Alone: Nothing new about it

Starring - Bipasha Basu, Karan Singh Grover Directed by - Bhushan Patel Rating - **(2 stars) Bipasha Basu may be trying to stake claim as the new horror queen of Bollywood but she will need more than creaking doors and loud religious ghost busting rituals to create more scary impact on celluloid. Bhushan Patel's latest horrex attempt, Alone offers nothing new or exciting. It's akin to serving the same old wine in new bottle. Just that it leaves us a tad less dissatisfied this time around with the bare exception of the dramatic twist in the climax being the only gripping moment providing the 'wow' moment onscreen. The movie starts with shots of Sanjana (Bipasha Basu) and her husband Kabir (Karan Singh Grover) driving down to Kerala where Sanjana's mom (Neena Gupta) has been taken seriously ill and paralysed head down. In flashback sequences, the story of the film unfolds and it is revealed that Sanjana had a conjoined spectacle sporting twin sister Anjana (played by Bipasha again). Both are extremely close to each other - the usual 'Do jism ek jaan' cliché. Back in school, their unusual birth defect attracts taunts from other normal kids leaving the girls traumatized. During one such teasing encounter, a young Kabir jumps to their rescue and ends up winning the hearts of both girls simultaneously. Kabir however ends up liking Sanjana instead of the geeky Anjana which leaves the latter heartbroke. Kabir soon flies off to London for higher education and years later when he is ready to return, Sanjana tells Anjana that she would like to meet Kabir which peeves Anjana to no end. Sanjana however decides enough is enough and resolves to separate herself from the body of her twin to lead a free and independent life. Unfortunately, only Sanjana survives the medical operation and lives free to marry Kabir. Years later, when Sanjana is back to tend her ill mother, the ghost of Anjana trapped in her family home returns to trouble her. Why is Anjana seeking vengeance? Will Sanjana and Kabir get rid of the evil ghost? Or will Anjana exact revenge for the atrocities heaped on her? That's Alone for you. The premise of the movie is an interesting one - a dead sister haunting her twin. However, it's the movie's slow-paced execution that makes it a laborious watch. The first half moves slowly with little to no sex and mild scary elements playing spoilsport. The second half is far more 'sexciting' as Bipasha leapfrogs into her 'Jism' avatar and takes charge of Karan Singh Grover and the film. But for those expecting an encore of Ragini MMS 2 from Bhushan Patel will be greatly disappointed for the 'sex' element is less focused on this time around. The elements used to produce horror seem more mediaeval in nature. Bhushan has decided to stick to the often repeated creaking doors, disappearance of electric lights, ritual exorcism, heavy breathing and false demonic voice to induce horror. There are a few genuine moments of horror when Bipasha's evil twin makes a sudden appearance but as a whole, the movie disappoints for it barely manages to scare anyone. Bipasha Basu is not exactly in top notch form in Alone. Playing a ghost for the first time in her career, the Bengali beauty fails to whip up anything scary. Though she has got the look right, her loud exultations and outbursts as the evil twin could have been better directed to create the desired impact. The actress however drums up enough glamour element to heat up things on screen and looks convincing as the scared victim. Television hunk Karan Singh Grover should have chosen a better vehicle. The actor looks mellowed down and feeble in the role of a supporting husband which really doesn't do justice to his oodles of talent. Though Karan has enough screen space, given his personality, one can't help but feel that a more dominating role would have better suited him. Some men aren't meant to play second fiddle. Alone, at the most, is a one-time watch. And if you are planning to watch this one, watch it for the brilliant twist served at the fag end of the film. You can however watch it all Alone.