Posts
Bandh Darwaza (1990) may not be the last film in Mondo Macabro's upcoming Bollywood Horror boxset, but it does represent the end of the classic cycle of Ramsay monster movies that began with 1984's Purana Mandir (PM), and I hope to do it sufficient justice in this Un-kvlt vlog. For those that prefer to read, the transcript is given below:
In some ways, this end mirrors the beginning. In both films, the featured monster is portrayed by the Ramsays' most famous horror star Aniruddh Agarwal. While in PM, Agarwal was the devil-worshiper Saamri who is resurrected as a vengeful ghoul, Bandh Darwaza (BD) has him playing Nevla, a vampire who is also master of a satanic cult, and returns from the grave for his revenge.
Nevla's vampiric nature is emphasized in the introduction where he emerges after sundown from his lair to stalk the countryside for prey. His all-black costume with flowing cape, red lenses and fangs owe a great deal to Christopher Lee's ensemble in Hammer's Dracula movies. Nevla's den is the familiar dungeon set from previous Ramsay films, this time housing a striking bat statue.
Interestingly, the name Nevla translates as 'mongoose', a creature famous for its animosity towards cobras. Even those that haven't come across the animal may know it from the Rudyard Kipling story Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (in The Jungle Book collection).
The mongoose is not usually given negative or evil
connotations, so it is unusual for a horror feature's main villain to be
named after it.
As I said, Nevla is also a cult leader; he has a bunch of acolytes ready to perform any evil deed in his service (including a rather butch woman in an incongruous tigerskin coat). When the local big shot's childless wife (veteran character actor Beena Banerjee) visits him in her desperation to be a mother, Nevla obliges her - and the film makes no pretense about how he does this - but with the condition that any girl child must be handed back as his property (possibly to replenish the quota of female ritual dancers in his shrine).
Expectedly, the wife gives birth to a girl and tries to welsh on the deal. That turns out a fatally bad idea; a furious Nevla has her killed and the baby kidnapped. In turn her husband drives a dagger through Nevla's heart, putting him in cold storage for a while.
In the next segment of the movie, the girl child rescued from Nevla's clutches grows up to be the sexy but spoilt Kaamya. Kaamya has the hots for her childhood friend Kumar (Hashmat Khan). When she finds him unreceptive to her charms, she determines to bag him even if she must sell her soul to the devil in the bargain. You can see where this is leading to.
Kaamya is played by actress Kunika, who had previously worked in a couple of horror projects with the Ramsays' rival Mohan Bhakri (Kabrastan and Amavas ki Raat). Although she was frequently seen in cameos and supporting roles, BD is one of the few features where Kunika has a leading part and she makes the most of it. She doesn't match up to the stupendous sex appeal of Veerana's star Jasmine, but she does convey Kaamya's animal hunger for Kumar, and her willingness to cross all lines to possess him. In this sense, BD is probably a little closer to the Ramsays' earliest horror films, where characters invited doom upon themselves by their actions, instead of simply falling prey to an external evil.
Through a convoluted set of circumstances, Kaamya's desire takes her down the forbidden path and, like her mother before, she too comes under the sway of Nevla's cult. There's a standout scene in which a resurrected Nevla, covered in a slimy primordial goo rises from his coffin and slowly approaches her. Given the story behind Kaamya's birth, Nevla is her biological father. At the same time she is involved in his 'rebirth' and in satisfying his immediate hunger. I doubt the Ramsays factored in all these ramifications while doing the scene, but it creates a strange incestuous vibe. For Dracula fans, another exquisite bit is when the Lucy Westenra equivalent character is summoned by the vampire at her bedroom window and submits to him while her husband slumbers nearby.
Unfortunately, BD is not without its flaws. When Nevla is not on screen the film's energy noticeably dips. While not slumping as much as their previous release Purani Haveli, BD's screenplay has an inefficient, ad-hoc quality, with several slip-ups in continuity and tone. The lead romantic pair, whose survival we are meant to root for, are too bland to care about. For some reason, the trademark rousing Ramsay musical theme is only used once and in a minor key, although they do recycle other tunes from their previous pictures.
But all this notwithstanding, BD is one of the top offerings from the Ramsays in this period. Every scene with Aniruddha Agarwal's Nevla is worth savoring for his towering, terrifying presence. Even simply looking in through a stained glass transom window, captured lovingly by Gangu Ramsay's camera, he can send shivers down your spine. This was the last major feature film that Agarwal did with the Ramsays, and I am happy to report that he bows out with a killer turn.
Next up, I hope to tackle the last title from this much-awaited boxset, Deepak Ramsay's Aatma, which in many ways represent a shift from the other films included here. Till then, farewell and take care.
Other Vlogs in this series:
Excellent and informative Vblog. I had to watch the film a couple of times to fully appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteThanks. The film has its weaknesses, but whenever Nevla is on screen, it's magic.
Delete