre of the 2000s, Ram Gopal Varma made quite a dent as well with his Bhoot, Bhoot Returns and so did Darna Mana Hai, Darna Zaruri Hai and Haunted. Akshay Kumar’s skeptic too was well received in Bhool Bhulaiyya back in 2007. However, in the next decade with no major horror films making a mark, Bollywood lost its steam in the horror genre while Hollywood set the benchmark high with films like The Conjuring series, The Exorcist, It and more films that were watched and liked globally. But it seems in the last few years, the Indian filmed industry has ‘haunted’ the audiences quite well, literally. From horror films with a purpose to A-listers trying their hands at horror, Bollywood is finally churning out bigger and better horror scripts.

Dinesh Vijan is using horror comedy to subtly impart messages on respecting women, women being strong enough and environmental causes through films like Stree, Roohi and Bhediya. Anushka Sharma’s home production coupled with Anvita Dutt’s vision and writing is bringing out impactful stories in the form of Bulbbul that gives voice to a female ghost, Pari and Phillauri. Ghost Stories, a collaborative piece of cinema from Dibakar Banerjee, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar and Karan Johar, opened doors to a new short form of haunting stories that leave the audience stunned. Even horror masterpieces from the South shone on the big screen and were widely watched pan India. Both Tumbbad and Vikrant Rona remained box office hits with critical acclaim. Though Kartik Aaryan replaced Akshay Kumar in Bhool Bhulaiyya 2 that brought the number game back to Bollywood, Akshay Kumar had already done his horror bit in the horror-comedy Laxmii. 

Not only did has the quality of storytelling improved with a number for new writers, producers and production companies stepping in but now A-list actors, who would earlier rarely choose horror scripts, are finally looking at the dark side of the cinema. Katrina Kaif took up Phone Bhoot alongside Ishaan Khattar and Siddhant Chaturvedi, with Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Shraddha Kapoor and other mainstream actors are open to taking up a good horror script. With exposure to global content during the pandemic on OTTs, the audience is open to a good and a larger than life story. As Bollywood looks at a bag full of meaningful horror stories, the coming years look promising too. The year 2022 has ended with With announcements of Chhorii 2, Stree 2, Naagin film series, the revival of the horror genre is surely on the cards. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.