Shaapit

<p>Aman, seemingly lifeless, narrates how he and his sweetheart Kaya are doomed to perish together. He remembers happier times when he met and courted and finally proposed to Kaya. No sooner than he had proposed, they met with a sudden car accident caused by a spirit but suffer only minor injuries. When Kaya’s parents learn that Aman has proposed to her, they reveal the curse upon their family. Kaya’s father is a descendant of a royal family. Some 300 years ago, the brother of the late king Rana Ranjit Singh, (in a trance-like state) had attempted to molest a beautiful girl in the palace. The girl escaped and jumped to her death. It turned out that the girl was the daughter of the royal guru, “Acharya Sachidanand” and that the girl was about to be wed. The acharya, a wise and powerful spiritual master, pronounced a terrible curse upon Ranjit Singh: no daughter in Ranjit Singh’s line shall ever enjoy marriage; if they ever attempt to marry or become engaged, they will immediately meet with death. Aman and Kaya reach out to professor Pashupati, an expert in the occult, who explains that generational curses (such as the one upon Kaya) are typically connected with an evil spirit. This spirit is the keeper of the curse and it executes the curse (by taking the lives of the victims). Aman recollects that the evil spirit had caused their car accident. Aman suggested destroying the spirit. The bemused professor laughs this off stating it as an almost impossible and dangerous task and urges Aman to forget Kaya and move on. However, a persistent Aman looks up some of the professor’s work and retrieves (in a dangerous chase with an evil spirit) a “cursed” book from a library. Convinced that Aman is determined and capable, the professor agrees to help them. Their first stop is an abandoned cinema. The professor explains that it is haunted by several spirits and some of the noble spirits may be able to help them locate the evil curse-keeper. Aman and Kaya enter the theatre. They are surrounded by spirits and one of them splatters a few drops of blood on Kaya’s wrist. The professor interprets: the drops are the coordinates of the ancient kingdom of Magha, present-day Mahipalpur. They arrive at Mahipalpur and settle into the decrepit government guest house. The evil spirit attacks Kaya and tries to bury her alive. She is rescued but goes into hypoxic shock. The professor sends Shubh’s consciousness back in time using a water-immersion method and the latter is attacked by the spirit prompting the professor to bring him back but Shubh manages to return with a key information about an amulet. Aided by Kaya’s spirit Aman locates the amulet which leads them to Rani Mohini, the evil spirit, the keeper of the curse. Aided by the curator of the 300-year-old Magha jail, the professor performs a seance to invoke the spirit of Ranjit Singh, who reveals that Rani Mohini was never satisfied with her station as the second wife of Raja Gaj Singh. She was also a sorceress. She plotted to assassinate the King and his two sons, Rana Ranjeet Singh and Kuljeet Singh. Her assassins killed Raja Gaj Singh but the royal minister catching wind of the assassins, summoned the royal guards in time to save Ranjeet Singh and Kuljeet Singh, ultimately defeating and killing the assassins. Ranjit Singh ascended the throne and upon learning of Rani Mohini’s prowess in sorcery, promptly arranged to execute her. Rani Mohini, however, concocted a revenge plan. It is inferred that after her execution, her spirit possessed Kuljeet Singh and attempted to molest acharya’s daughter, forcing her to jump to her death; thus causing the acharya to curse Ranjit Singh’s family; then became the keeper of the curse to forever torment Ranjit Singh’s family. Kaya’s condition worsens. The professor, Aman, and Shubh hurry into the River Palace to confront the evil spirit of Rani Mohini. They connect the clues from Ranjit Singh and deduce that the spirit of Mohini can be dispatched to the nether world only when her mortal remains (ashes) hidden in the palace by her follower, are dissolved. They retrieve the pot containing her ashes but Mohini’s spirit brutally kills the professor and chases them to foil their efforts. During the clash, the pot is destroyed but Aman manages to flood the River Palace, dissolving the ashes, defeating and dispatching Mohini’s spirit to nether world. Aman nearly drowns in the process, but Shubh saves him just in time. Kaya survives and marries Aman, and they are later blessed with a daughter. The music is composed by , and . rated the film three stars out of five and considered that: “The film works not so much due to its story. Rather, it’s the way Vikram Bhatt tells his story — with a certain polish and pizzazz — that draws you in. Also, it’s Pravin Bhatt’s multi-hued cinematography which adds a lyrical quality to the film. Not much of a debut however for Shweta Agarwal, who spends much of the screen time in comatose, though Aditya Narain is adequate.” The gave the film one star out of five and Shubhra Gupta wrote: “Practically nothing about `Shaapit’, which has the youngest looking debutant hero after Shahid Kapoor, is scary : not the bag of skeletons which floats around a 300 year old castle, not the wailing and the screeching, and the moaning and the groaning.” considered: “The basic plot of the film seems lost somewhere the curse and the evil spirit are supposed to have a connection but that remains unexplained. It’s almost like two separate tracks in the same film and that makes it hard to comprehend” and commented “The director’s scare tactics work big time in the first half the sequence with Aman alone in the library is the most thrilling of the lot. Also, Shaapit is a combination of a love story and a horror flick and it works.” Mid Day rated the film two and a half stars out of five. Taran Adarsh writing for commented: “With SHAAPIT, Vikram Bhatt raises the bar for horror films made in India. Full marks to Bhatt for making that one kick-ass horror thriller, which easily ranks amongst the best in this genre in terms of plot, setting, technique and performances” and ranked the film three and a half stars out of five. Nominated Nominated</p>