A film that is fuelled by the charisma of Rajkummar Rao and Varun Sharma but overshadowed by a chaotic plot.
Written by: Sehan Malhotra Edited By: Aarushi Bansal Designed by: Aarushi Mal
There is nothing compared to the feeling of watching a movie in cinemas. Yes, OTT platforms like Netflix have paved the way for more unique forms of content, but nothing beats the aroma of fresh and buttery popcorn in a chock-a-block IMAX theatre. Roohi recently became the first major ‘commercial’ Bollywood film to release in Cinemas after a year.
But was it the best possible way to bring back the magic of Bollywood? No. Nonetheless, was it an entertaining mix of humour and horror? Yes, it was.
A little about the film: Roohi is a horror-comedy set in a fictional town in North India. 2 small-town boys, Bhaura and Kattanni are left stuck in a forest with a mysterious girl called Roohi. Knowing nothing about the eerie ‘chudail’ that possesses the girl, Bhaura falls in love with her. When Kattanni encounters Roohi in her demonic witch form, he surprisingly falls in love with the witch that possesses Roohi called ‘Afza’. A hilarious love triangle is then formed, but with a sinister twist.
Roohi is produced by the same production house that gave to us the critically acclaimed and financially successful Stree (2018). One of the aspects that made 2018’s Stree a success was Rajkummar Rao’s ability to steal the show with his outstanding acting performance. Time and time again, Rao proves that he is the most versatile actor in the Bollywood film industry. No matter how shoddy the script, this man will deliver with whatever he is given. Similarly, Varun Sharma was also at his comic best. He once again possessed the scintillating charm that made him an overnight sensation with 2013’s Fukrey. The duo of Rao and Sharma shared some electrifying chemistry, and their comic timing was on point.
The downside: the film, Roohi, circles around a lackluster and convoluted script. Aspects of the second half of the film seem chaotic, where the humor and the “scare” factor completely diminish. Roohi lacks the element of situational comedy that made” Stree a theatrical success. Without situational comedy, the jokes feel forced, “out of place,” and even makes the viewers cringe. What’s worse is that the last 30-40 minutes of the film feel like a complete drag and it is easy to lose complete interest. One of the major problems with Roohi is Janhvi Kapoor’s acting on display. It is early days in her film career, and she has a prospective future ahead of her, but this performance just seemed very one tone and mediocre. She completely lacked the magic that made Shraddha Kapoor’s performance in Stree a crowd-puller, and hence the lack of a theatrical success Roohi can be looked at as.
Nonetheless, Roohi is entertaining in parts and does help in reliving the thrill of cinemas. It may not have the best of scripts to help its cause, but it will surely tickle your funny bone.
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