Raaz - The Mystery Continues
Encyclopedia
Raaz – The Mystery Continues, shortened as RTMC, , directed by Mohit Suri
Mohit Suri
Mohit Suri, is an Indian film director, most known for his films, like Kalyug and Awarapan .He is member of the Bhatt family...

, is a 2009 horror
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...

 film starring Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.- Early life :Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. After briefly changing his first name to Farhan, he decided to keep his...

 and Kangana Ranaut. Story wise, it is not a direct sequel to the 2002 movie Raaz
Raaz (2002 film)
Raaz , is a 2002 Indian ghost movie directed by Vikram Bhatt starring Dino Morea and Bipasha Basu as a couple who have moved to Ooty to save their failing marriage. However, what they find in their new home is more than they expected when a ghost starts haunting the place...

. The film deals with issues of the “evil within” the human psyche and how it manifests itself. It is based on the myths and superstitions that are still widely existent in the contemporary Indian society. The film attempts to challenge one’s beliefs about paranormal phenomena. Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.- Early life :Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. After briefly changing his first name to Farhan, he decided to keep his...

 plays a painter, named Prithvi, who has an extraordinary gift. His paintings tell Nandita's (Kangana Ranaut) future. The film opened to theatres on 23 January 2009. Although it received generally mixed reviews, the movie had sufficient box-office collections to be declared as the first big hit of 2009
Bollywood films of 2009
A producers strike that began after the release of 8 X 10 Tasveer and lasted until the beginning of June.-Highest grossing:The top ten grossing films at the Indian box office in 2009. The films are ranked according to net gross as estimated by boxofficeindia.-January – March:-April – June:-July –...

. A sequel has already been planned with Emraan Hashmi in the lead.

Plot

The story starts with an American visiting a temple at Kalindi at night. There he sees the priest of the temple in a horrific state – he had slit his body with a scythe
Scythe
A scythe is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass, or reaping crops. It was largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor machinery, but is still used in some areas of Europe and Asia. The Grim Reaper is often depicted carrying or wielding a scythe...

 and had written 'Om
Om
Om is a sacred syllable of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.OM and similar may also refer to:-Music:* Om , a stoner metal band* Om , a 1965 album* OM , a 2006 album* Om...

' on his body. The man, horrified by what he is seeing, flees from there. The story then shifts to a young model Nandita (Kangana Ranaut) who is in love with Yash, (Adhyayan Suman
Adhyayan Suman
Adhyayan Suman born 13 January 1988 in Mumbai, India is an Indian actor who debuted in the Bollywood film industry with "Haal-e-dil". He is the son of Bollywood actor Shekhar Suman.-Career:...

) a director and host of the reality show "Andhvishwas" a show dealing with various superstitions of ghosts and tantric voodoos. Yash gifts Nandita an apartment where they start living and they love each other, in the meantime Nandita gets pregnant.

One evening, Nandita encounters Prithvi (Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.- Early life :Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. After briefly changing his first name to Farhan, he decided to keep his...

), an aspiring artist who is in search of his masterpiece. Prithvi tells Nandita that he made a sketch 4 months ago of a girl, who is actually Nandita. He also shows her a painting where she is lying with her wrist slit. He warns her of any type of danger. Regardless, Nandita accidentally slits her wrist due to an unknown ghostly attack on her in the bathroom. Prithvi saves her and admits her to a hospital. Yash arrives to the hospital and comes to know about her pregnancy and also her miscarriage due to excessive bleeding. She complains to Yash about Prithvi, and Yash gets him arrested, though he is released later on.

Meanwhile at Kalindi, the same American, David Cooper (J. Brandon Hill), who is the Kalindi chemical plant owner, commits suicide by hanging himself after writing on the wall of his room, "Tum ashudh ho, sadh chuke ho" (You are impure, you are rotten), in his blood. The inspector investigating the suicide is severely affected by it. Back at his home, Prithvi makes another picture of Nandita getting mobbed. He runs to a fashion show where Nandita is performing, and witnesses her being possessed and attacking a spiritual guru attending the show. She then says the same lines, "Tum ashudh Ho, sadh chuke ho", to the guru. Prithvi rushes to her rescue, but is prevented by the guards. Nandita is taken away from the guru and audience. The guru later appears on TV, claiming she had been possessed. Coming to know about everything, Yash has her publicly apologise to everyone, and declares that she has mental problems.

