Emraan Hashmi: No evolution in kind of horror films made

By - Uma Ramasubramanian

OCTOBER 26,2021

Given that the Raaz (2009) series catapulted him to success, returning to the horror genre felt like homecoming for Emraan Hashmi. Set to feature in Amazon Prime Video's Dybbuk, Hashmi doesn't consider working in horror movies mdash a genre that has not found favour in the industry mdash a risk. 'The genre paid [off] for me. My biggest grossing films have been those of the Raaz franchise, which earned over Rs 80 crores at the box-office. However, we don't make many good horror films. An exception to this is Tumbbad (2018), which was tastefully made,' Hashmi tells mid-day.
Highlighting that international markets have aptly exploited the genre, Hashmi says filmmakers in India haven't been able to decipher ways to make promising horror movies. 'The genre hasn't evolved in India because not too many people understand it. Also, we make few horror movies, so, as far as the genre is concerned, what we see is stagnation, not evolution. We lack the aesthetics, as well as good scripts. We need to up the [bar], and this film does that.'

Since filmmakers have been unable to do justice to the genre, actors too have been disinterested in giving it a go. 'Hence, when you have to make a film without a star, the budget is affected too, and the film's aesthetics is compromised.'

Dybbuk is the Hindi remake of the 2017 Malayalam film, Ezra, which featured Prithviraj Sukumaran. 'It revolves around a couple that grapples with a problem. To rekindle their romance, they move to Mauritius. While setting up the home, the woman opens a wine cabinet. Thereafter, strange things happen in the house. It has references in the Jewish culture.' The film, starring Nikita Dutta, Manav Kaul and Anil George, is set to premiere on October 29.