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Vishal Furia is among the few Mumbai filmmakers doggedly pursuing the horror genre in a market where scares are packaged with laughs. Furia scored a hit with his feature debut Lapacchapi in 2016. In 2021, he remade the Marathi rural drama in Hindi as Chhorii.Nushrratt Bharuccha played Sakshi, who is desperate to protect her unborn daughter from feudal ghouls.
Chhorii 2, which was released on Prime Video like its predecessor, continues Sakshi’s story seven years later. Her foes include the shamanic Daasi Maa (Soha Ali Khan), who serves as the gatekeeper for an undead monster who needs to marry Sakshi’s little girl.
Furia’s upcoming film Maa, starring Kajol, will be his first theatrical release in close to a decade. Maa promises “mythology and horror with some action,” Furia told Scroll. “Releasing it in theatres will be good for the horror genre.”
But what about Furia’s own favourite horror movies? Here’s his list, arranged in chronological order.
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
“You can say Lapacchapi is inspired by Rosemary’s Baby, but it is very subtle and difficult to communicate to Indian audiences. In Indian horror films, visuals are more important than suggestion.
When I was writing Lapacchapi, the visual I had in mind was a mother holding a baby and a ghostly woman stretching her hand towards the baby from behind the mother. I wrote the story to reach that visual.”
Alien franchise (1979 – continuing)
“What’s great about this series is how each director gave his own spin to a creature feature. Ridley Scott made it a horror film, James Cameron action, David Fincher mystery. Even the fourth part by Jean-Pierre Jeunet is interesting.
Someday, if I achieve that kind of status, I want to give an Indian twist to Alien. In Chhorii 2, I tried to do a creature feature as well.”
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
“Such a beautiful, visually exciting, Gothic film. Love the play of shadows.”
The Devil’s Backbone (2001)
“Guillermo Del Toro is a huge influence on my work. Watching this opened up a lot of things in my mind – how to use metaphor and allegory. The way he embeds human stories, especially his empathy towards ghosts, is something I tried in Lapacchapi.”
The Descent (2005)
“Watching it always makes me claustrophobic. I gasp for breath each time. It is too intense for Indian audiences, I feel.
Unfortunately, Indian horror is still taking baby steps. My endeavour is not to repulse our audiences. I cannot go that extreme.”
1408 (2007)
“Again, a very entertaining, approachable film. We have all lived in hotels, and it’s relatable. I like stories where a man is stuck in a situation and his whole life comes to haunt him.
Horror is the life we have lived, our grief and mistakes. Though it doesn’t go deeper than that, unlike The Shining. Both are different variations on the same style.”
The Conjuring franchise (2013 – continuing)
“Though it’s old school and retro, the way it’s all brought together is interesting. Most importantly, it’s for the masses, which is great for the business of horror.
Why we can’t have a Conjuring of our own is because horror filmmakers are in it for the passion, and passion always doesn’t translate into a quick buck. So the genre is seen with suspicion. Plus it requires actors to look scared, and no hero wants to look scared.”
The Witch (2015)
“I grew up in rural Maharashtra, so seeing rural life without gadgets and equipment explored this way was mind-blowing. It also connects with female power. And Robert Eggers emerged as a new voice with this film. Very inspiring.”
Bramayugam (2024)
“A great, great, great film. I have watched it four-five times. How a big actor like Mammootty embraced such a role is a revelation. The music is mind-blowing, the treatment of caste hierarchy excellent. The folklore is amazingly woven into a fairy tale. Every time I watch it, I discover something new.
I liked the director’s previous film Bhoothakalam too. Such films need the conviction of the actor and the director. Somewhere I am also jealous that someone in India can make such a film.
Such movies come from the heart. Perhaps, with a smaller story, which is not possible in Hindi, I will make a rooted horror film in Marathi again.
I also love Nope, The Ring and Saint Maud, which is a Catholic horror film.”
Also read:
‘Chhorii 2’ review: A well-crafted and performed scarefest about horrors old and new
In Malayalam film ‘Bramayugam’, black and white magic in a colourful occult tale
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