Help (2010 film)
Encyclopedia
Help is a 2010 Bollywood
horror film
directed by Rajeev Virani in his directional debut. It stars Bobby Deol
and Mugdha Godse
in the lead roles and marks the debut of Sophia Handa
in a supporting role. Shreyas Talpade
also has a special role in the film although it was not marketed as his film. It released on August 13 2010, making it the first Bollywood horror film to release on Friday the 13th
, the day of bad luck. The film was shot in Mauritius
.
) is a horror film director working in Bollywood, and him and Pia (Mugdha Godse
) are at the premiere of Vic's film. Vic and Pia don't get along well and Pia is starting to doubt Vic for having an affair. One day Vic and Pia get a call that Pia's father, Joe is sick and he needs them there in Mauritius. After arriving in Mauritius, Pia meets up with her best friend, Carol(Sophia Handa
). Once Pia and Vic reach Pia's dads house, Pia explores the upstairs, where she and her twin sister Dia played. Unfortunately Dia died of an accident when she was only five years old. Pia recalls her childhood memories that she spent with Dia playing on a wooden horse, playing on the swings, and playing with their dolls. Later that night, Pia wakes up from a nightmare that she was hanging on the ceiling, and Dia was in the bed dressed in ripped and dirty clothes, with ghostly make-up on looking at Pia. Then, a bloody arm grabs Pia by the neck. Vic tells Pia to go to sleep and he didn't believe her.
The next morning, Pia is by the pool, where Dia drowned to death. She is standing, and a flashback of the accident happens. Pia starts crying and tells Vic that when the accident happened, Pia was not with Dia at all, and now she can never forgive herself. Later that night, Pia brings her dad back home from the hospital and outside Pia's dog, Tracy, was barking unusually. When Pia went to calm her down, the ghost of Dia appeared. Pia thinks she was day-dreaming and gets scared. Carol comes over and Pia tells her that Dia was just there and even Carol thinks Pia is now crazy. Later, Pia is vomiting and she finds out she is pregnant. After informing Vic about this news, Vic and Pia have made up and are not fighting anymore. After the song Kehna Hai finishes, there are tracks made by someone invisible on the sand at the beach following Vic and Pia. The next day is Pia's birthday and while cutting the cake, bugs crawled out of it. Later that night, Pia is sleeping when she hears noises, she then sees Dia and decides to follow her up into the playroom upstairs. When Pia reaches there, the playroom was completely destroyed.
The next morning, Vic sees Pia in the kitchen and she is acting very unusual. She was not focused and wasn't paying attention to anything. Then, they hear Carol scream. They both rush outside to see Tracy's stomach completely ripped with all the organs coming out and surrounded by a pool of blood. Carol notices that Pia didn't seem to care when Tracy passed away, and Pia loved Tracy. The next night, Carol tells Pia that she is acting strange when she reached Mauritius. She told her that she didn't care for Tracy when she died. Carol then makes a secret phone call to a man named Aditya, saying Pia needs help. The next day shows Carol in the shower when slowly a hand comes out of her hair and grabs her head. A second later, the hand's gone. Pia then bangs on the door saying she wants to meet Aditya. But first they were going to go out for lunch. When it was time for lunch, Carol loses sight of Pia and Pia has slowly walked into a crowd of people. Pia doesnot know where she is going as she was not paying attention to where she was walking. Carol chases after Pia, but then Carol thinks she is crazy when she gets a phone call from Vic saying that Pia and him are at their house waiting for her. If Pia was at home, then who banged on Carol's door wanting to meet Aditya? Who was Carol chasing? Carol then sees Pia's body transforming into a wet body with blood and dirt everywhere. The lights then shut off and Carol runs away from the ghost but then gets hit by a bus while crossing the street, and dies.
At Carol's funeral, Pia does not look that sad and a man is staring at her. Pia's nose then starts to bleed and they go home. While leaving, Vic meets Aditya (Shreyas Talpade
), who was Carol's boyfriend and also the man who kept staring at Pia. He tells Vic that Pia needs help. Vic walks in the graveyard then sees Dia walking behind some graves, following and watching him. Then, she disappeared. At home, Vic tells Pia that they should go back home. Pia was not ready to leave yet and said they'll leave after a couple of days. That night, Pia is in the hot tub, where she is repeating the words "Mirror mirror on the wall." Vic opens the door and he sees Pia with bloody hands and face, and her eyes were rolled up. She then tried to choke Vic, but before she could Vic choked her and put her head under the water. Joe comes and thinks that Vic was trying to kill Pia and takes Pia away because once Pia went in the water, everything ghostly went away and she was normal but Joe didn't see that.
