Ek thi Daayan marks the collaboration of Ekta Kapoor productions and Vishal Bharadwaj and first time director Kannan Iyer does a fantabulous job by transporting us to the world of daayans and pisaach with generous doses of spine-chilling thrills.Of late, Bollywood has been churning out lot of horror flicks (Raaz 3, Aatma, 1920) but Daayan boasts of superior quality and mystery that keeps the viewer totally consumed till the penultimate portions.
Based on the story by Mukul Sharma,It tells the story of a famous magician, Bobo(Emraan Hashmi) who is constantly challenged by hallucinations and finds it difficult to come in terms with his troubled childhood where he lost his father and sister in mysterious circumstances after his father brought home a step mother, Diana (Konkana Sen Sharma)whom he suspects as the daayan.He seeks the help of a psychiatrist for past life regression to unearth the frantic activities and find the answer to the constant indications of the daayan's return, much to the dismay of his girlfriend,Tamara(Huma Qureshi).
This is not a typical horror fest, it is curiously spooky and visually impressive. Kannan Iyer embellishes the plot with eerie atmospherics and dark surroundings and gives us enough of the goose-bump moments.The black-and-white montages of the past that keep surfacing before Bobo's eyes, the creepy elevator of the dilapidated building, the animated lizard create immense intrigue and Kannan utilizes them as catalysts for the narrative.However ,it loses the steam during the ending reels while inadvertently treading into the Vikram-bhattisque type climax,which spoils the whole sport.The background score is terrific and some of Gulzar's compositions are mercifully well-rendered with Vishal Bharadwaj's soundtrack.
Returning to celluloid after a sabbatical, Konkana Sen is first-rate and looks deliciously wicked. It wouldn't be unfair to say that Daayan works because of her.She lends a unique dimension to the character's mannerisms which absorbs you entirely.Huma Qureshi does a decent job and Kalki again proves that she is versatile, but sadly doesn't much of scope.Emraan Hashmi is growing strong with each of his projects and this one speaks volumes of this acting abilities. He depicts the anxieties and apprehensions of the paranoid protagonist with flawless ease. The child artiste, Vishesh Tiwari is terrific. Pavan Malhotra is OK in the cameo.
On the whole, Ek Thi Daayan is a commendable attempt by Kannan Iyer.Drawing from the native folklore's of witchcraft, the way he constructs the journey from the real to surreal definitely deserves a special mention and it will be remembered as an imaginative and attention-grabbing supernatural thriller. This is also a testament to the astuteness of Ekta Kapoor productions which recognizes the potential of such subjects and transforms them into engaging cinematic pieces. No doubt, its novelty at its best. Go for being spooked !!
Based on the story by Mukul Sharma,It tells the story of a famous magician, Bobo(Emraan Hashmi) who is constantly challenged by hallucinations and finds it difficult to come in terms with his troubled childhood where he lost his father and sister in mysterious circumstances after his father brought home a step mother, Diana (Konkana Sen Sharma)whom he suspects as the daayan.He seeks the help of a psychiatrist for past life regression to unearth the frantic activities and find the answer to the constant indications of the daayan's return, much to the dismay of his girlfriend,Tamara(Huma Qureshi).
This is not a typical horror fest, it is curiously spooky and visually impressive. Kannan Iyer embellishes the plot with eerie atmospherics and dark surroundings and gives us enough of the goose-bump moments.The black-and-white montages of the past that keep surfacing before Bobo's eyes, the creepy elevator of the dilapidated building, the animated lizard create immense intrigue and Kannan utilizes them as catalysts for the narrative.However ,it loses the steam during the ending reels while inadvertently treading into the Vikram-bhattisque type climax,which spoils the whole sport.The background score is terrific and some of Gulzar's compositions are mercifully well-rendered with Vishal Bharadwaj's soundtrack.
Returning to celluloid after a sabbatical, Konkana Sen is first-rate and looks deliciously wicked. It wouldn't be unfair to say that Daayan works because of her.She lends a unique dimension to the character's mannerisms which absorbs you entirely.Huma Qureshi does a decent job and Kalki again proves that she is versatile, but sadly doesn't much of scope.Emraan Hashmi is growing strong with each of his projects and this one speaks volumes of this acting abilities. He depicts the anxieties and apprehensions of the paranoid protagonist with flawless ease. The child artiste, Vishesh Tiwari is terrific. Pavan Malhotra is OK in the cameo.
On the whole, Ek Thi Daayan is a commendable attempt by Kannan Iyer.Drawing from the native folklore's of witchcraft, the way he constructs the journey from the real to surreal definitely deserves a special mention and it will be remembered as an imaginative and attention-grabbing supernatural thriller. This is also a testament to the astuteness of Ekta Kapoor productions which recognizes the potential of such subjects and transforms them into engaging cinematic pieces. No doubt, its novelty at its best. Go for being spooked !!