After the guards release Prithvi, Nandita is possessed again in her bathroom, with same lines appearing in the mirror. She goes to Prithvi for help, but he refuses her, showing her a new painting in which she is hanging herself and the same lines seem to appear behind her. He also shows her some news clippings about the death of the priest and David Cooper, with the same lines written behind them. Nandita thanks him and leaves to attend a party with Yash. There she is possessed and attacked again, and starts bleeding. Meanwhile, Prithvi prepares himself to help Nandita by burning the ominous painting of Nandita, which symbolises that he will protect her. He spots Nandita running from the party, apparently bleeding, and follows her. He finally catches up to her in a slum, where he sees her writing the same lines as before in her blood. He tries to stop her, but realizes that she is possessed. She then tries to commit suicide but he prevents her from doing so. Yash arrives to find Nandita in Prithvi's arms.

Yash agrees to help Nandita on the condition she leaves Prithvi, but she refuses his help decides to stay with Prithvi and visit Kalindi to find out the truth. Prithvi and Nandita spend the night in a guest house, where Nandita is possessed once again. The spirit leads her to a forest where she is repeatedly attacked by paranormal beings. She receives visions of people hanging from trees. She then spots a well and somebody standing near it, and goes towards them. Just as she is about to jump, Prithvi catches her. It is revealed that the 'well' was actually the steep edge of a cliff. They arrive at Kalindi and meet the priest's wife (who is living life as a prostitute) who tells them that it was her husband who was evil and his death was not surprising, considering the crimes he had committed against innocent people in the name of religion. They decide to go to the police inspectors' house (the same one who investigated David Coopers' suicide), where they find him completely crazy and are unable to prevent him from committing suicide.

Nandita and Prithvi soon continue their journey by jeep. One night while traveling, they are attacked by animals. Nandita escapes the jeep and heads towards the trees, where she finds the same well. This time, before Prithvi can save her, she jumps into it. Prithvi follows her. Inside the well, Nandita comes to know that it was Prithvi's father, Veer Pratap Singh (Jackie Shroff), who was possessing her. It so happened that he discovered that the Kalindi chemical plant dumps its toxins into a lake where thousands gathered once a year to bathe in a sacred ritual. He lodges a complaint against David Cooper but is warned by the policeman and the priest against taking any action, or his life will be in peril. He merely replies, "Tum ashudh Ho, sadh chuke ho". Veer Pratap tries to tell the truth to everyone, but is killed by the goons of the priest and his body is dumped in the same well. His spirit returns for his revenge. He kills David Cooper, and the policeman and priest who sided with David. Prithvi finally learns the truth, but is still confused as to why Nandita was used for this. They come to know that it was Yash who had all the proof of Veer Singh's death, but he had sold those proofs to David in return for sponsorship of his show. Nandita tries to escape with the proof but is just about shot by Yash, when Prithvi saves her. Unfortunately for both, Prithvi is stabbed by Yash. In the end however, the spirit of Veer attacks and kills Yash. Before moving on, Veer heals Prithvi's wounds after which Nandita and Prithvi are reunited.

Cast

  • Emraan Hashmi
    Emraan Hashmi
    Emraan Anwar Hashmi is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.- Early life :Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. After briefly changing his first name to Farhan, he decided to keep his...

     as Prithvi Singh, an artist who painted Nandita's future.
  • Kangana Ranaut as Nandita Chopra, an aspiring model who was haunted by strange activities.
  • Adhyayan Suman
    Adhyayan Suman
    Adhyayan Suman born 13 January 1988 in Mumbai, India is an Indian actor who debuted in the Bollywood film industry with "Haal-e-dil". He is the son of Bollywood actor Shekhar Suman.-Career:...

     as Yash Dayal, Nandita's boyfriend who debunked supernatural and paranormal activities as superstitions.
  • Jackie Shroff
    Jackie Shroff
    Jackie Shroff is an Indian actor. He has been in the industry for more than 28 years and has appeared in over 150 films.-Personal life:...

