Shaitaan is doing really well in the cinemas, especially for a spooky movie in Bollywood. This is not common. Let’s talk about whether this success will make more filmmakers interested in making similar movies.
If you look at the list of Bollywood movies released in the past 20 years, there aren’t many spooky movies. And most of the ones that did come out didn’t do well because they weren’t very interesting and had a low budget. But now, a new movie called Shaitaan, starring Ajay Devgn, R Madhavan, Jyotika, and Janki Bodiwala, is changing that. It has a great story and presentation, and it made about Rs 55 crore, which is much more than people expected. This success is making people hopeful that more spooky movies will be made in the future.
But will Shaitaan’s opening encourage more filmmakers to make supernatural thrillers?
Bollywood hasn’t made enough movies in the spooky and scary genres like supernatural thrillers and horror for a long time. Some films tried to mix horror with comedy, but there haven’t been many scary movies that really give you goosebumps without making you laugh.
When we think about good spooky movies from Bollywood in the last 20 years, we remember films like Pari (2018), Tumbbad (2018), Pizza (2014), Haunted – 3D (2011), 13B: Fear Has a New Address (2009), 1920 (2008), and Bhoot (2003). However, there’s a big gap between these films. Mostly, Ajay Devgn, R Madhavan, and filmmaker Vikram Bhatt have been the ones making movies in this genre. But if we look at not-so-good supernatural films, there are many.
The main problem here is not how many movies there are, but how good they are. We need more filmmakers to try making scary movies, but they should make sure the movies are well-made. Here are a few things they should focus on:
Music: The music and background sounds are very important in creating the right atmosphere. Many movies in this genre struggle with this. They should put more effort into making unique and spooky tunes with captivating vocals.
Understanding the genre: Shaitaan worked well with the audience because it didn’t rely on sudden scares. Instead, it put the audience in situations that were scary. We need more filmmakers and actors who understand the genre before making a new scary movie.
Budgets: Because many scary movies are not successful, filmmakers struggle to get enough money for their films. For example, Tumbbad took a long time to be made, and the director had to wait for 21 years. The actor even had to sell his house and car to finish the film.
Now, the question is, with the success of Shaitaan, will filmmakers feel more confident about spending time and money on scary movies? It seems like they should.