Phobia is about a woman who suffers from agoraphobia, which is a fear of ordinary places and activities. Simple enough premise; exceptional execution. I really do not want to tell you a lot about the story. The trailer throws the most obvious parts of the movie at you and manages to keep you in the dark regarding most of the actual plot points. And you have to be thankful for that. Because this is one of the rare original Bollywood movies and one you really need to watch. Do not even watch the trailer if you haven't already. Let the movie surprise you.
The movie benefits from a really strong performance from Radhka Apte who has already made her mark in the industry by now. And yet I feel very confident in saying that this is one of her best performances yet, portraying the crippling disability of a person who struggles even to step out of her front door with immense conviction. None of the other actors in this movie initially seem to have a lot to do. But by the end of it, you do appreciate them as strong characters who are important albeit smaller pieces of a robust story. Having said that, this is definitely a movie that focuses more on one character in a seemingly hostile environment, taking us into said character's mind to try to give us a better understanding of what she's going through. And that is where the movie succeeds marvellously.
As a result of some stellar writing, taut screenplay and exceptional performances this movie creates tension by the bucket loads. And once it grabs hold of you it doesn't let go till the very end. There is a scene in the move featuring a television set that made me try to dig into my seat and disappear for a moment. And yet for all its scares, when the movie tries to go for a few moments of brevity, it succeeds at that as well with absolute ease, managing to get a few laughs out without making the audience feel they've been teleported to a different movie altogether.
The ending is a bit tricky. It must be said the makers completely and convincingly nailed the ending they were going for. And it is an ending I loved. But will everyone? Probably not. This is not a happy ending. Nor is it a tragic one. Of course you could interpret it as one or the other but that is not the point of the movie. It is, at its heart, a clever movie that takes pride in its genius. Does that mean some of the more human elements are not as well handled as the rest? Probably. But this movie succeeds in being what it wants to be and that is more that just good enough. It is, in my humble opinion, one of the better movies to have graced Indian screens this year.
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