Review: PHOBIA

Aankhon mein Darr Hai Sahab!

2 stars

Mini Review:

What do you do when you are suffering from Agoraphobia? You are too anxious to step out of your comfort zone and too panicky to remain inside the house. When the lead character is Radhika Apte, then the audience feels her fears (what large eyes she has!), her panic attacks, and begin to feel what everyone around her feels…

Main Review:

If you are a fan of horror films, you notice the signs and clues right away, but if you are a novice then you will be swallowing hard, gasping for air in this claustrophobic little film. The film comes out of nowhere and wipes out our bad memories of Indian horror thrillers which mostly consist of skimpily clad buxom women in white sarees wandering about forgotten castles carrying a candle that casts weird shadows of ghouls as the wind screams through the night…

Radhika Apte is an apt choice and she delivers a powerful performance as someone haunted by her anxieties. Her only family is a sister who is pissed off at her because she won’t open the door, and her child had to wait outside without food and water for four hours. Her not acknowledged boyfriend takes her away to an apartment for giving her sleeping pills and tells her to start living instead of giving in to her fears. Radhika seems normal enough mostly but something or the other triggers off a rough panic attack. And the house offers plenty of opportunities.

You begin to feel sorry for the boyfriend who really takes care of her and looks after her in her most awful moments. It is when the movie drags on and on about her panicky state that you wish it were shorter. You also begin to notice that the knife seems to be very handy. It is always within reach. Did no one think of removing sharp objects from near her, knowing she could harm herself or others?

Sigh. It’s practically a horror film, so you let logic stay out of the theater. The reveal is good fun and even though you figured it out ages ago, you nod your head in agreement when people around you say, ‘End was good, haan!’