Story: Directed by the quartet that helmed Lust Stories, everything from the paranormal to grotesque are explored in these tales of horror.
Review: The first segment by Zoya Akhtar is a slow-burn. Sameera (Janhvi Kapoor) is a young caregiver sent to take care of a bedridden old woman (Surekha Sikri) who suffers from dementia. Zoya shows the contrast between the two women beautifully. Where Sameera is depressed and awkward, even prone to self-harm, the old woman was a stunner in her time and has words of wisdom despite supposedly being senile. They however find a common thread in being obsessed with the men in their lives. But the film is more of a character study with a statement to make, rather than a ‘ghost story’ per se. Devoid of jump scares or even shocking moments; it is only Janhvi and Surekha’s performances that keep you invested. The beautiful Mumbai home with touches of old-world charm doesn’t hurt either.
Anurag Kashyap’s segment will transport you to a surreal world, sucking you in from the word go and concluding in a bloody and manic finale. Neha (Sobhita Dhulipala) is a pregnant woman who is plagued by her past. A throwaway comment by her mother during childhood causes trauma and she’s riddled with anxiety. Her nephew Ansh (Zachary Braz) is the bright spot in her monochrome world and despite her husband’s (Sagar Arya) disapproval, she cares for the child. Even as Neha worries for her unborn child, Ansh is jealous he’ll soon be replaced. What follows is a story that’s gory and definitely not for the faint-hearted. Sobhita nails the role of a childless woman who seems to become the very thing she had feared.
Dibakar Banerjee’s segment delves into the class divide in society and makes socio-political statements with the help of horror tropes. A visitor (Sukant Goel) arrives in Bees-ghara unaware of the situation he’s stepping into. He soon meets two children (Eva Ameet, Adithya Shetty) who bring him up to terms with the situation between their village and Sau-ghara. Cannibalism, a sense of ownership over the weak and making something ‘great again’ – all come into play but the lesser said about this segment the better, it needs to be experienced. Sukanth Goel and Gulshan Devaiah (who lets his eyes do all the talking) deliver stellar performances and when the sucker-punch comes through, this one truly knocks you out!
Karan Johar takes up the last segment of the lot, ending the film on a considerably lighter vein and bringing in a whole new meaning to the term – family is everything. Newly married Ira (Mrunal Thakur) revels in her new life till her husband Dhruv (Avinash Tiwary) begins talking to his granny, who passed away twenty years ago. What transpires next is something more than she had bargained for. This segment is pure KJo complete with an opulent house and rich, modern characters who seem to speak their mind but still melodramatically believe ‘naye rishtey purani aadatein badalde’. Heebah Shah plays the house help Shanti and Kusha Kapila plays a fun cameo, someone who’s a reason of sanity in an otherwise insane segment. It’s a good enough watch but there’s nothing much to write home about here.
While it’s good that Ghost Stories steers clear of the usual jump-scare, dangers lurking in the dark kind of tropes, opting for more psychological play than classic horror, it’s only Anurag and Dibakar’s segments that manage to stand out. If only Zoya and KJo’s segments had the same bite to theirs.