Ramsay Brothers to ‘Phillauri’: Ghosts of Bollywood Past

Scary horrors to romances to comedy - B-town’s trysts with the supernatural have been nothing if not engaging.

Anushka Sharma’s upcoming Phillauri has already created a big ghostly buzz. The romantic comedy, directed by Anshai Lal, will see Anushka in the role of a friendly ghost bride. Now if you look back on Bollywood’s trysts with ghosts - and we are not talking about an adult horror comedy like Great Grand Masti, which after all targets a niche audience - Phillauri would be one of the very few films to attempt comedy in the supernatural genre. And no, we are not talking about inadvertent comedy.

Mostly though, Hindi cinema has ridden the scary horror genre, ranging from near-hilarious cheap thrills to the scared-to-go-the-loo-at-night kind of flicks.

Here’s looking back on some of B-town’s landmark ghostly adventures on screen over the decades. Check out how the film posters have evolved as well.

Kohraa (1964)

Kohraa (The Fog) was not a horror flick per se. Starring Waheeda Rehman, Biswajeet and Lalita Pawar, it’s more a crime thriller based on Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. But unlike say Bees Saal Baad, it has some supernatural elements in the form of the rich hero’s first wife coming back to haunt the second one (played by Waheeda), thus unreeling a spool of mysteries. The spooky elements, fostered by some brilliant music, remain unexplained.

Ramsay Brothers Films

Yes they are all sleaze, screaming sirens, hideous make-up and fake blood, and pretty much define C-grade Bollywood films of the 70s and 80s. But take it or leave it, the Ramsay Brothers - there were eight of them - pioneered the horror genre in Hindi cinema. They made more than 30 horror films on shoestring budgets and most were hugely successful running weeks on end. And they were not quite as niche as we now think. The Ramsay Brothers worked with the likes of RD Burman, Bappi Lahiri, Rakesh Roshan, Amjad Khan, Sachin and Helen among others. The films all have fittingly horrific names too - Veerana, Purana Mandir, Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche - and so on.

Raat (1992)

Raat, written and directed by Ram Gopal Varma and starring Revathi, is now a cult horror classic. Complete with haunted houses, black cats, rolling eyes and the works, the film spooked the audience out of its wits and was a great commercial success as well.

Chamatkar (1992)

Although essentially a revenge saga, Chamatkar, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Naseeruddin Shah and Urmila Matondkar, was perhaps the first Hindi film to showcase a funny / friendly ghost in something of a horror comedy. Naseeruddin plays a ghost who befriends a young SRK to avenge his own murder. Understandably, the film was quite popular with kids.

Raaz (2002)

Raaz infamously began Vikram Bhatt’s endless horror franchise, but it was also the second highest grosser of the year - right after SRK’s Devdas. Starring Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea, the film revolves around a couple who go to a deserted retreat in Ooty to save their failing marriage. And the wife stumbles upon a ghostly conspiracy of which her husband too is a party. And yes, Ashutosh Rana does manage to scare.

Bhoot (2003)

Bhoot is one Hindi horror film that really, really gives you the creeps. Directed by Ram Gopal Varma and starring Ajay Devgan and Urmila Matondkar, it tells the story of a woman who is possessed by a malevolent spirit when she moves into a new apartment with her husband. Urmila won several awards for her performance as the possessed wife.

Paheli (2005)

A ghostly romance, Paheli, directed by Amol Palekar and starring Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji, revolves around a ghost who falls in love with a new bride and disguises himself to take the place of her husband. Set in Rajasthan, the film has some lovely songs as well. And no, there’s nothing remotely scary in this one.

Bhoothnath (2008)

An out-and-out horror comedy and a great favourite with kids, Bhoothnath saw Amitabh Bachchan play a grouchy ghost who is befriended by a small boy. Based on Oscar Wilde’s short story The Canterville Ghost, the film saw Bachchan in one of his most endearing performances.