Film: Roohi
Date: 11.03.2021
Director: Hardik Mehta
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Janhvi Kapoor Varun Sharma
Ratings: 2 stars
In 2018 director Amar Kaushik released Stree, his first experiment with the horror comedy genre. Two years later, director Hardik Mehta makes a sequel of Stree called Roohi. While Stree stunned us with its refreshing content, Roohi renders us speechless in disappointment.
In the beginning you feel that they have probably changed the plot and therefore the slack in pace, in fact the opening sequence describing makes you wonder if this time it is going to be a thriller. A few scenes later you decide that that this is going to be a story of friendship, a typical Jay/ Rajkumar Rao and Veeru/ Varun Sharma bonding
There are funny musical interludes almost every 15 minutes and a song every 30 minutes and you finally conclude that this film is not a thriller/horror/comedy but a musical after all but a few more scenes into screen time and you are proved wrong yet again!
The problem with Roohi is that it has a nonexistent screenplay and the director has too many things to say. Agreed that India is a country that lives in multiple centuries simultaneously but is that be an excuse to serve ancient practices in the name of entertainment to film audience?
There’s just one dialogue in the entire film that refers to medical practice be it mental health or split personality syndrome and just one scene that emphasizes on the importance of science, the remaining film is only about the planetary stars, the tantric, the evil practices during the eclipse, sometimes the full moon night. There are constant mentions of the spirit, ghost, demon, the priests, chanting, offerings, sacrifices, terrifying movements of the head, forced tonsure, burning of hair and many more ridiculous things!
The actors, Jahanvi Kapoor, Varun Sharma, Raj Kumar Rao and the legendary Sarita Joshi in a special appearance, try their best to engage us in the incoherent narrative but the poor writing, snail pace and regressive message makes you want to tear your hair in frustration! It is unforgivable that the film promotes superstition and that the the censor board in the existing guidelines certifies a regressive subject that glorifies ancient myths and traditions.
Roohi is probably the first and only horror comedy that neither instills fear nor humors you!
Bhawana Somaaya