Dhund – The Fog Review {1/5} & Review Rating
Sukrit Pictures' DHUND � THE FOG, directed by Shyam Ramsay, falls in the same mould as Ramsay's earlier films.
Samir [Amar Upadhyay] falls in love with Simran [Aditi Govitrikar], a model by profession. Simran is all set to take part in a beauty pageant, but Ajit Khurana [Irfan] warns her against doing so, since he wants his sister [Shweta Menon] to win the title.
A defiant Simran does not pay heed to the call and wins the title. Seething with anger, Khurana vows revenge and promises to eliminate Simran. He attacks her, but Simran and her cousin Kajal [Divya Palat] murder him in the ensuing melee.
Samir and Kunal [Apoorva Agnihotri] dump Khurana's body in the car and later in the swimming pool. But Khurana returns from the dead. He's out to seek revenge�
Loosely inspired by I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER [KUCCH TO HAI also took inspiration from this flick!], DHUND � THE FOG has its share of thrills, chills, murders and corpses. Unfortunately, this time around, the outcome is not as scary or spine chilling as Ramsay's earlier works DARWAZA, HOTEL, SANNATA, SAAMRI and PURANA MANDIR.
The drawback lies in the fact that the narrative focuses on the tried-and-tested stuff that has been witnessed umpteen times in Ramsay's earlier films. The novelty is lost in the process � it's not difficult for the viewer to presume what the next sequence would be.
Director Shyam Ramsay does succeed in keeping the audience interest alive, in parts though. The sequence before the interval and soon after the interval keeps you on the edge. Irfan's murder and the emptying of the bath-tub are two sequences that can be singled out.
But the screenplay is mediocre, with the writer leaving several questions unanswered till the end. Like �
[i] How does the dead body disappear from the pool?
[ii] Why does Prem Chopra reach the venue minutes before his death?
[iii] Why does Mukesh Tiwari double cross the villain? If it was his plan to extract money, why does he hand over the lighter to Gulshan Grover in the first place?
Though the identity of the killer does come as a shock in the end, the sequences thereafter � the reasons that compelled the villain to go on a killing spree � are far from convincing.
Another area where the film suffers is its music [Viju Shah]. Barring 'Main Albeli Main Matwali' [picturised on Deeksha], which is the best number of the enterprise, and to an extent 'Mehki Mehki Zulfo Mein Jadoo', the remaining tracks are strictly average. The background score [Surinder Sodhi] is effective.
Cinematography [Gangu Ramsay] is appropriate. Editing is loose. The film needs to be trimmed by at least 15-20 minutes for a stronger impact.
Amar Upadhyay is ordinary, although he tends to get loud and theatrical at times. Also, losing some weight would only help his appearance. Apoorva Agnihotri gets some scope to perform towards the finale. He is alright. Both Aditi Govitrikar and Divya Palat need to work on their acting skills. Irfan does well. Prem Chopra and Gulshan Grover are as usual. Tom Alter is wasted. Mukesh Tiwari doesn't get much scope. Shweta Menon is fair.
On the whole, DHUND - THE FOG does not have much to offer in terms of novelty. At the box-office, it has some chances at small centres.