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Saaya adds to scare fare
THE Bhatts are known for setting a trend rolling. When their supernatural thriller Raaz ran to packed houses last year, it revived interest in a genre, which till then was monopolised by the Ramsays. Filmmakers were inspired to make films with the paranormal as the guiding force. Even as rest of the industry decided to cash in on the supernatural, the Bhatts also started work on their second supernatural venture, Saaya. The film stars their latest discovery John Abraham (who made his debut as an actor with Jism, produced by Pooja Bhatt) and Tara Sharma in the lead roles. Mahima Chaudhary is playing a supporting role in this film, which has been written by Mahesh Bhatt. Saaya revolves around the paranormal subject of life after death and the return of a dead soul. Made on a modest budget of Rs 4 crore, the film has music by Anu Malik and lyrics by Sayeed Qadri. Return of the dead In this supernatural thriller, John plays a doctor, who loses his wife (Tara) in a flood. But, John continues to hear his wife. Elaborating on the story
line, debutant director Anurag Basu says, ‘John tries discussing his
problem with his in-laws, who hint he should see a psychiatrist. They
think he is hallucinating and heading for a mental depression. Nothing
seems to help him. And then, something happens.’ |
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Casting a spell? Model Tara Sharma, who plays the saaya in the film, had made her debut with Anupam Kher’s directorial debut Om Jai Jagadish, opposite Abhishek Bachchan. This is Tara’s second film. On John, her co-star, Tara says, ‘He seems well-versed with the dialogues and expressions. Considering that he is a new actor, that’s amazing!’ Bhatt also is full of praise for the model-turned-actor. ‘John has a great physique, fantastic body language, a willingness to learn and expressive eyes. What more can a filmmaker want? Jism’s success has given him confidence. He is very involved in his work.’ Ruling out any romantic involvement between John and Mahima on the screen, Basu says, ‘She is just John’s friend who provides him with emotional support.’ The director so far Anurag Basu, the debutant director, has previously worked on the small screen for thrillers like Saturday Suspense, Ajeeb Dastaan and X-Zone. But Basu made his debut with Tara, one of the longest running soap operas on television. Basu was just 20, and still in college, when he was asked by Vinta Nanda to direct the serial. He left his engineering course and moved on to Balaji Telefilms, where he directed Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. Though Basu was supposed to make his debut on the big screen with Ektaa Kapoor’s Kucch To Hai, he left the film mid-way because of differences with the producer. LMN |
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