Raat (film)

Raat
File:Raat.jpg
Directed by	Ram Gopal Varma
Produced by	Boney Kapoor
Written by	Ram Gopal Varma
Starring	Revathi Jeethendra Reddy Rohini Hattangadi Akash Khurana Vijayachander Om Puri Anant Nag Nana Patekar Master Atit Jayan Mathur Sushant
Music by	Mani Sharma
Cinematography	Teja Rasool Ellore Prasad
Edited by	Shankar
Production company	Annapoorna Studios
Release dates	7 February 1992
Country	India
Language	Hindi

Raat (English:Night) is a 1992 Indian Hindi supernatural thriller film written and directed by Ram Gopal Varma starring Revathi in the role of protagonist Manisha Sharma. Upon release the film received positive reviews and remained a cult classic. Its Telugu dubbed version Raatri was also a commercial success.

Plot

A family of four moves into a house that is allegedly haunted. Manisha Sharma (Revathi) aka 'Mini' is a girl studying in her college. Akash Khurana plays her father Mr. Sharma while Rohini Hattangadi plays her mother Shalini Sharma. Deepak (Kushant) is Mini's classmate and boyfriend. Mini's nephew Bunty (Master Atit) finds a cat in the house basement. The cat has an eerie look on its face with its spot-staring eyes. One day the cat ventures behind the father's car rear wheel and is killed accidentally while the car is reversed. The cat is buried in the backyard without the knowledge of Bunty. Their neighbour and Rashmi's grandmother (Nirmalamma) spooks them with a fearful response after hearing Mini is their new neighbour.

One other day Mini and Deepak decide to enjoy a ride to the city limits. Returning home, Deepak's bike rear tyre goes flat. Deepak rides with a passerby to get a spare tyre from a village nearby and asks Mini to wait for him. On returning, Deepak finds Mini sitting beside a tree near a pond, clutching her face and apparently weeping. Approaching her Deepak stares at her fierce, reddening eyes and slips into the pond. All of a sudden, Mini turns normal and calls to Deepak to come out of the pond. Meanwhile, Bunty finds another cat which bears an uncanny resemblance to the dead cat. The family gets its first shock.

The next day Mini attends her classmate Rashmi's friend's marriage accompanying her. Rashmi is brutally killed on that day, her neck broken and head turned all the way back. The police investigating officer who visits Mini's home for questioning meets with an accident while riding out and dies. These events lead Mini's parents to seek professional help. Shalini approaches their neighbor, the old lady while Mr. Sharma takes the help of a psychiatrist (Ananth Nag) nonsensing the occult thoughts that his wife believes is the reason for their daughter's horror-stricken behavior. The neighbor old lady advises Shalini to seek the services of Sharji (Om Puri) who lives in Falaknuma. Sharji first visits his 'guru' who has taken samadhi in the remote Falaknuma and gets fire power ashes as a weapon. Sharji then locates the ghost in Mini's house basement underfloor and finds it to be that of the woman who was the previous owner's keep and who was murdered brutally. The ghost is brilliantly played by (Sunanda). After a brief horror flick involving the ghost trying to kill Deepak, Sharji finally neutralizes her with the help of holy chants and the ashes. The ghost finally leaves Mini's body with a thundering flash.

On the one hand, scientific methods involving MRI, and other medical procedures are conducted on Mini. This Mr. Sharma believes is the only way Mini could be 'cured'. However, Sharji has his own explanation of darkness beyond the light, that doesn't vanish but is only diminished to an extent. RGV has spun the web of horror played with confusion, dilemma and plight of the affected persons to a great extent possible as required of a horror movie.

Cast

• Revathi as Manisha Sharma
• Jeethendra Reddy
• Rohini Hattangadi as Mrs. Sharma
• Akash Khurana as Mr. Sharma
• Vijayachander
• Om Puri as Sharij
• Anant Nag as Pyscharist
• Master Atit as Bunty

Jayan Aarthur as Rashmi Sushant as Deepak

External links

• Raat at IMDb