Roohi (RELEASED ONLY IN CINEMAS WORLDWIDE) starts off on an interesting note. The concept is novel and a lot of things stand out like the setting, characters of the various towns shown in the film, and even the reactions of characters when they come across possessed people! A few scenes are outrageously funny and even the horror moments are convincing. However, the climax is bizarre and hence, disappointing. The dialect used in the film is difficult to decipher. Also, no attempt has been made by the makers to provide backstories, probably as they have a few more films coming up in this horror universe. Even Stree fell in the same category but at least, it had humour and simple narrative going throughout, and that’s also missing here. Speaking of performances, Rajkummar Rao as expected rocks the show. His comic timing especially is spot on. Janhvi Kapoor is a big surprise and proves that her performance in Gunjan Saxena was not a fluke. She hardly has any dialogues in the film and yet leaves a huge mark. Varun Sharma shines and adds a lot to the film’s humour quotient. Sarita Joshi is too good and one wishes that she had a longer role. As for the songs, ‘Nadiyon Paar’ is terrific and looks great on the big screen. Sadly, it’s not a part of the narrative, or even the beginning and end credits – it’s attached to the prints before the film starts. All in all, Roohi has equal plusses and minuses and hence is an average fare. If you are interested to see it, make sure to watch it in cinemas as it has the big screen appeal.
My rating – ** ½ out of 5!