     as Veer Pratap Singh (Prithvi's father), who tried to prevent the polluting of Kalindi Lake by a chemical plant. (Special Appearance)
  • Dinesh Lamba
    Dinesh Lamba
    Dinesh Lamba is an Indian film actor mainly acting in Bollywood. He is primarily seen in supporting roles and has appeared in over 20 Hindi and Tamil films and several television commercials....

     as a corrupt police inspector.
  • Anupam Shyam
    Anupam Shyam
    Anupam Shyam born Anupam Shyam Ojha on 20 September 1957 is an Indian film and television actor, who usually plays villainous or character roles. He most known for his role of Thakur Sajjan Singh in STAR Plus TV series Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya...

     as the priest of the Kalindi Temple.
  • Vicky Ahuja as the Guruji, who gets attacked by Nandita possessed by the spirit.
  • J Brandon Hill as David Cooper, owner of Kalindi Chemical Plant.
  • Sandeep Sikand in supporting role.

Development

Screenwriter Shagufta Rafique in an interview stated that the story is weaved around Sant Kabir's idiom, "Bura jo dekhan main chala, Bura na milya koi; Jo dil khoja apna, Ta mujh sa bura na koi", which means that the evil is within oneself and that is the message of the film. The movie was also reported to be based on the same lines as the 1976 Hollywood movie The Omen. The director was changed from Vikram Bhatt
Vikram Bhatt
Vikram Bhatt is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. He has more than 21 films to his credit. He is also the creative head of a conglomerate called ASA Productions.-Early life:...

 (who was the original Raaz director) to Mohit Suri
Mohit Suri
Mohit Suri, is an Indian film director, most known for his films, like Kalyug and Awarapan .He is member of the Bhatt family...

. Suri had reportedly added a lot of dramatic space to the film and played around with visuals and sounds which led to an extraordinary pace. Suri got inspired about the movie after reading a lot on Hindu mythology
Hindu mythology
Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...

, where good and evil are represented in stark contrast.

Casting

Originally it was thought that Bipasha Basu
Bipasha Basu
Bipasha Basu is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Bollywood films. A former model, she was the winner of the Ford's Godrej Cinthol Supermodel contest in 1996.-Early life:...

 would be called for RTMC since she hasn't worked with the Bhatts post Jism
Jism (film)
Jisms soundtrack was released on 18 December 2002. The music is composed by M. M. Keeravani under the pseudonym M.M. Kreem. Lyrics were penned by Neelesh Misra and Sayeed Quadri.-Track listing:- Filmfare Awards :Won...

. But later it was announced that she has been dropped and Kangana Ranaut took her place. Even Amrita Rao
Amrita Rao
Amrita Rao is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films.Beginning her career as a model, Rao made her acting debut with Ab Ke Baras...

 was also considered but she passed the opportunity. Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.- Early life :Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. After briefly changing his first name to Farhan, he decided to keep his...

 joined the cast taking over from Dino Morea
Dino Morea
Dino Morea is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films and a former model.-Early life:Dino Morea was born in Bangalore to an Italian father and an Anglo Indian mother. He is the second of three brothers. Nicolo Morea is his older brother, and Santino Morea is his younger brother. His family...

. Dino expressed his disappointment with the decision by saying "I'm not disappointed but definitely baffled. How can they make a Raaz 2 without anyone from the original cast? How can it be a sequel, then?" Later it was announced that Raaz – The Mystery Continues is not a sequel to the original movie. Adhyayan Suman
Adhyayan Suman
Adhyayan Suman born 13 January 1988 in Mumbai, India is an Indian actor who debuted in the Bollywood film industry with "Haal-e-dil". He is the son of Bollywood actor Shekhar Suman.-Career:...

 plays Yash, a documentary filmmaker who is perceived as an atheist and believes in scientific rationale behind everything. His beliefs are challenged in the film. He reportedly called this film his debut, although he debuted in Bollywood
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...

 with the 2008 film Haal-e-dil
Haal-e-dil
Haal – E – dil, shortened as HED, , directed by Anil Devgan, is a 2008 romance film starring Adhyayan Suman and Amita Patak. Story wise, it was the debut of actor, Adhyayan Suman, who is the son of retro-actor Shekhar Suman. The film deals with issues of the “love within” the human psyche and how...