and Jyoti Dogra, as well as the make-up by Vikram Gaikwad. Taran Adarsh
from Bollywood Hungama
gave the film 2/5 stars saying, "On the whole, Help is at best an ordinary attempt." Sanskriti Media from AOL Bollywood gave the film a glowing review of 3.5/5 stars saying, "Mugdha comes up with a fabulous performance as a possessed lady in the film. Although she has donned a bikini in the film, her slim persona does not make her look vulgar. Bobby is natural and simple. Shreyas has also performed his character with great intensity as 'Help' will come as a surprise to the film industry as well as the audiences. The producers surely are confident about their product hence they are releasing it with a much-hyped movie like Peepli Live
. Help definitely is a must watch film!" Sampurn from Entertainment Daily gave the film 3/5 stars saying that "...Help has enough genuinely spooky moments to keep you on the edge of your seats. Just like Bhoot, this film succeeds in scaring you in broad day light sequences too as Mugdha enacts her difficult role fairly well. Bobby Deol is earnest and does well in his part. Shreyas Talpade is very impressive, especially in the climax sequence. Salim Fatehi is good and so is Sophie Handa who plays Mugdha’s best friend. Jyoti Dogra playing Mugdha’s mom is terrific and gives you the chills whenever she is on screen." Fenil Seta from Admanya gave the film 2.5/5 stars saying, "Help works but unfortunately only in parts. The plot is brilliant but the execution and some loopholes in the narrative spoil the show!". He also said, "Every actor does a nice job but no performance was extra ordinary. Mugdha Godse looks charming and does a fine job especially in scenes wherein she's possessed. Another fine performance from her after Fashion and Jail! It was great to see Bobby Deol after a long time and does a fine job as Jyoti Dogra leaves a mark while Salim Fatehi was okay. The twin girls, Anushka and Ashoi, play their part well. Sophia Handa and others were good as Special mention should also go to make-up guy, Vikram Gaikwad."
However, audiences that have seen the film disagree with critics and say 'Help' is the best horror film created and has other films including Bhoot
and Phoonk
beat. Currently on Bollywood Hungama
, the film has an average of 4.32/5 stars by user reviews.
and Mauritius
for a schedule of 45 days spread over a period of 8 months. In Mauritius, the cast and crew stayed at Eureka House, an 18th century French-colonial house which is believed to be haunted. "The film has been beautifully shot and I must say it’s one the finest horror films that the audience will see. It’s chilling, gruesome and the kind of horror which gives you Goosebumps. ‘Help’ will take the horror genre in India to another level. My character in the film is extremely well defined and I am sure people will like the new Bobby in the film,” says Bobby. Mugdha is also excited for the release of the film as she states “I have done glamorous roles as well as de-glam roles in the past but with ‘Help’ you will see me in a role which is much more acting oriented. It is the role of a lifetime...." The film is said to be one of the scariest of all time. The first look of the film was unveiled at the IIFA press conference. The film was originally slated for release on July 9, 2010, but was later pushed to August 13, 2010 to have more time to promote the film.
, commonly known as Ashu, from Blue Frog Media and the lyrics were penned by Irshad Kamil
. The soundtrack is composed of seven songs. The music released on July 23, 2010.
gave the soundtrack 1/5 stars saying "As expected, Help doesn't have much to offer and hence the reason why one hasn't heard much about it either. Earlier this year, there have been soundtracks that have been created for the horror flicks. However, this one is clearly the weakest of all." Tuteja listed one of the reasons of the flop soundtrack was because of bad promotion of the film and the music is nowhere to be found on music stands. "Kehna Hai" was the only song from the soundtrack appreciated by Tuteja. "Due to depressing nature of the song, as conveyed in Irashad Kamil's lyrics, and the way it is sung by Ashu and Kirti Sagathia, you are not much charged", said Tuteja about the track "Kyun Gum Hai Khushiyan". The title track, "Help" was called "ordinary".
However, from an audience point of view, the music was a hit. The film's soundtrack currently has an average of 3.33/5 stars on Bollywood Hungama
by user reviews.
