Alone Review {2/5} & Review Rating
The horrex (horror - sex) genre has been picking up steam of late with multiple films catering to this segment. Bhushan Patel, whose earlier tryst with the genre RAGINI MMS 2 proved to be pretty intriguing, returns with yet another film in the same genre with ALONE.
While the film is a remake of a Thai film by the same name, ALONE is the story of Sanjana (Bipasha Basu) who is forced to return to Kerala with her husband Kabir (Karan Singh Grover) after her mother meets with an accident. When Sanjana, the survivor between conjoined twins comes home after years, she is thrown face first into her old life which is both painful and haunting. In fact Sanjana's return not just brings back distant memories, but it seems as if it also brought back her twin sister Anjana's (Bipasha Basu) spirit whose presence is felt only by her. Continuing the déjà vu scenario, Sanjana shares her plight with Kabir but he believes that it is merely love for her sister and the guilt of losing Anjana that is leading to these hallucinations. However, these delusions soon grow into spine tingling incidents bringing Sanjana at the verge of a breakdown. Kabir takes help from his psychiatrist friend Namit only to realize that it is rather beyond science. Is the existence of Anjana's spirit real or it is just a figment of Sanjana's fervent guilt loaded imagination, is what forms the rest of the story.
When you think you've seen the silliest and most bizarre film, you're surprised that there comes another one that squabbles for absurdity of the highest order. Bhushan Patel's ALONE fits that bill perfectly. You're told to believe in 'suspension of disbelief' and you're, like okay, I'll try, and then comes a ghost who personifies 'true love' and can make love as if the thirst will never be quenched. Huh!
The promos of ALONE promised horror garnished with ample sexual moments. Bhushan Patel's last film RAGINI MMS 2 didn't disappoint as far as the steamy-quotient is concerned but in ALONE there's absolutely no physical intimacy in the first half, while the second half does have its share of voluptuous kissing scenes, it's no match on what was promised by the promos. Even the horror scenes aren't any different or more horrifying from what you've seen in movies of this genre in the past.
ALONE is an adaptation of a Thai film by the same name. One needs to see the original to understand what different element did Bhushan Patel try and incorporate in his version. Did Mr. Patel try and Indianise it to suit the desi audience? But whatever he did or whatever the source material was, the end result is disturbing. As an audience you're left dumbfounded as to why should you be taken on such an incredulously stupid journey in the first place. The story of the conjoined sisters and their tryst with Love leaves a weird after taste. Paranormal experience of the silliest kinds.
In this badly lit film what stands out is Bipasha Basu who breathes in fire in a dead story. She smoulders with her erotic appeal, holds her own nicely in emotional, dramatic and romantic scenes. She's without a doubt a fantastic kisser, as she didn't hold anything back. All the actresses (barring Sunny Leone of course) can take kissing lessons from bindaas Basu. She deserves more engaging stories to display her wares. Karan Singh Grover makes a sprightly debut. He's not conscious of the camera at all. Considering he has done TV, he is high on emotional appeal. He has all the trappings of being a star but he needs to choose his films more wisely.
Music is one of the highlights of the film 'Katra Katra' by Ankit Tiwari is extremely soulful and saucily picturised. 'Awara' by Mithoon and 'Chaand Asmanon Se Lapata' by Jeet Ganguly are wonderful tracks too. Prakash Kutty's cinematography is excellent when it comes to shooting the songs but the dull lighting incorporated to highlight the horror mode dampens proceedings to an extent. Devendra Murdeshwar's editing is sloppy. Since the horror lacks the steam, the pace slackens further due to lazily cuts. Shagufta Rafique's dialogues are average. The locales in Kerala are breathtakingly beautiful and the big highlight of the film. VFX are decent but there's nothing extraordinary that stays in your mind.
On the whole, ALONE is a below average fare that has a commendable performance by Bipasha Basu. If you'd like to feast on Karan's sexy bare body or gape at Bipasha's prowess at kissing then ALONE has something for you to look forward to. If you want to be shit scared, then you need to skim through DVD collection of better horror films of the past.