. Actress Sonal Chauhan
Sonal Chauhan
Sonal Chauhan is an Indian fashion model and actress. She has won several beauty contests and made her acting debut in the movie Jannat directed by Kunal Deshmukh .-Early life:...

 was also reported to play a part in the movie, however she could not be a part of the final cast. Incidentally, Kangana again plays a supermodel called Nandita in this film, right after Fashion
Fashion (film)
Fashion is a 2008 Indian film co-produced, co-written, and directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. The film has a massive star cast which includes Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut and newcomers Mugdha Godse and Arjan Bajwa. Based on the dark side of the world of fashion, the movie depicts it through the...

. Since playing a supermodel, she had to reportedly undergo many types of looks and even changed her hair colour to red. Emraan Hashmi plays a dark character as the painter, Prithvi, who has no contact with the outside world. His character is the main link to the fate of Kangana's character. According to the actor, though comparisons are evident with the earlier Raaz
Raaz (2002 film)
Raaz , is a 2002 Indian ghost movie directed by Vikram Bhatt starring Dino Morea and Bipasha Basu as a couple who have moved to Ooty to save their failing marriage. However, what they find in their new home is more than they expected when a ghost starts haunting the place...

, this film has a different plot and will give a new definition to the horror genre. Veteran actor Jackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff is an Indian actor. He has been in the industry for more than 28 years and has appeared in over 150 films.-Personal life:...

 was reported to be playing Kangana's father in the movie, which after release was revealed to be Emraan's father's character.

Filming

Filming for the movie took place in Shimla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...

 unlike Ooty which was used in Raaz. Some part of the filming also took place in Mumbai. According to sources Raaz – The Mystery Continues is the most expensive Bollywood
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 movie. Kangana was paid INR
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....

 60 lakhs for her role in the film. The film received an A certificate from the Censor Board, leading to a war of words between Mukesh Bhatt
Mukesh Bhatt
Mukesh Bhatt , is an Indian film producer, who has produced several Bollywood films. He is the younger brother of director, Mahesh Bhatt and also the co-owner of the production company, Vishesh Films, set up in 1986...

 and the Board. Mukesh however denied these saying that "Raaz - TMC" got a U/A certificate. Filming for the movie completed on 10 November 2008 at Mumbai
Mumbai
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...

.

Promotion

A one minute 39 seconds teaser trailer for the movie was released by Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.- Early life :Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. After briefly changing his first name to Farhan, he decided to keep his...

 on November along with the movie Fashion
Fashion (film)
Fashion is a 2008 Indian film co-produced, co-written, and directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. The film has a massive star cast which includes Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut and newcomers Mugdha Godse and Arjan Bajwa. Based on the dark side of the world of fashion, the movie depicts it through the...

. Apparently Mohit Suri
Mohit Suri
Mohit Suri, is an Indian film director, most known for his films, like Kalyug and Awarapan .He is member of the Bhatt family...

 and Mahesh Bhatt
Mahesh Bhatt
Mahesh Bhatt , is a prominent Indian film director, producer and screenwriter.Bhatt's early directional career consisted of acclaimed films, such as Arth, Saaransh, Janam, Naam and Zakhm....

 had quite a heated argument over the trailer. When questioned on his apparent fight with Mahesh Bhatt over the trailer, he said: "It wasn't a fight, though there was a lot of heat...being creative people we do have very strong point of views on how it should be... Bhattsaab wanted a trailer with dialogues whereas I thought we should just focus on strong visuals and musical score..."

Sony BMG partnered with social networking site "Ibibo
Ibibo
Ibibo which stands for iBuild, iBond, is an Indian social networking site. It is an umbrella site that offers a variety of applications under its social network....

" to launch a web application for the movie. The RTMC application allowed Ibibo.com members to take part in a movie making contest whose winners got a chance to spend a day with Mohit Suri, director of Raaz, and got to learn the art of film making from him. Ashish Kashyap, CEO, Ibibo.com, said, “The Raaz - The Mystery Continues application on Ibibo.com reiterates our core value proposition to recognize talent and enable users to self express and engage with latest Bollywood content. This is a perfect example of a Bollywood movie promotion leveraging the power of social media on Ibibo.com.”

