Akshay Shah Reviews BHRAM (Hindi, 2008)

Special thanks to Aakash Gandhi for the reccomendation....and happy birthday for the other day!!:-)

Akshay Shah Reviews BHRAM (Hindi, 2008)




I really had no idea what to expect from BHRAM. I had read Pavan Kaul’s blogging at Passion For Cinema, and the promo of the movie was indeed intriguing. After watching the film, I will say that the movie is easily worth one watch! Yes, the movie does have flaws aplenty, however that aside this is a atmospheric and suspenseful thriller which on the whole does leave it’s mark.
The first thing that strikes the viewer is that the movie is penned by Bhavani Iyer of BLACK fame, and like BLACK which was inspired from a Hollywood, I suspect BHRAM too has been “inspired” from another film; something in me just doesn’t allow me to believe that this is an original story simply because throughout the entire movie I had that sense of deja-vu that I had witnessed something similar in the past; perhaps a Hollywood film from the 80’s or 90’s (I had a similar feeling when watching Girish Dhamija’s YAKEEN, only to click at the end it was a remake of the Kevin Costner starrer SHATTERED)...also Pawan Kaul's last effort was SSSHH (a inferior remake of Wes Cravens masterpiece SCREAM)



The film revolves around Antra (Sheetal Menon) who is an aspiring model haunted by a tragedy and trauma in her childhood. She is bitter about life and often indulged in drugs as her “way out”. Shantanu (Dino Morera) is a successful financial analyst who is attracted to Antra after he sees her at a party however finds it hard to break past her tough exterior. Despite constant attempts, Antra snubs Shantanu every opportunity she gets until finally Shantanu manages to develop a bond with her, and slowly the two become close, which eventually leads to love.


Things take a sharp turn when Antra is introduced to Shantanu’s elder brother Devendra (Millind Soman); a successful entrepreneur who is a self-made millionaire. Antra reacts violently after seeing Devendra and accuses him of a horrible crime, a crime committed by a man named Inder…a crime from a very long time ago…is Antra simply losing her mind and seeing an illusion(bhram), or is Devendra the same man?


Bhavani Iyer’s screenplay is indeed different, and takes some getting used to. The movie constantly moves between the present and the past. The first half of the movie infact starts out rather weak, and one has no idea where the story is going. The pacing is slow, and the sequence of events mundane. It’s not until a rapport starts building between Shantanu and Antra that the pace picks up. The film reaches an all –time high when Antra recognises Devendra at the party, and the suspense is superbly maintained in the second half. One never quiet knows what the truth is or who is lying. However the climax is a complete let-down which comes across as huge disappointment.




As a director Pavan Kaul is a passionate film-maker; no two ways about it. Compared to a thriller like RACE, BHRAM is completely the opposite. There aren’t any gimmicky twists after twists, and Kaul is more interested in engaging the viewer slowly before giving the story a sharp turning point. His narrative is well done as he juxtaposes the past and the present together, though an over-dose of it does make it slightly confusing at times if the viewer hasn’t been paying full attention. One just wishes that he had more engaging material in the first half which seriously comes across as a drag to watch. The sequence at the party where Antra recognises Devendra is straight from the pages of Chetan Anand’s KUDRAT when Hema Malini recognises Raaj Kumar. From that point on the film turns in to a gripping thriller full of suspense, and the investigation sequences as Dino tries to get to the bottom of ordeal has been well handled. However the culmination in the finale is a complete letdown. Writing aside, even the execution fails to impress as it just comes across as too tepid and clichéd. A bit of creativity was deifnetly in need here. In saying that, this is a commendable debut by Mr. Kaul, and moving forward, with a tighter script, I really think Pavan Kaul has the potential to deliver a nail-biting thriller from start to finish.


The performances in the movie are a mixed bag. Dino Morera is someone who I’ve never been a huge fan of, however he springs a surprise here with a endearing and convincing performance. Be it the romantic sequences or the dramatic ones, this is a controlled performance and certainly marks growth for Dino on the acting front.
Sheetal Menon is good as Antra Tyagi, though this is clearly a role that is slightly beyond her acting capabilities and needed a more experienced performer. In the hands of someone like Konkona Sen Sharma this could’ve really been something else. However in saying that, for a debut performance it’s pretty good.


Millind Soman ranges from wooden as a plank of wood to impressive. In the first half he simply grates on the viewers nerves with a one note wooden act, however in the second half he manages to impress in a handful of scenes.




Simone Singh is a revelation and leaves her mark. Deepshika is annoying.
The music by Pritam and Siddarth-Suhas are nothing special, and ideally a film like this should’ve been totally songless.
Technically I liked this movie quiet a bit. Hiroo Keshwani’s camerawork gives the movie a noir-ish feel and certainly creates real atmosphere and ambience.



All up BHRAM is a worthy effort, yes it does have it’s fair share of flaws, however there’s enough here to garner one watch on DVD!



Overall Rating: 6.0/10.0

A.Shah