New Delhi – Prawaal Raman feels sex and erotica made an entry into horror genre in India in 1980s and 1990s, turning it a source of ‘soft porn’ for many.
However, the director, who is awaiting release of his film “Dobaara: See Your Evil”, says good horror movies with strong content always stand out.
From “Raaz” and “Ragini MMS” franchises, “1920”, “Haunted – 3D” to “Alone”, filmmakers have for long entertained viewers with ‘horrex’, an amalgamation of horror and sex.
Raman, who has also helmed horror thrillers like “Darna Mana Hai”, “Gayab”, “Darna Zaroori hai” and “404 Error Not Found”, says low budget horror erotica was a big high for the excitement seeking adult Indian audience.
“Good horror films internationally or in India never actually depend on erotica. From ‘The Exorcist’ to ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ or from ‘Mahal’ to Aruna Raje/Vikas Desai’s ‘Gehrayee’ or Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Raat’, or my earlier works… sex or erotica have never been part of the films,” Raman told Desi-Box. He added: “Sex and erotica was incorporated because horror in 1980s and 1990s became a concept consumed by adult audience and since the censor certificate was ‘A’ it became all the way reasons to add erotica.
“To the Indian audience, horror became the medium to satisfy their need of watching soft porn/erotica….” “We unfortunately have read and seen more about the popular horror catering to the masses — the low budget pulp horror. But from ‘Mahal’, ‘Gehrayee’, ‘Raat’, ‘Bhoot’, ‘Darna Mana Hai’ to ‘404’, the horror genre has already evolved. ‘Dobaara…’ is an example yet again. It is an world concept presented to an Indian audience with horror in its truest form.”
“Dobaara: See Your Evil” is an official remake of the Hollywood film “Oculus”, which released in 2013. The Mike Fangan supernatural psychological horror film starred Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites. It revolves around a young woman who is convinced that an antique mirror is responsible for the death and misfortune that her family suffered. For the Indian version, Raman got Huma Qureshi and her brother Saqib Saleem. The film also features Lisa Ray and Adil Hussain.
Raman started his journey in Bollywood as assistant director to filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma. Explaining his fascination to explore dark stories, he said: “I like subjects which let me play with viewers’ mind. My next is on a woman fighting for freedom against Pakistan… Naela Quadri Baloch, a freedom fighter from Balochistan.”