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Phobia — news, coverage & facts — IJR

Plot

Mehak Deo (Radhika Apte) is a highly talented artist. An unfortunate traumatic event - being molested by a taxi driver – causes her to develop extreme agoraphobia, a condition in which the individual is paranoid about being in public places and dislikes socializing with large groups of unknown people. Mehak's sister Anusha (Nivedita Bhattacharya), initially supportive, becomes exhausted with her eccentric behavior, especially when it starts impacting her own 5-year-old son.

Shaan (Satyadeep Mishra), a close friend, takes Mehak to an empty apartment, on the assumption that living alone for a while might benefit her. At the new apartment, Mehak befriends Nikki (Yashaswini Dayama), a college-going girl who lives in the neighbourhood. Her other neighbour Manu (Ankur Vikal) is working on anger management issues and is part of a community laughter club.

Manu is devastated because his girlfriend, Jiah Khurana (Amrita Bagchi), has left him. Jiah had earlier lived in Mehak's new apartment and suddenly disappeared without a trace; without paying rent and without claiming her advance deposit back leaving behind most of her belongings. Mehak comes across Jiah's diary chronicling her tempestuous and abusive relationship with Manu due to his temper issues. Mehak concludes from the diary that Manu killed Jiah, convinced by Jiah's sudden departure, Manu's seemingly questionable behaviour and a series of vivid visions she has of what seems to be Jiah's death like a severed finger in her freezer, a red knife on her bathroom floor (identical to one she saw in Manu's hands earlier), a male intruder in her bedroom and a wounded woman in her bathtub. This prompts her to call Jiah's parents to convey her suspicions, though Shaan is skeptical.

Jiah suddenly arrives and confronts them regarding Mehak's call to Jiah's parents. Jiah then reconciles with a reformed Manu, confirming that Mehak was mistaken leaving Mehak questioning her very reality.

When Shaan confesses that he has always loved her and tries to kiss her, she spurns him and berates him furiously, accusing him of exploiting her weakened state of mind. During the resulting confrontation between them, since the exact sequence of events occurs just like her visions, Mehak realizes that they were premonitions of her future. She then concludes that she's the one who's going to be killed by Shaan (who she realises is the intruder and that she is the wounded woman with her finger severed). In a paranoid delusional panic she attacks him with a knife. Shaan's attempts to calm her result in her finger getting severed accidentally. Shaan calls for an ambulance after preserving her severed finger in the freezer.

She locks up Shaan in her bedroom and exits her building in a daze, finally having overcome her fear. In the climactic scene, her vision once again coincides with reality, as we see a painting she created earlier, showing hands reaching out to her, mirroring the situation in which she is injured and goes out in the open for help, overcoming her condition.

India

Upon release, Phobia received positive response from film critics in India. Sweta Kaushal of The Hindustan Times gave 4 out of 5 stars and concluded saying, "Despite the element of horror, director Pawan Kriplani manages to keep the supernatural, religious drama at bay and opts for a psychological mayhem that makes for an impressive viewing experience." The film was also very well appreciated by Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama. Via Twitter, he tweeted, "Expect the unexpected... #Phobia is a spine-chilling, nerve-racking, well-crafted psychological thriller. Radhika Apte is simply outstanding."

Mohar Basu of The Times of India gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and said that, in Phobia there are minor glitches in the thrilling fare. He adds, that in the end, Phobia is an unnerving movie that plays skillfully on the fear of the unknown. Suhani Singh of India Today in her 3.5-star review, explained that Phobia doesn't just scare the audience but also outsmart them. In addition, she says that just when they think that they have solved the mystery, director and co-writer Pawan Kripalani knocks the audience from their seats.

A reviewer of Bollywood Hungama gave 3 stars out of 5, saying, "an intriguing screenplay that keeps you riveted through the course of the film and the ending surprises you to no end". Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV also gave 3 out of 5 stars and said that Phobia is a canny flick that places known genre conventions in fresh light, the kind that bestows new life on them. Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express called the film a "genuine frightener", saying that the film pulls it off with pizazz, helped by a crackerjack plot and performances.

A review carried by the Financial Express mentioned,

Director Pawan Kripalani does an excellent job with the script and manages to deliver a fairly unique experience. The first half is taut and gripping but the script does sag into the second half and resolves with a climax that might be too abstract for mainstream taste. But paired with an excellent actress like Radhika Apte, together these two manage to win the hearts of the audiences.

Apte's performance in the film was singled out by many critics as noteworthy. A reviewer in Bollywood Hungama calling her performance "worthy of a National Film Award", stated: "Apte is so effortless and so much in control of the extremely difficult character that as a viewer you'd find it stunning." While Singh said, "The makers couldn't have asked for a better actress, as Apte was terrifyingly good in this psychological horror". Chatterjee deemed her "riveting" and said, "Phobia wouldn't be half the film it is without the mercurial Radhika Apte. Watching her on the screen as emotions flash across her visage is an unalloyed delight."

The background score and major technical aspects of the film including; the cinematography, the editing, the locations and the costumes, was also well appreciated by the critics. A critic from Box Office India praised the film's music and said, "Music by Daniel George is good and background score by Karan Gaur brilliantly captures the essence of the film, making the narration even more fascinating to watch." Also lauding the editing, which he called "Sharp", and technical aspects of the film he said, "Cinematography by Jayakrishna Gummadi earns brownie points as his camerawork brings substance to the story."