On 9 January 2009, the cast and crew of Raaz -The Mystery Continues which was Mahesh Bhatt, director Mohit Suri and lead actors Emraan Hashmi and Adhyayan Suman, held a discussion on horror films at Crossword Bookstores
Crossword Bookstores
Crossword Bookstores is a chain of bookstores in India based in Mumbai. Crossword has stores in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Nagpur, Nashik, Vadodara, Navi Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad. The most recent outlet opened in Durgapur.Crossword is fully owned by Shopper's...

. They shared their views on horror as a genre and also about their upcoming film. The full theatrical trailer of the movie was released with movies like Ghajini
Ghajini (2008 film)
Ghajini is a 2008 Indian Hindi action film written and directed by A. R. Murugadoss and produced by Tagore Madhu and Madhu Mantena. It is a remake of Murugadoss's own 2005 Tamil film Ghajini starring Surya Sivakumar in the lead role. The film stars Aamir Khan, Asin Thottumkal and Jiah Khan in lead...

and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. There was some tension in the Bhatt camp regarding the promotion as lead pairs Kangna Ranaut
Kangna Ranaut
Kangna Ranaut is an Indian actress who appears mostly in Hindi films. She made her acting debut in 2006 with a leading role in Gangster. She won both a Filmfare and a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as a troubled model in Fashion .-Early life:Ranaut was born to...

 and Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.- Early life :Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. After briefly changing his first name to Farhan, he decided to keep his...

 were unavailable for it and burden of promotion was left with newcomer Adhyayan Suman
Adhyayan Suman
Adhyayan Suman born 13 January 1988 in Mumbai, India is an Indian actor who debuted in the Bollywood film industry with "Haal-e-dil". He is the son of Bollywood actor Shekhar Suman.-Career:...

. However, the cast, including actors Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.- Early life :Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. After briefly changing his first name to Farhan, he decided to keep his...

 and Kangana Ranaut, later appeared for the promotion of the movie at Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

.

Release

The movie released on 23 January, all over India. The movie was released with 70 prints overseas. The movie has been given a huge release. It is the biggest release ever of Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.- Early life :Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. After briefly changing his first name to Farhan, he decided to keep his...

 beating the 525+ theatre release of Jannat by a huge margin. In India, the movie has been released on nearly 900 cinemas with 475 digital screens including 435 UFO's and around 400 other cinemas. The film is also the biggest release ever for Vishesh films. The distributors of the film, Sony Pictures had some issues with the multiplexes but were resolved in time for the film to have clean release on 23rd. The UK release of the movie is handled by Tip Top Entertainment.

Critical reception

Early reception for the movie was mostly mixed. The Times of India gave 3 out of 5 stars saying that,"Emraan Hashmi & Kangana bring the Gangster magic again....they have done a good job whereas Adhyayan Suman shows promise." Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama is a leading Bollywood entertainment website, owned by hungama.com....

gave a good review saying "On the whole, Raaz - The Mystery Continues is rich in the horror quotient and that is one of its major USPs, besides the highly competent performances by its principal cast and a lilting musical score. At the box-office, this one will continue the winning streak of Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt's Vishesh Films. The 4-day weekend [Monday, January 26 in a holiday] will only cement its status further. Go for it!". The lead actors were praised for their performance. In the review, "On the acting front, both Emraan and Kangna vie for top honours. Emraan is excellent. He conveys a lot through facial expressions and that's the sign of a proficient actor. He's just getting better and better with every film. Kangna is top notch. After Fashion
Fashion (film)
Fashion is a 2008 Indian film co-produced, co-written, and directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. The film has a massive star cast which includes Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut and newcomers Mugdha Godse and Arjan Bajwa. Based on the dark side of the world of fashion, the movie depicts it through the...