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Rajeev Virani in his directional debut. It stars Bobby Deol
Bobby Deol
Bobby Deol is a Bollywood actor. Deol is the son of the acclaimed Bollywood actor Dharmendra and the brother of Sunny Deol, also a successful actor in the Mumbai based Indian film industry....
and Mugdha Godse
Mugdha Godse
Mugdha Godse is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. A former model, Godse was a semi-finalist at the Femina Miss India 2004 competition...
in the lead roles and marks the debut of Sophia Handa
Sophia Handa
Sophia Handa is an Indian actress and model. She is best known for winning the Gladrags Mrs.India 2009 competition, a competition for Indian married women...
in a supporting role. Shreyas Talpade
Shreyas Talpade
-Early life:Talpade was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, in a Marathi family. He attended Shree Ram Welfare Society's High School in Andheri-West. He is married to Deepti Talpade. Shreyas met his wife Deepti when he went to her college as a celebrity...
also has a special role in the film although it was not marketed as his film. It released on August 13 2010, making it the first Bollywood horror film to release on Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year...
, the day of bad luck. The film was shot in Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
.
Plot
The film opens in a mental asylum in 1990 in Mauritius, with Susan Alves (Jyoti Dogra), a patient there. Her room is shown with drawings of skulls covering the walls of the entire room. Joe (Salim Fatehi), Susan's husband, comes to visit her at the asylum, but Susan's attention is grabbed by a mirror hanging on the wall. Susan keeps repeating the words "This has to stop, this has to stop," out loud and breaks the mirror with a chair, then takes a piece of the broken glass and makes a cut on her neck. Meanwhile, back in Mumbai, Vic (Bobby DeolBobby Deol
Bobby Deol is a Bollywood actor. Deol is the son of the acclaimed Bollywood actor Dharmendra and the brother of Sunny Deol, also a successful actor in the Mumbai based Indian film industry....
) is a horror film director working in Bollywood, and him and Pia (Mugdha Godse
Mugdha Godse
Mugdha Godse is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. A former model, Godse was a semi-finalist at the Femina Miss India 2004 competition...
) are at the premiere of Vic's film. Vic and Pia don't get along well and Pia is starting to doubt Vic for having an affair. One day Vic and Pia get a call that Pia's father, Joe is sick and he needs them there in Mauritius. After arriving in Mauritius, Pia meets up with her best friend, Carol(Sophia Handa
Sophia Handa
Sophia Handa is an Indian actress and model. She is best known for winning the Gladrags Mrs.India 2009 competition, a competition for Indian married women...
). Once Pia and Vic reach Pia's dads house, Pia explores the upstairs, where she and her twin sister Dia played. Unfortunately Dia died of an accident when she was only five years old. Pia recalls her childhood memories that she spent with Dia playing on a wooden horse, playing on the swings, and playing with their dolls. Later that night, Pia wakes up from a nightmare that she was hanging on the ceiling, and Dia was in the bed dressed in ripped and dirty clothes, with ghostly make-up on looking at Pia. Then, a bloody arm grabs Pia by the neck. Vic tells Pia to go to sleep and he didn't believe her.
The next morning, Pia is by the pool, where Dia drowned to death. She is standing, and a flashback of the accident happens. Pia starts crying and tells Vic that when the accident happened, Pia was not with Dia at all, and now she can never forgive herself. Later that night, Pia brings her dad back home from the hospital and outside Pia's dog, Tracy, was barking unusually. When Pia went to calm her down, the ghost of Dia appeared. Pia thinks she was day-dreaming and gets scared. Carol comes over and Pia tells her that Dia was just there and even Carol thinks Pia is now crazy. Later, Pia is vomiting and she finds out she is pregnant. After informing Vic about this news, Vic and Pia have made up and are not fighting anymore. After the song Kehna Hai finishes, there are tracks made by someone invisible on the sand at the beach following Vic and Pia. The next day is Pia's birthday and while cutting the cake, bugs crawled out of it. Later that night, Pia is sleeping when she hears noises, she then sees Dia and decides to follow her up into the playroom upstairs. When Pia reaches there, the playroom was completely destroyed.
