Movie Review: Help (2010)

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Help: Has the chills and thrills

Rating: 3 out of 5*

Starring: Bobby Deol, Mugdha Godse, Shreyas Talpade, Sophie Handa, Jyoti Dogra and Salim Fatehi

Director: Rajeev Manoj Virani

August 14, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Rajeev Manoj Virani’s Help is a well made horror film that succeeds in giving you the requisite chills and thrills expected out of a good horror film but the problem lies with the unoriginality of the plot that seems heavily inspired from Thai film Alone.

Vic (Bobby Deol) is a filmmaker in a relationship with Pia (Mugdha). There relationship is going through turmoil because of rumours linking Vic with his actress Sussane (Linda Arsenio). The couple has to immediately fly to Mauritius, after they get a call about Pia’s dad (Salim Fatehi) having a heart attack. But after Pia comes back to her ancestral house strange things start happening with her. She starts seeing her dead twin sister Dia who had died when she was five. After it is known that Pia is pregnant the spirit of her twin sister completely possesses her body even making her a murderer of her near and dear ones. A baffled Vic then decides to take the help of a parapsychologist Aditya (Shreyas Talpade) to solve the mystery and save Mugdha. But as they dig deeper, Aditya and Vic are shocked by the revelations behind the strange happenings!

Agreed it is an inspired film but full marks to debutante Rajiv Manoj Virani for keeping his narrative focused on the main plot and making a technically superb film. It doesn’t look like his first attempt at all. For those who haven’t seen the original, Help has enough genuinely spooky moments to keep you on the edge of your seats. Just like Bhoot, this film succeeds in scaring you in broad day light sequences too. All the spooky sequences have been extremely well shot be it sequences when the spirit of the little girl crawls on the ceiling scaring the daylights out of Mugdha or the climax after Shreyas comes back to Bobby and Mugdha. The final revelation is least expected and a true shocker in every sense of the word.

Mugdha enacts her difficult role fairly well. Bobby Deol is earnest and does well in his part. Shreyas Talpade is very impressive, especially in the climax sequence. Salim Fatehi is good and so is Sophie Handa who plays Mugdha’s best friend. Jyoti Dogra playing Mugdha’s mom is terrific and gives you the chills whenever she is on screen.

Camerawork by Dhimant Vyas is very good especially for the night sequences. Ashu’s music is passable.

Help is a fairly engrossing watch for those who like horror films. Sure it is an inspired film but which film isn’t nowadays? This technically well shot film is paisa vasool where chills and thrills are concerned.

-Sampurn Wire