, this one's another power-packed performance from the actress. Adhyayan Suman is super-confident and registers a strong impact, especially towards the climax. He shows promise. Jackie Shroff is quite okay in a brief role." NDTV
NDTV
NDTV is an Indian commercial broadcasting television network founded in 1988. It was founded by Prannoy Roy, an eminent journalist and current chairman and director of NDTV Group. NDTV currently has more than 1,000 employees producing news from over twenty locations in India...

gave negative reviews for the movie saying "The first Raaz, which married the Hollywood film What Lies Beneath with the myth of Savitri who pursued Yamraj until her husband came back to life, had a cheesy appeal. This Raaz is a big bore. The scares are tired and Suri doesn't know how to pace them out. So, every minute, something awful is happening, from a bull attack to mutilation and murder. Was I scared? Not once. This mystery was better left discontinued." AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...

reviewer Noyon Jyoti Parasara too rated the film low. He gave the film a mere 2 out of 5 and said, "Raaz - The Mystery Continues, which with all its hype was supposed scare the lights out of you, could not make me bat an eyelid out of fear. So there go all expectations!."

Box office performance

The movie, upon its release on 23 January 2009, had a good response at the box office. According to Business Standard
Business Standard
Business Standard is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published by Business Standard Ltd in two languages, English and Hindi...

, the movie got the biggest weekend collections within January, grossing over Rs 12.5 crore in the first three days of its release, ahead of some of the other releases in January so far like Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...

which managed to have grossed Rs 8-9 crore. The movie is being played in the maximum shows across most multiplexes and recorded nearly 80 per cent collections in the first three days of its release. It opened to good response in single cinemas across the country on Friday with over 70-75% collections. In the multiplexes the opening was in the range of 65-70%. The film grossed around 4.75 crore net collections on day one. At the end of the first week the movie grossed over Rs. 30 crore at the box office, making it the highest grossing horror film in India. Trade Analysts have attributed the success of the film to a combination of three factors - a strong product from Vishesh Films, excellent marketing from Sony BMG and a very strong word of mouth. However, in the UK the movie did mediocre business, debuting at number 25 and collecting £ 27,710 [approx. Rs. 18.73 lacs] on 17 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 1,630.

Music

Nadeem-Sharavan, the original musical duo for Raaz
Raaz (2002 film)
Raaz , is a 2002 Indian ghost movie directed by Vikram Bhatt starring Dino Morea and Bipasha Basu as a couple who have moved to Ooty to save their failing marriage. However, what they find in their new home is more than they expected when a ghost starts haunting the place...

, were to direct the music of Raaz - the Mystery Continues but then news came up that Mukesh Bhatt sacked Nadeem-Shravan and replaced them with Pritam
Pritam
Pritam Chakraborty , better known as Pritam is a music director and composer from Kolkata who currently works in Bollywood, Mumbai.- Early life :...

, the Bengali
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...

 music director. Again recent reports say that Pritam has been replaced for newcomers and the final list of composers reads as Raju Singh, Pranay M. Rijia, Toshi/Sharib and Gaurav Dasgupta. The music is set to release on 10 December 2008. Newcomers Toshi Sabri
Toshi Sabri
Muhammad Ovez Sabri , popularly known as Toshi Sabri , is a singer of Rajasthan's Sabri family. Toshi specializes in many genres ranging from Qawwali to Pop. He is also lead playback singer on Raaz 2 in a song titled "Maahi"...

 and his brother Sharib Sabri were given their first launch in Bollywood
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...

 with this movie. While Sharib has composed the music for the opening song “Maahi” for the film, Toshi has lent vocals to it.

The music of this movie is released by Sony BMG. The first music video, Maahi, of the album was released on 6 December 2008. The second music video was "Soniyo". After that, "Maahi (Rock With Me)" and "O Jaana (Dance With Me)" mixes are released with backup music videos. The last music video of the song, "Kaisa Ye Raaz Hai", is going to be released in the 2nd week of January 2009.

Reception

The music received positive reviews and tracks like Maahi, Kaisa Ye Raaz Hai and Soniyo were particularly praised. NDTV
NDTV
NDTV is an Indian commercial broadcasting television network founded in 1988. It was founded by Prannoy Roy, an eminent journalist and current chairman and director of NDTV Group. NDTV currently has more than 1,000 employees producing news from over twenty locations in India...

gave a good review saying "Overall, the music of Raaz - The Mystery Continues has its own place under the sun. It is definitely worth listening."