The next morning, Vic sees Pia in the kitchen and she is acting very unusual. She was not focused and wasn't paying attention to anything. Then, they hear Carol scream. They both rush outside to see Tracy's stomach completely ripped with all the organs coming out and surrounded by a pool of blood. Carol notices that Pia didn't seem to care when Tracy passed away, and Pia loved Tracy. The next night, Carol tells Pia that she is acting strange when she reached Mauritius. She told her that she didn't care for Tracy when she died. Carol then makes a secret phone call to a man named Aditya, saying Pia needs help. The next day shows Carol in the shower when slowly a hand comes out of her hair and grabs her head. A second later, the hand's gone. Pia then bangs on the door saying she wants to meet Aditya. But first they were going to go out for lunch. When it was time for lunch, Carol loses sight of Pia and Pia has slowly walked into a crowd of people. Pia doesnot know where she is going as she was not paying attention to where she was walking. Carol chases after Pia, but then Carol thinks she is crazy when she gets a phone call from Vic saying that Pia and him are at their house waiting for her. If Pia was at home, then who banged on Carol's door wanting to meet Aditya? Who was Carol chasing? Carol then sees Pia's body transforming into a wet body with blood and dirt everywhere. The lights then shut off and Carol runs away from the ghost but then gets hit by a bus while crossing the street, and dies.
At Carol's funeral, Pia does not look that sad and a man is staring at her. Pia's nose then starts to bleed and they go home. While leaving, Vic meets Aditya (Shreyas Talpade
Shreyas Talpade
-Early life:Talpade was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, in a Marathi family. He attended Shree Ram Welfare Society's High School in Andheri-West. He is married to Deepti Talpade. Shreyas met his wife Deepti when he went to her college as a celebrity...
), who was Carol's boyfriend and also the man who kept staring at Pia. He tells Vic that Pia needs help. Vic walks in the graveyard then sees Dia walking behind some graves, following and watching him. Then, she disappeared. At home, Vic tells Pia that they should go back home. Pia was not ready to leave yet and said they'll leave after a couple of days. That night, Pia is in the hot tub, where she is repeating the words "Mirror mirror on the wall." Vic opens the door and he sees Pia with bloody hands and face, and her eyes were rolled up. She then tried to choke Vic, but before she could Vic choked her and put her head under the water. Joe comes and thinks that Vic was trying to kill Pia and takes Pia away because once Pia went in the water, everything ghostly went away and she was normal but Joe didn't see that.
Cast
- Bobby DeolBobby DeolBobby Deol is a Bollywood actor. Deol is the son of the acclaimed Bollywood actor Dharmendra and the brother of Sunny Deol, also a successful actor in the Mumbai based Indian film industry....
as Vic - Mugdha GodseMugdha GodseMugdha Godse is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. A former model, Godse was a semi-finalist at the Femina Miss India 2004 competition...
as Pia - Shreyas TalpadeShreyas Talpade-Early life:Talpade was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, in a Marathi family. He attended Shree Ram Welfare Society's High School in Andheri-West. He is married to Deepti Talpade. Shreyas met his wife Deepti when he went to her college as a celebrity...
as Aditya - Sophia HandaSophia HandaSophia Handa is an Indian actress and model. She is best known for winning the Gladrags Mrs.India 2009 competition, a competition for Indian married women...
as Carol - Salim Fatehi as Joe Alves
- Jyoti Dogra as Susan Alves
- Anaushka Borzeen Dantra as Young Pia
- Ashoi Borzeen Dantra as Young Dia
Box office
The film got a slow opening and after 4 days film got no show occupancy, therefore was a disaster at the box-office.Critical Reception
Help received mixed reviews, but many praised the performances of Mugdha GodseMugdha Godse
Mugdha Godse is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. A former model, Godse was a semi-finalist at the Femina Miss India 2004 competition...
and Jyoti Dogra, as well as the make-up by Vikram Gaikwad. Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh is an Indian film critic, journalist, editor and film trade analyst. He is also a former producer and screenwriter. He is the son of film director and producer, B.K. Adarsh....
from Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama is a leading Bollywood entertainment website, owned by hungama.com....
gave the film 2/5 stars saying, "On the whole, Help is at best an ordinary attempt." Sanskriti Media from AOL Bollywood gave the film a glowing review of 3.5/5 stars saying, "Mugdha comes up with a fabulous performance as a possessed lady in the film. Although she has donned a bikini in the film, her slim persona does not make her look vulgar. Bobby is natural and simple. Shreyas has also performed his character with great intensity as 'Help' will come as a surprise to the film industry as well as the audiences. The producers surely are confident about their product hence they are releasing it with a much-hyped movie like Peepli Live
Peepli Live
Peepli Live is a 2010 Indian comic satire that explores the topic of "farmer suicides" and the subsequent media and political response. It is written and directed by Anusha Rizvi in her directorial debut, and produced by Aamir Khan Productions...
