'Phobia' review: Radhika Apte delivers the spooks

Film: Phobia
Cast: Radhika Apte, Satyadeep Mishra,Yashaswani  Dayama, Ankur Vikal 
Director: Pavan Kripalani

What it's about

After being sexually assaulted, Mehak (Radhika Apte) develops agoraphobia, an extreme or irrational fear of open and public spaces. To help her get over the fear, her friend Shaan (Satyadeep Mishra) gets her to a new house. But then a series of incidents leave her scared of staying in the house. Is she imagining things or is there something more to the occurrences?

What's good

The first half is brilliant and will have you on the edge of your seat. Radhika Apte makes Mehak's eccentric behaviour believable. She is in top form here. A large part of the movie has her interacting with the camera while reacting to the happenings around her with no help for any co-stars, a feat which she manages with much ease. Whether it's her fight to throw out garbage or using multiplication tables to see her through difficult situations, she gets the rhythm of the character just right. Director Pavan Kriplani brings in an element of horror to the movie to draw in the audience and that's what works for the film. The director throws in mentions of a childhood accident which makes you wonder if that too could be a cause of Mehak's behaviour. Satyadeep, Yashaswani Dayama and Ankur Vikal make for a great supporting cast.

What's not

The last 10 minutes of the movie. With the kind of build up it has, the climax seems a bit laboured. Also, some instances like the door of the house being left partially open many times seems a trick used too often to create thrills. At one point, Mehak injures her friend Shaan with a knife while she's in therapy. The presence of the knife during such an intense session of therapy definitely seems out of place.

What to do

This one manages to scare you without the aid of badly dressed ghosts with ugly make-up. Watch it if you enjoy spooky tales and, of course, for Radhika's stellar performance. 

Rating: ***