One India gave a positive review saying "The music of Raaz – TMC indeed impresses, the soundtrack here is yet another good addition to the enviable music catalogue of the Bhatts and Emraan would certainly have some more chartbusters to add to his name. As for the last question i.e. whether Raaz - TMC matches up to Nadeem-Shravan's Raaz
Raaz (2002 film)
Raaz , is a 2002 Indian ghost movie directed by Vikram Bhatt starring Dino Morea and Bipasha Basu as a couple who have moved to Ooty to save their failing marriage. However, what they find in their new home is more than they expected when a ghost starts haunting the place...

, then well, let's put it this way that albums like Aashiqui
Aashiqui
Aashiqui is a 1990 Bollywood romance film, particularly noted for its music. The film made the careers of Kumar Sanu, Anuradha Paudwal and Nadeem-Shravan. It was released on 23 July 1990.-Plot:...

, Raaz or a Saajan
Saajan
Saajan is a 1991 Hindi film directed by Lawrence D'Souza and starring Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, and Salman Khan. It was released on 30 August, 1991....

 are made only once and there shouldn't even be a conscious effort to replicate or surpass them. In this regard, the music of Raaz - TMC has its own place under the sun and what matters in the end is whether it works for the film or not. Well, the answer for this one is a firm Yes!

Thaindian News
Thaindian News
Thaindian News is a Bangkok-based web portal that runs news stories from various newspapers and wire services. Its stated market focus is Indians living in Thailand.-External links:*...

also reviewed the music for the film. They said "“Soniyo” is the best number of the album. Sung by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal, the pleasant track moves at a very steady pace. Kumar keeps the lyrics as simple as the composition and it gives the singers ample space. Consisting mainly of melodic, slow paced tracks, the frontrunners of this album are two fast numbers. Both “O Jaana” and “Soniyo” are the highlights of the pack. But at the above the song Maahi became a blockbuster hit after its release.

Tracks

The complete tracklisting for the soundtrack.
Track Song Singer(s) Duration Music Director Notes
1 Maahi Toshi
Toshi Sabri
Muhammad Ovez Sabri , popularly known as Toshi Sabri , is a singer of Rajasthan's Sabri family. Toshi specializes in many genres ranging from Qawwali to Pop. He is also lead playback singer on Raaz 2 in a song titled "Maahi"...

5:04 Toshi
Toshi Sabri
Muhammad Ovez Sabri , popularly known as Toshi Sabri , is a singer of Rajasthan's Sabri family. Toshi specializes in many genres ranging from Qawwali to Pop. He is also lead playback singer on Raaz 2 in a song titled "Maahi"...

-Sharib
Picturised on Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.- Early life :Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. After briefly changing his first name to Farhan, he decided to keep his...

 & Kangana Ranaut
2 Soniyo Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam is an Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi movies, as well as films in Assamese, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada language. He has also released numerous Indi-pop albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films...

, Shreya Ghoshal & Neeraj Shridhar
Neeraj Shridhar
Neeraj Shridhar is a Indian singer-songwriter, who is lead vocalist of a pop and rock group Bombay Vikings. He is also a popular Bollywood playback singer. He is also a Music Director and a Lyricist. Bombay Vikings became popular with remix hits like, Kya Soorat Hai, Woh Chali and Chod Do Anchal ...

5:28 Raju Singh Picturised on Adhyayan Suman
Adhyayan Suman
Adhyayan Suman born 13 January 1988 in Mumbai, India is an Indian actor who debuted in the Bollywood film industry with "Haal-e-dil". He is the son of Bollywood actor Shekhar Suman.-Career:...

 & Kangana Ranaut
3 O Jaana KK 4:30 Raju Singh Picturised on Adhyayan Suman
Adhyayan Suman
Adhyayan Suman born 13 January 1988 in Mumbai, India is an Indian actor who debuted in the Bollywood film industry with "Haal-e-dil". He is the son of Bollywood actor Shekhar Suman.-Career:...

, Kangana Ranaut & Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.- Early life :Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. After briefly changing his first name to Farhan, he decided to keep his...