. Help definitely is a must watch film!" Sampurn from Entertainment Daily gave the film 3/5 stars saying that "...Help has enough genuinely spooky moments to keep you on the edge of your seats. Just like Bhoot, this film succeeds in scaring you in broad day light sequences too as Mugdha enacts her difficult role fairly well. Bobby Deol is earnest and does well in his part. Shreyas Talpade is very impressive, especially in the climax sequence. Salim Fatehi is good and so is Sophie Handa who plays Mugdha’s best friend. Jyoti Dogra playing Mugdha’s mom is terrific and gives you the chills whenever she is on screen." Fenil Seta from Admanya gave the film 2.5/5 stars saying, "Help works but unfortunately only in parts. The plot is brilliant but the execution and some loopholes in the narrative spoil the show!". He also said, "Every actor does a nice job but no performance was extra ordinary. Mugdha Godse looks charming and does a fine job especially in scenes wherein she's possessed. Another fine performance from her after Fashion and Jail! It was great to see Bobby Deol after a long time and does a fine job as Jyoti Dogra leaves a mark while Salim Fatehi was okay. The twin girls, Anushka and Ashoi, play their part well. Sophia Handa and others were good as Special mention should also go to make-up guy, Vikram Gaikwad."
However, audiences that have seen the film disagree with critics and say 'Help' is the best horror film created and has other films including Bhoot
Bhoot
Bhoot is a Bollywood ghost movie released in 2003. It was directed by Ram Gopal Varma and stars Ajay Devgan and Urmila Matondkar. It was perceived to be different from a typical Bollywood movie as it did not contain songs. The film did average business at the box office...
and Phoonk
Phoonk
Phoonk is a 2008 Horror film directed by Ram Gopal Varma and produced by Praveen Nischol starring Sudeep. The film is about superstition and black magic. It is directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film is succeeded by Phoonk 2.- Cast:*Sudeep...... Rajiv...
beat. Currently on Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama is a leading Bollywood entertainment website, owned by hungama.com....
, the film has an average of 4.32/5 stars by user reviews.
Production
The film was shot on location in MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
and Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
for a schedule of 45 days spread over a period of 8 months. In Mauritius, the cast and crew stayed at Eureka House, an 18th century French-colonial house which is believed to be haunted. "The film has been beautifully shot and I must say it’s one the finest horror films that the audience will see. It’s chilling, gruesome and the kind of horror which gives you Goosebumps. ‘Help’ will take the horror genre in India to another level. My character in the film is extremely well defined and I am sure people will like the new Bobby in the film,” says Bobby. Mugdha is also excited for the release of the film as she states “I have done glamorous roles as well as de-glam roles in the past but with ‘Help’ you will see me in a role which is much more acting oriented. It is the role of a lifetime...." The film is said to be one of the scariest of all time. The first look of the film was unveiled at the IIFA press conference. The film was originally slated for release on July 9, 2010, but was later pushed to August 13, 2010 to have more time to promote the film.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of the film is composed by Ashutosh PhatakAshutosh Phatak
Ashutosh Phatak is an Indian rock artist. He has released two albums: I and Sigh of an Angel. He is the music director for the upcoming Bollywood horror film Help.-References:...
, commonly known as Ashu, from Blue Frog Media and the lyrics were penned by Irshad Kamil
Irshad Kamil
Irshad Kamil is an Indian Hindi/Urdu poet and lyricist. He has written songs for many Bollywood hits like Jab We Met, Chameli, Love Aaj Kal and Rockstar .-Early life:...
. The soundtrack is composed of seven songs. The music released on July 23, 2010.
Tracklist
Reception
Joginder Tuteja from Bollywood HungamaBollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama is a leading Bollywood entertainment website, owned by hungama.com....
gave the soundtrack 1/5 stars saying "As expected, Help doesn't have much to offer and hence the reason why one hasn't heard much about it either. Earlier this year, there have been soundtracks that have been created for the horror flicks. However, this one is clearly the weakest of all." Tuteja listed one of the reasons of the flop soundtrack was because of bad promotion of the film and the music is nowhere to be found on music stands. "Kehna Hai" was the only song from the soundtrack appreciated by Tuteja. "Due to depressing nature of the song, as conveyed in Irashad Kamil's lyrics, and the way it is sung by Ashu and Kirti Sagathia, you are not much charged", said Tuteja about the track "Kyun Gum Hai Khushiyan". The title track, "Help" was called "ordinary".
However, from an audience point of view, the music was a hit. The film's soundtrack currently has an average of 3.33/5 stars on Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama is a leading Bollywood entertainment website, owned by hungama.com....
by user reviews.