Good concept, poorly executed.

Don't Believe the Hype

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

I watched this in 2013 after I heard a lot of positive reviews about it. At the end, I was kind of surprised the film did not flop at the box office.Story is about a couple in a troubled marriage who visit Ooty to revive old memories of their love and try to rebuild their braking marriage, but something evil is waiting for both of them with a purpose.The good: The storyline, the locales where it is shot, some dialogues and best of all, the music.The bad: Vulgarity, silly acting,silly scenes at many a time, like someone being thrown off a cliff and still not dying,trying to argue with and fight ghosts, somewhat "phattu".In the Vikram Bhatt horror series, perhaps 1920 is the best.I am sure if Raaz had released later in the last decade, it would not have run.

I don't like watching horror movies at all. Despite being a movie buff, this is one kind of movies which I always prefer to avoid. Still there is a horror movie which I like to watch again and again and which, quite unusually for me, I find very close to my heart. It's Raaz (2002).Raaz (secret / mystery) is the story of Sanjana (Bipasha Basu) and Aditya (Dino Morea) who are facing problems in their marital life and move to Ooty for a break from the routine and set the conjugal troubles right. There Sanjana starts experiencing strange and frightening things and finally comes to know of the existence of a spirit (of a female) haunting their house there. One day the mystery behind the reason of the haunting of spirit gets revealed before her and the dark truth hidden in the life of her husband becomes naked before her eyes. However the final challenge appears when she finds the life of her husband under threat. How she is able to save him and her married life as well is the climax.The theme of this movie is said to have been picked from the Hollywood movie - What Lies Beneath (2000). However I find it closer to an old Hindi movie - Mangalsutra (1981). In fact, we can trace the origin of this story back to the tale of Savitri embedded in the Hindu mythology who was able to get her deceased husband, Satyavaan from Yama, the god of death. The ultimate thing which matters is the treatment of the plot on the screen which is wonderful and the melodious songs are the icing on the cake. The story has been presented less like a horror movie and more like an edge-of-the-seat musical thriller which does not allow the viewer to leave it even for a second.The movie has ample romantic moments. And I praise the director, Vikram Bhatt for the fact that the scenes of physical intimacy have been presented so artistically that not even a particle of vulgarity is felt while watching them. The melodious and touching romantic songs add to the flavour of the romance visible on the screen.The movie runs on the theme of the traditional Indian wife's forgiving her husband for his past sings and standing by him in the adverse times (despite the resentment in her heart). The Indian ladies have always been taught to treat their husband as God. That's why I have compared this movie to the Satyavaan-Savitri Katha instead of the Hollywood movie.Technically the movie is just superb. The special effects (especially in the climax) are highly admirable and the background score is perfect to render shivers to the audience.Nadeem-Shravan alongwith Sameer, the lyricist have done an outstanding job by preparing unforgettable songs even in the 21st century. Not all the songs have been kept in the movie but listening to the album is a mesmerizing experience for any melody-lover. One song - Kitna Pyara Hai Ye Chehera is sung (and played on the harmonium) by me at times. It's based on Raag Bhairavi. However the best song of the album is - Aapke Pyar Mein Hum Sanwarne Lage. Most of the songs are in the voices of Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan and they have done full justice to the job of the lyricist and the composers by singing superbly.This is the movie which lifted Bipasha Basu to stardom. Her performance deserves all the accolades showered on her. Dino Morea and Malini Sharma (she strangely disappeared from Bollywood after this movie) have also done well. Ashutosh Rana as the professor studying the supernatural has, once again, delivered a great performance. The supporting cast has done justice to the roles assigned.Despite being a horror-movie-hater, I watched Raaz twice in the theatre and I don't mind watching it again on VCD / DVD. It's definitely the best horro-cum-suspense thriller made in India during the past two-three decades. If you like thrillers, I strongly recommend it to you.

Raaz was one of those movies that make us think "can this really happen?" It is a story about a man who has an affair with another women. The "other" woman kills herself when she learns that the man she has fallen madly in love with still loves and is committed to his wife even though he has also declared his love to her. The woman's spirit seeks revenge on the man who hurt her so badly.The actors in this film: Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea were perfect for the roles they were playing.I found that this movie, had just the right amount of horror in it to keep you on the edge of your seat. You will not be bored for a single moment while watching this movie.

All these rave reviews are kind of surprising, because ...surprise... it's not such a good movie. Frankly, if you read between the lines, the only reason this movie is receiving so many rave reviews, is because it is thought to be one (or at least a few) of a kind. Because this 'Raaz' is supposed to be a horror movie. This fact alone is kind of sad, because the corrollary is that if Bollywood came up with a flick that featured full nudity, this would also have to be a hit regardless of the story, just because it was one of a kind.The story is about a married couple, Sanjana and Aditya, on the brink of divorce. To try to mend their marriage they decide to go to the place they got together. But guess what, the house is haunted. By whom? And why? Those are pretty much the two questions it revolves around.Having seen quite a few Hollywood horror movies and having seen 'What lies beneath' I knew what the story was about before we even reached intermission. *POSSIBLE SPOILER* The entire movie Sanjana is haunted by a ghost who tries to scare her with wind (yes, you read that right, wind), falling spades, closing doors and windows and ofcourse very fake blood. In one sequence the chandelier in the house starts bleading. Naturally, just having blood trickle down the chandelier would have added to the creep factor, so the director decided on a (very fake) blood shower instead. What Hollywood has done to blowing things up, this movie has done to blood.What I also found quite annoying was the lack of consistency and logical thinking. *VERY BIG SPOILER* At one point the ghost takes possession of a man's body. A man who is dead. When the man is crushed between a tree and a car, the ghost seems to lose consciousness?! How is this possible? If a ghost can possess a dead body, surely it can possess a crushed dead body. And if the ghost can possess a dead body, why doesn't she just take control of her own body which has just been dug up. Or of the unconscious body of the best friend of the lead. Or even of the lead herself. As with all horrors, this one is also rife with inconsistencies.This all makes it seem that I hated the movie. Well, I didn't. Bipasha Basu is as always extremely fetching. And Dino also delivers quite a performance. Plus you have to admire Bollywood tackling issues like adultery. *SPOILER* Though, the ending of Sanjana taking Aditya back after not only cheating on her but solely being responsible for a ghost trying to whack her, was very weak. It would have been much better if they would have let her dump his ass.If you wanna be scared out of your wits watching a horror movie, this ain't it. You'll be better off turning to Hollywood for movies like Child's Play, Resident Evil or even What Lies Beneath. If you just wanna enjoy yourself for 2+ hours, this will definitely do the trick.**/5 stars