4 Kaisa Yeh Raaz Hai KK 6:17 Pranay M Rijia Picturised on Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.- Early life :Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. After briefly changing his first name to Farhan, he decided to keep his...

 & Kangana Ranaut
5 Banda Re Krishna Beura
Krishna Beura
Krishna Beura , is a playback singer who has sung songs in commercial Hindi and Oriya cinema. Mostly known for his hit song "Maula Mere" from the film Chak De India, "Rabba" and "Soniyo from the Heart" . He can sing in 22 languages including his mother tongue Oriya.-Career:Krishna Beura got his...

5:05 Gourov Dasgupta Picturised on Jackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff is an Indian actor. He has been in the industry for more than 28 years and has appeared in over 150 films.-Personal life:...

, Dinesh Lamba
Dinesh Lamba
Dinesh Lamba is an Indian film actor mainly acting in Bollywood. He is primarily seen in supporting roles and has appeared in over 20 Hindi and Tamil films and several television commercials....

, Anupam Shyam & J Brandon Hill
6 Maahi (Rock With Me) Toshi
Toshi Sabri
Muhammad Ovez Sabri , popularly known as Toshi Sabri , is a singer of Rajasthan's Sabri family. Toshi specializes in many genres ranging from Qawwali to Pop. He is also lead playback singer on Raaz 2 in a song titled "Maahi"...

4:46 Toshi
Toshi Sabri
Muhammad Ovez Sabri , popularly known as Toshi Sabri , is a singer of Rajasthan's Sabri family. Toshi specializes in many genres ranging from Qawwali to Pop. He is also lead playback singer on Raaz 2 in a song titled "Maahi"...

-Sharib
Picturised on Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.- Early life :Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. After briefly changing his first name to Farhan, he decided to keep his...

, Toshi
Toshi Sabri
Muhammad Ovez Sabri , popularly known as Toshi Sabri , is a singer of Rajasthan's Sabri family. Toshi specializes in many genres ranging from Qawwali to Pop. He is also lead playback singer on Raaz 2 in a song titled "Maahi"...

-Sharib ,Kangana Ranaut
7 Soniyo (From The Heart) Krishna Beura
Krishna Beura
Krishna Beura , is a playback singer who has sung songs in commercial Hindi and Oriya cinema. Mostly known for his hit song "Maula Mere" from the film Chak De India, "Rabba" and "Soniyo from the Heart" . He can sing in 22 languages including his mother tongue Oriya.-Career:Krishna Beura got his...

5:33 Raju Singh
8 O Jaana (Dance With Me Mix) KK 3:59 Raju Singh Picturised on Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.- Early life :Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. After briefly changing his first name to Farhan, he decided to keep his...

, Adhyayan Suman
Adhyayan Suman
Adhyayan Suman born 13 January 1988 in Mumbai, India is an Indian actor who debuted in the Bollywood film industry with "Haal-e-dil". He is the son of Bollywood actor Shekhar Suman.-Career:...

 & Kangana Ranaut

Sequel

With Raaz TMC getting an encouraging opening, a third instalment of the series is in the making. The third part will be directed by Vikram Bhatt
Vikram Bhatt
Vikram Bhatt is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. He has more than 21 films to his credit. He is also the creative head of a conglomerate called ASA Productions.-Early life:...

 and Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films.- Early life :Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. After briefly changing his first name to Farhan, he decided to keep his...

 will play the lead role along with Bipasha Basu
Bipasha Basu
Bipasha Basu is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Bollywood films. A former model, she was the winner of the Ford's Godrej Cinthol Supermodel contest in 1996.-Early life:...

 and Jacqueline Fernandez
Jacqueline Fernandez
Jacqueline Fernandez is a Sri Lankan actress and model who works in Bollywood films. She is a former beauty queen who won the Miss Sri Lanka Universe in 2006...

. It will be shot in Real 3D and is currently titled Raaz 3D
Raaz 3D
Raaz 3 is an upcoming Bollywood stereoscopic 3D horror film directed by Vikram Bhatt, starring Emraan Hashmi, Bipasha Basu and Jacqueline Fernandez. Also known as Raaz - The Third Dimension, the film is a sequel to Raaz – The Mystery Continues...

or Raaz – The Third Dimension.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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