Attempting films of different subjects is something that Ekta Kapoor is known for; right from The Dirty Picture to films like Shootout At Lokhandwala and Once Upon A Time in Mumbai, she is one producer who hasn't shied away from telling some bold stories. With Ek Thi Dayan, Ekta now adds the genre of super-natural thrillers to her reporitre of some really catchy and eye-opening movies.
Ek Thi Dayan makes you think, do ghosts exist? What exactly is black magic? Is it all a myth or does it have the power to actually work? If you really delve deep, you'd know that this country of ours is pierced with superstitions, erroneous beliefs and what not. Stories of witches and supernatural have been going on since time immemorial, here. Ek Thi Dayan actually makes you realize those rituals & practices which have existed for as long as we could remember.
Ek Thi Dayan tells the tale of Bobo (Emran Hashmi) who is India's leading magician, but he is constantly haunted and even, at times, hallucinates about his past, a childhood which holds some deep secrets. And this "secret" is unknown to even his girlfriend, Tamara (Huma Qureshi). However, inspite of all these hallucinations, Bobo moves on with his life, but just as his career seems to be going really well, the beautiful Lisa Dutt (Kalki Koechlin) enters his life and this convices Bobo that Lisa Dutt is the daayan. It remains to be seen, however, whether she is the daayan, or is it all in his mind.
This movie is unlike any other super-natural thriller that's released in the recent past. Certain things in this world are beyond our understanding and Ek Thi Dayan taps on exactly those things, and holds your attention really well. Direction by debutant director Kannan Iyer is really radical, and it's different from what we have already seen n number of times in this genre. I personally loved the portions in which the film moves onto the flashbacks (in the first hour); these portions are worth a mention indeed. But, Kannan Iyer ensures there is also a suave love story which is running at the same time to the main story, with the integrated songs and music in the narrative.
This is a movie which doesn't quite let you relax; just as you start to think that you know what's going to happen next, the movie jolts you back. And especially the climax of Ek Thi Dayan is sure to hit you like a bomb! The movie does tend to get a little slow and predictable at times, but the scare quotient and the twists which I just talked about more than makes up for the small shortcomings.
Coming to the various performances, Emran Hashmi absolutely takes the cake when it comes to playing his character. He carries the entire movie on his shoulders with aplomb and brings soul into the character. This is, without an iota of doubt, one of his finest performances till date. Another brilliant actor to watch out for is the vivacious Huma Qureshi, who, after playing a small town girl in her first two films comes with a bang to play her character (Tamara) in Ek Thi Dayan. She is oozing with confidence in this new role of hers. Kalki, on the other hand looks the role was tailor-made for her as she slots perfectly in the character. Ek Thi Dayan also marks Konkona Sen Sharma's entry into the horror genre, and this experienced actress plays her part tremendously well, and with gusto and a performance that she'd be proud of.
On the whole, Ek Thi Dayan is a film which is different from the other run of the mill horror movies produced by Bollywood every year. It talks about witches and mixes this with a sweet love story which goes on parallel to the entire film, and with a very absorbing screenplay and some brilliant performances, it's a first of its kind movie that Bollywood has churned after quite some-time. If you are into horror movies, and want to have a good times combined with a few spine-chilling moments, make sure you catch 'Ek Thi Dayan' this weekend, playing at a cinema hall near you.
Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
