A spine-chilling psychological thriller with a message -- Radhika Apte’s Phobia will scare you, keep you on the edge and make you think in equal measure. The film has all the elements of a racy thriller -- surprise, fear, mystery and shock. What it doesn’t have is the background music and actors preparing you for a surprise. In Phobia, the unexpected does happen. There are a few flaws in Phobia but Apte excels. Except for Mnau (played by Ankur Vikal), people around Mehek are weak characters, which have not been thought through. Their lack of common sense is jarring which halts the pace of the film.
A 'horror' film with a marked difference, Phobia juggles with familiar elements of the genre - fear, shock, surprise, mystery - with a steady sense of thematic purpose. Pavan Kirpalani's third directorial venture (after Ragini MMS and Darr @ the Mall) is spine-chilling enough not to call too much attention to its inherent whimsicalities and the attendant slip-ups. Whatever flaws there are in the film - and there are many for sure - are offset by a riveting performance by Radhika Apte as a successful painter who has more than just the ravages of a psychological disorder to contend with. Phobia wouldn't be half the film it is without the mercurial Radhika Apte. Watching her on the screen as emotions flash across her visage is an unalloyed delight. For the most part, the film is hers alone, and the camera revels in capturing the character's innermost feelings on her malleable face and expressive eyes. It is like being witness to a solo pantomime act in which a world of sensations is conveyed without a word being uttered. Phobia is a canny flick that places known genre conventions in fresh light, the kind that bestows new life on them. Watch this film for the many surprises it springs and, of course, for Radhika Apte in full flow.
A horror flick set in an empty apartment in which things go bump, using standard, familiar tropes, and still able to create freshness? It is a tough ask, but `Phobia’ pulls it off with pizazz, helped by a crackerjack plot and performances. Many elements remind you of other famous movies set in ghostly apartments, combined with those which send you into ‘found footage’ territory. But ‘Phobia’ stays mostly its own film. A couple of irritants do crop up, resulting in the tautness slipping a little, and in a few sequences which feel slapped on. But they don’t really take away from the impact of the film. And Apte keeps you reeled in. She’s consistently been doing interesting work. With this one she has staked fair claim to be one of the best acts in Bolly town. ‘Phobia’ is a genuinely frightener, so far away from those unintentionally comic monstrosities it keeps slinging out, that you feel like cheering. Keep your eyes slitted, and be on your guard, because something wicked this way comes.
Watching a horror film that has no chudail, no exorcist, no graveyards and no ugly make-up is almost like a breath of fresh air. Finally some can scare people without using the quintessential paranormal props. Director Pawan Kripalani does a fine job of weaving the story of a woman who is overpowered by her phobia. The credit here truly goes to Radhika Apte. She makes you buy into her world of eerie laughter, black cats, a cut finger amidst ice cubes and the story of a dead woman who had lived in her house before and had mysteriously gone absconding. Her agony and her helplessness look palpable as she takes us through her disturbing world. he film makes no pretenses. The point blank title gives away its plot. And yet, it is cleverly deceptive, leaving you in the lurch guessing what happens next. The macabre is built with beauty and makes you stare at every element suspiciously. From gloomy paintings to old diaries and a forsaken vintage ring, there is mystery in everything. The heavy background score and slow zooms are aptly used to build fear. But these are minor glitches in this thrilling fare. In the end, Phobia is an unnerving movie that plays skillfully on the fear of the unknown.