Dybbuk review: Emraan Hashmi and Nikita Dutta starrer fails to evoke any horror despite checking all the boxes

1.5/5

Story:

Dybbuk, starring Emraan Hashmi, Nikita Dutta, Manav Kaul and Denzil Smith among others, is set in the island of Mauritius. Hashmi and Dutta play Sam and Mahi – an interfaith couple from Mumbai who move to Mauritius when Sam lands a project involving disposal of nuclear waste. This coincides with the death of the last Jew on the island. An antique shop owner who attends the last rites, manages to sneak an old wine cabinet and places it in his shop. This cabinet, which is actually a Dybbuk, ends up in Sam and Mahi’s new abode, unleashing the trapped spirit that has an evil intention.

Review:

Dybbuk is the Hindi remake of writer-director Jay K’s 2017 Malayalam film Ezra that originally starred Prithviraj Sukumaran and Priya Anand in the lead. Much like the original, the Hindi film is based on an interesting premise, one that involves Jewish folklore about which not many may be aware. So, pardon the attempt of the makers to simplify and explain everything to you like you’re watching a horror flick for the first time.

To be fair to the makers, they’ve incorporated every single element that you’d expect in any horror film, in Dybbuk. A cursed mysterious old cabinet – check, a pregnant lady – check, an exotic location – check, a humongous mansion – check, a Christian priest – check (with the addition of Manav Kaul as the rabbi), the emotional backstory of the dissatisfied spirit – check, heavy reliance on folklore and myth – check, reflections of ghost in the mirror – check, spooky nights and rains – check, exorcism – check. But are all of these elements enough to inspire jump scares that’ll have your heart in your mouth? As far as Dybbuk is concerned, sadly, no.

It’s often been contested that horror is one of the most difficult genres to get right in movies, especially because the audience comes with the mindset or expectation to be scared and there are only so many ways in which you can try to deliver. This often leads to filmmakers giving in to formulaic elements in storytelling. The same happens with Dybbuk, even though the film is based on a comparatively new premise for horror in Bollywood.

There’s not a single scene in Dybbuk, that will send shivers down your spine. Not even one. We do see some attempts by the makers to give you a couple of jump scares here and there, but they don’t quite translate and end up being unintentionally funny. Jay K’s direction fails to build the necessary tension and intrigue for the big reveal in the climax. While the special effects are not bad, the storytelling is oversimplistic and jarring most of the time. What works in Dybbuk’s favour is Emraan Hashmi as Sam, who proves once again that horror as a genre is nothing short of a child’s play for him. He’s effortless and delivers a sincere performance. There’s a scene where he’s looking for a possible intruder in the attic. Without any dialogues, he single-handedly manages to build the necessary tension where you’re almost on the periphery of letting out a shriek in anticipation of a jump scare, only to be let down by clumsy writing which leaves you disappointed (yet again).

Nikita Dutta does a fair job as Mahi. Her genuine efforts to match up to Hashmi are quite evident, especially in the scenes where she’s seemingly in a trance. However, the chemistry of the lead pair is lacklustre. It’s annoying especially because both Hashmi and Dutta put up a decent act in their individual scenes, but their chemistry as a couple in love doesn’t quite translates. Manav Kaul is a brilliant actor and kudos to him for constantly experimenting with the kind of characters he chooses to portray. This film, is a royal waste of his time and efforts. There’s not a single moment where he’s given the scope to shine, not even as he performs the exorcism in the climax.

Thankfully, the characters don’t burst into songs or dance sequences in Dybbuk, but that’s just me trying to find something that works for the film. When there are no songs, you’d expect the background score to be impressive enough to cause a few chills, but in vain. The screenplay doesn’t translate effectively on screen and some of the dialogues are just unintentionally funny. So, when Mahi is stressed about leaving her family and friends behind, even as she’s trying to overcome a miscarriage and shares the same with Sam, he echoes the same solution that is offered by all the elderly family members, to almost anything that troubles a newly-wed couple – start a family! Or when one of the characters asks another the reason why this innocent couple must go through all the evil things happening to them, the other remarks, “In cheezon ka koi logical explanation nahi hota.” The same holds true as the answer to the question – Why would Jay K want to remake his film, without improving on the original or offering anything new?

Verdict:

There are far better horror movies of Emraan Hashmi, even in Bollywood. I’d suggest you revisit one of those, rather than wasting a little under two hours of your time on this one.