Phobia

Director: Pavan Kripalani

Cast: Radhika Apte, Satyadeep Mishra, Ankur Vikal, Yashaswini Dayama

A horror flick set in an empty apartment in which things go bump, using standard, familiar tropes, and still able to create freshness? It is a tough ask, but Phobia pulls it off with a bang, helped by a crackerjack plot and performances.

                           

A flat with an eerily locked room, a cracked mirror, an about-to-be-bloodied bath-tub, a black cat and fleeting apparitions. And a young woman suffering from trauma which has led to agoraphobia : Mehek (Radhika Apte) cannot step out, because there lurks evil. But, and this is what the film asks, as every similar film does, what if the danger is inside?

Kripalani, who had helmed the scary Ragini MMS, delivers a smart, intelligent spook-fest which keeps us on the edge. His leading lady knows exactly what to do: Radhika Apte doesn’t put a foot wrong as she goes about scaling it up gradually– being alarmed, scared, petrified, and outright panicked-with-blind-terror.

Part of the skill-set required to do an effective film in this genre is to know when to ratchet up the tension, and when to let it go. The inclusion of other characters in this chamber drama does exactly that— Satyadeep Mishra as the pal who wants to be more, Ankur Vikal as the creepy neighbor under suspicion for having done away with his lady love, Yahaswini Dayama as a friendly, inquisitive girl who keeps showing up even when she’s not wanted, an older sister who may or not be a loving sibling, and a therapist who wants to help Mehek get past her phobia.

Apte keeps you reeled in. She’s consistently been doing interesting work. With this one she has staked fair claim to be one of the best acts in town. Phobia is a genuine frightener, so far away from those unintentionally comic monstrosities Bollywood keeps slinging out that you feel like cheering.