The Black Magic of Raaz 3 casts a spell. Review on Raaz 3

Raaz 3 is the much  awaited and glamorous tale of female vengeance with a supernatural twist. My impressions are of the FDFS(Preview) and the movie had garnered enough curiosity to be watched in its initial run. What works in its favour are the background of any successful film- a strong screenplay and a strong script. The story is fairly linear in it being Bipasha's desperate and dark doings to salvage her sinking career and emotional stability.

That she turns to black magic to satisfy her base desires and how the dark cloud of Tantra envelopes first her victim and later her own persona form the firm foundation of this 2.5 hrs chilling drama. With the opening reels itself, the narrative gets down to business. And what a business! Like they say - "There's no business like SHOWBIZNESS" and Bipasha absolutely personifies it. Showbiz consumes her completely and ethereally, even her aura craves for superstardom. She runs for divine help in form of astrological advice just before the deciding Awards Night. And the moment not her name but the young and glamorous Esha's name is announced as "Best Actress" starts the sinister and brooding tale of revenge that festers inside Shanaya like a parasite that threatens to annihilate all those who come in her path to regain her lost glory.

If a mere award seems a flimsy ground for such a demonic revenge , well there are other undercurrents too that date back to both the girls' childhood and accentuate and justify the intense jealousy that Shanaya harbours all through the film. She turns to Black Magic to induce hallucinations and nightmares into Esha's life  and to sabotage her budding film career. She beautifully and sexily manipulates Emraan to act as the medium for this plan. Emraan is initially in relationship with Shanaya but his character metamorphoses into feeling affection and later an obsessively protective streak for Esha. He is silent and passive initially but later blossoms into a full fledged HIndi film hero who will fight all evil to save his lady love. What I appreciate about the film is the CLEAR VISION of the Director from the first shot itself. The film is superb in its treatment and pace. Not for a moment does the momentum drop and the intensity and pitch required for a thriller is awesomely built up and maintained. The first half is SPOOKY and eerie. There are some marvellously crafted scenes that appear surreal and other-wordly and actually induce goosebumps. 1. Esha gets trapped in Studio 3 and travels back in time to face the clownish demons of her past. 2. The intelligent house maid of Esha is punished for her insight that her mistress is being subjected to black magic and ghostly influences. Her torture scene and eventual death are genuinely shocking. 3. The pandit who travels to the spirit world to bring back Esha's spirit that's being held in bondage. Whats attractive is that there are no pretences at making a horror film. There is neither gore nor mindless screeching and wailing of the netherworld. Its almost like a Madhur Bhandarkar film in that it realistically portrays how desperate people turn to this destructive form of Tantra to achieve their dark ambitions.

The techniques used to practice black magic, the kind of daily life impact it has on the victims and then the eventual circle of revenge that always destroys the person who perpetrated it in the first stage. Its all real, stark and direct. The editing is superlative and so is the screenplay. Bipasha as the avenging Diva is in true form and holds her fort. She is especially good in her almost crazy scenes where she vows to regain her status. Emraan pitches in a very balanced performance and manages to hold the insanity of the two women together by his calm demeanour. Esha has a meaty role and she enjoys it thoroughly. Not great but very competent for the character she portrays. She is impressive when she begins to get haunted and has the "hunted animal" look in  her eyes. Music is already topping the charts and adds to the viewing pleasure. In the post intermission, there is surplus of songs and at one stage makes the film slow but that's only for a short while.

The pre-climax with the "flies in the washroom" and the pulsating climax where there is fierce battle between good and evil, GOD and SATAN is very interesting and the film concludes with a bang. And yes there are the mandatory love making scenes with Emraan around. He gets cosy with both the girls but its all done to carry the central theme of Raaz 3 forward. **Satisfying watch. Keeps you engaged for entire duration. If you go for supernatural, horror, thriller stuff- MUST WATCH (there's more of suspense than gory horror so people averse to the dirty monsters would also enjoy it) 3D version is successful and works big time in the special effects it produces. Special effects are a bit tacky especially in the flying mosquitoes scene. Vikram Bhatt is back in form with directorial command over a tale that's TIGHT, THRILLING, DRAMATIC.

Rrachita Gupta Astrologer, Tarot Reader, Vastu Analyst, Numerologist