Help, horror stalks Bobby, Mugdha

The two actors join hands for a paranormal adventure, Help...

Bobby Deol’s next, Help, is a horror flick. And debutant director Rajeev Virani insists that the actor took it up because this was a genre he hadn’t tried it before. The duo found a willing mate in actress Mugdha Godse on their eight-month paranormal journey that took them to a French-style colonial bungalow in Mauritius that has been turned into a museum. It had an 18th century feel to it and was believed to be haunted.

“We were warned not to venture into the attic post midnight. And though I told myself I didn’t believe in the stuff, none of us took the stairs up in the six nights that we shot there,” recalls Virani.

He adds that Deol, who is inclined to believe in spirits, would try to persuade them to shoot as much as possible during the day and even the pragmatic Godse didn’t want to push her luck. “There was an eerie feel to the place, it was like stepping into a time wrap. Boy, were we glad to get away from the house,” he says.

Virani, who is flagging off his career with a horror film, says though horror as a genre is grabbing more eyeballs today, the days of the Ramsay ‘bhoots’ are over. “More than jaadu-tona you have to appeal to the intellect. People are looking for a more sophisticated treatment and special effects which is why we have turned our tantrik into a professor,” he points out.