We
get off to a start that initially had me groaning. Before the credits begin, we
have a personal note from our director, Ramgopal Varma. In case it's a little
hard to read, here's what he has to say:
We
get off to a start that initially had me groaning. Before the credits begin, we
have a personal note from our director, Ramgopal Varma. In case it's a little
hard to read, here's what he has to say:
"This film of mine is just an attempt to scare you and it in no way reflects my belief in the supernatural. I also caution pregnant women and people with weak hearts to view it at their own risk." The bolded text there is shown a few font sizes larger than the rest of the text so you know that these words are indeed to be taken seriously. Why did that get me groaning you may ask? Well, from my experience when someone has to tell you that it's going to be scary, then it usually is not. We'll see how this unfolds.
We
go from the "oh my this is ever so scary" warning right into some very nicely
done credits. These are pretty slick. We have some nice CG morphing titles that
give us the title card, and then begin listing off the cast. As the names come
and go, we see a distorted, fish-eye lens view of what appears to be a burning
funeral pyre, then a point-of-view shot of a vehicle making its way through some
city streets. We eventually come up to a large high-rise apartment building, and
our journey ends.
We cut inside to find two men walking through a vacant apartment. Vishal takes the lead and looks about with an expression that shows he's not exactly impressed with what he's seeing. After a few shots of them checking the place out, they head back out to the car. The realtor tells Vishal that there's no shortage of options, and if he doesn't like this one there are plenty more to see. The moment he completes that sentence, it begins to rain in a torrential downpour. The men quickly get into the car and settle in.
The realtor comments that the weather can be very unpredictable in Mumbai, but Vishal doesn't doesn't play along. He tells the realtor that if he's done with the weather report, he'd like to get on with seeing the next apartment. Vishal notices an impressive looking building through the windshield, and asks if there are any available flats in it. The realtor has a significant hesitation before admitting there is indeed an open flat there. Vishal urges him onward to show him the place.
The
men take a tour of the apartment, which looks pretty nice. It's a little
run-down at the moment, but it is a duplex with a nice view. Vishal seems to
take to it, but the realtor thinks there is something Vishal should be aware of.
He reluctantly mentions that the previous tenant was a woman who fell to her
death from the outdoor balcony. We cut to a POV shot of the ground rushing up
towards us before quickly cutting back upstairs. Vishal looks down from the
balcony in question and asks if this is the spot. The realtor says it is, and
tells Vishal there were two theories about what happened to her. One is that she
went crazy and threw herself off, and the other is that she was suicidal. The
realtor jokingly says that he hopes Vishal is not superstitious, to which Vishal
replies that he is not. After all, people die in houses all the time. What does
the poor house have to do with it?
One little note here - the director begins to display some subtle techniques in this opening scene. We see that we'll have mirrors in quite a few shots, as many of them are framed to make sure we can see a reflection. Keep this in mind for later.
They
go next door to meet the landlord, Mr. Thakkar. After sitting down for a cup of
tea, the realtor explains that Vishal is interested in the flat, and has no
problem with the death of the previous tenant, Manjeet. After a wordless glance
across the table, the realtor and Vishal head out. We have some cool suspenseful
sounding music as they descend in the elevator, and we get an important look at
the watchman's empty seat as they walk through the lobby. The screen fades to
black, then comes back in as we get our first look at Swati, Vishal's wife.
She smiles up at the impressive building as a rather strong wind blows in her face. Vishal comes to stand next to her and asks her if she thinks the place looks nice. She smiles and nods and they walk into the lobby. As they pass the still vacant watchman's chair, the heretofore absent guard walks up behind them. As he takes his seat, he asks them where they think they're going. Vishal tells him to watch his tone. The watchman tells them he's never seen them before, so Vishal explains they're the new tenants. The watchmen rises to his feet and squares off to them. He gives them a lackluster, "sorry," then they turn and enter the elevator.
