Agyaat Movie Review

Story: A film crew lands up in a dense jungle for a shoot. Trouble erupts as an unknown predator begins to kill them, one by one. Is there any way the hero and heroine can escape this blood fest?

Review: Now this one's a big disappointment from a director who has already proved his forte with the horror genre with goosebump films like Bhoot and Raat.

Even Darna Mana Hai had its moments, as did his earlier foray into the danger-infested forest, Jungle. But Agyaat is completely cold meat. It neither thrills nor chills with its repetitive running-for-life sequences and its absolutely infuriating end which offers no explanation whatsoever for the scurrying and screaming. Director Ram Gopal Varma surely owes the viewers some explanation for the identity of the Thing that has been causing supposed mayhem in the jungle. Fine, he wants a sequel and all that. But part one too needs a plausible end, doesn't it?

Essentially, this one is a chase movie, where an unseen predator follows a film unit and preys upon them, one by one. The crew decides to go for a camping trip in the dense interiors, when their camera breaks down after a bekaar item song. There, in the dead of night, they spot a falling star, which marks the beginning of their end. First, their guide disappears, only to reappear as a grotesque carcass (you only get to see a bloody eye), then the producer is reduced to a riverine of curdling blood. All that the remaining becharas can do is rant at each other, stare vacantly into space and shiver as the soundtrack unsuccessfully tries to scare you with grunts and wails.

In fact, all that the director does is to rely on his camera and audio track to rustle up the horror. But it takes more than the rustle of the leaves, the growl of the night creatures and the howl of a beast to scare the die-hard film buff. Even Priyanka Kothari's wide-eyed stare and incessant pout fails to emphasise the `Boo' factor.

Yes, this one's completely devoid of the fear factor. Wonder if part two will scare you?