Raaz

If you like Bipasa, buy it, otherwise, rental. A good cast and director cannot overcome an absolute turkey of a script.

Raaz is an interesting and novel twist on ghost movies. A cross between 'Fatal Attraction' and just about every 'slasher' film ever made.

It's predictable, and only moderatelt frightening.

The problem is that the script is just plain nonsense.

In brief: a husband's affair with a mentally unbalanced women results in her suicide. He tries to hide everything from his wife, but things unravel when the crazed chost comes back for her lover and after the innocent wife. In the end, the innocent wife proves stronger, and she manages to destroy the evil spirit, and she forgives the cheating but now repentant husband.

The special effects are fair, with the high point being the face of the dead lover (nice cgi), and the low point being the accident when the moving car hits an obstacle, and flips over -

and we see that the wheels aren't moving.

One thing - how can any man cheat on Bipasa

Basu with Malini Sharma? I mean, she's not ugly or anything (before her 8mm plastic surgery), but cheating on Bipasa? That's unbelievable in the first place. Oh well.

Dino Morea does a competant job as the cheating swine husband. He manages to be selfish, lustful, and even repentant by turns. To be fair, it's a poorly written role, and probably hard for anybody to get their hands around.

Bipasa does her best with a complex and thankless role. It's hard to believe that someone who is frightened of everything (so much that she sleeps on the lawn rather than go into her 'haunted' house) is brave enough to fight the

traditional reanimated corpse with glowing eyes and sharp farm implement. Ashutosh Rana isn't Freddy Kruger, but he does a good job at being a spooky corpse.

Bipasa manages to be frightened, frighten-ing, seductive, angry, loving, etc, as the script requires. She's a pro, and she hits all the marks. I don't think she has the ability to do anything less.

Ashutosh Rana is a pleasant surprise. I remember him as the psycho killer from "Dushman."

It's interesting to see him in different roles. Again, he hits all the marks in a competant performance.

Malini Sharma has a difficult job as the Psycho-Wench from Hades. It's probably the most complex role in the piece, and she does a very good job.

Unfortunately, good performances, competant direction and nice sfx cannot save this one from itself.

The music is laughable, especially the song after the college girl dies in the beginning. It was laughable to see the 'cultists' suddenly start singing and dancing. Dino seranading Bipasa after he admits his long-term affair was ludicrous. The end song, fading into Bipasa's closing monologue didn't help much either.

Like I said at the beginning, If you like Bipasa, buy it, otherwise, rent.