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Spooky encounters

Whether you laugh it off or get scared, whether you believe they are real or imaginative, Bollywood's ghost stories are definitely here to stay

Published: Sun 21 Oct 2007, 11:17 AM

Updated: Fri 28 Apr 2023, 12:12 PM

WHILE PRIYADARSHAN is all set to 'logically and psychologically' prove the existence of ghosts in his latest flick Bhool Bhulaiya, there are many within the industry who do not need that to be proved. Take for instance his own crew. According to one of the unit members of Bhool Bhulaiya, the Chomu Palace where they were shooting would be very peaceful while they were shooting but the minute the cast and technicians would leave, the unit members left behind to wind up would feel the presence of a spirit. "We were so scared! Initially, we thought it was the wind that was making strange sounds in the palace. Later, we realised there was more to the palace that meets the eye," says a member.

If that wasn’t enough the crew says that they spotted a headless apparition in the palace. Priyadarshan is quick to reason it out like the way he is trying to in the movie. "The locals told us that the King of Chomu Palace was beheaded in a war and his horse brought his body back to the palace. He was later cremated on the palace grounds. I think the story had some impact on the unit members and they got scared," he says.

The huge Rajasthan palaces, most of which have been turned into hotels definitely have an eerie feel about them. Taking advantage of this, on the sets of Awarapan in Jodhpur, the lead actress Shreya Saran narrated ghost stories to Emraan Hashmi about the Jodhpur forts in the vicinity. Emraan became so paranoid of being alone at any given place in the fort that he ensured that someone from the unit was always there with him. Another unit member jokingly told Emraan about his hotel room being infested with ghosts, after which the actor requested for an immediate change of room.

Director Mohit Suri laughs, "Actually Emraan is very superstitious and tends to fall for supernatural stories quite easily." Well Emraan don’t worry you are not the only one! The crew of Bhool Bhulaiya would discuss the ghost stories almost every night of the shoot and end up being spooked out.

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Off-screen bhoot tales are becoming as common as on screen ghost stories. If Priyadarshan’s sudden shift to a ghost tale with this movie has surprised you, don’t be. Gone are the days when the Ramsays ruled the Bollywood’s horror flicks. The Chudial, Murda Lash and the likes are definitely out. But slick, dark horror films and horror comedies are definitely in. Vikram Bhatt’s Raaz definitely played a part in bringing back horror films into Bollywood. There have been varied types of ghosts in Hindi films there after. From Shahid Kapoor in Wah Kya Life Hai to Shah Rukh in Paheli, playing the ghost isn’t a big deal anymore.

In the last few years Ram Gopal Varma has been the film maker dabbling with the most number of horror movies, trying to resurrect his first bhoot flick Raat. He kick-started the trend with Bhoot and followed it up by several others like Naina, Darna Mana Hai, Darna Zaroori Hai and most recently Darling. After dealing with ghosts in Bhoot and Naina, Urmila almost became a ghost of an actress. “I am not scared of ghosts. I don’t believe in them or in the supernatural. But I have always enjoyed doing things I don't otherwise believe in, whether it was in Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya or Bhoot,” she said. But playing the character in Bhoot did definitely take a toll on the beauty. "My knuckles would turn white," she had confessed.

Esha Deol, who played a weird eerie character in Darling, also went through several sleepless nights. "During the shooting of this film Mum, Ahana and I moved into our new huge bungalow which is still quite empty so I kept looking over my shoulder every time I returned from the shoot. Because it’s new and empty there were echoes everywhere and yes mein ghabrati rehti thi (I used to get scared), like I was being watched,” she said. The otherwise tough Deol says that she even had a real ghost experience while shooting for her first film Chura Liya Hai Tumne in Kerela. “All of us used to feel a presence in our rooms. One night I felt someone trying to strangle me while I was sleeping, I panicked and we unanimously decided to change our hotel. It was very scary.”

Whether you believe in them or not ghost stories are something that excites everyone. Ram Gopal Verma who believes that people love watching a scary movie, himself used to feel the presence of ghosts during the making of Bhoot. “I have this L-shaped bedroom, and if I was on the bed, I used to feel that Manjeet, the ghost in Bhoot, was behind the wall. I used to laugh at myself and turn to one side and sleep, and then hear this breathing sound. I would want to turn and see, angry at myself for being imaginative,” he says. Whether you laugh it off or get scared, whether you believe they are real or imaginative, Bollywood bhoot tales are definitely here to stay.



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