1920 London review: Did they mix up genres? This was funny, not spooky - Hindustan Times
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1920 London review: Did they mix up genres? This was funny, not spooky

ByIANS, New Delhi
May 07, 2016 02:23 PM IST

The action sequences are well-choreographed, but they are not exciting enough to give a teeth clenching edge-of-the seat experience. The horror tropes engaged are generic and not at all spooky.

1920 London
Director: Tinu Suresh Desai
Cast: Sharman Joshi, Meera Chopra, Vishal Karwal, Sushmita Mukherjee
Rating: 1/5

The action sequences are well-choreographed, but they are not exciting enough to give a teeth clenching edge-of-the seat experience. The horror tropes engaged are generic and not at all spooky.(YouTube)
The action sequences are well-choreographed, but they are not exciting enough to give a teeth clenching edge-of-the seat experience. The horror tropes engaged are generic and not at all spooky.(YouTube)

1920 London is the third film from Vikram Bhatt’s stable of the 1920 horror franchise which began in 2008. And with every edition in the series, the film seems to be slipping on the scare quotient.

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With a complex and convoluted plot, it is a romance-revenge story, treated in the horror format.

The narration set in 1920, shuttles between London and Sikar in Rajasthan. It is the story of Princess Shivangi (Meera Chopra), who is happily married and settled in London with her husband Veer Singh (Vishal Karwal).

Wait a second, is that an emo Weeping Angel? (YouTube)
Wait a second, is that an emo Weeping Angel? (YouTube)

She receives an intricately designed necklace as gift, purported from their in-laws and soon all hell breaks loose. She finds strange things happening in her house and her husband’s body getting mangled as well.

Not understanding what to do in an alien country and on advice of her hand-maiden Kesar-ma (Sushmita Mukherjee), the Princess comes to her parents’ home in Rajasthan. Here she is advised that the only way her husband can be saved is, by black magic. She is guided to “Mewad-wale Baba” aka Jai (Sharman Joshi), who travels along with her to London.

How Princess Shivangi and Jai extricate the spirit, forms the crux of the tale.

Meera Chopra and Sharman Joshi do their best with a bad script. (YouTube)
Meera Chopra and Sharman Joshi do their best with a bad script. (YouTube)

While the actors are committed, they play their parts in a very mechanical manner. Sharman Joshi as Jai is the best of the lot. He is aptly supported by Meera Chopra and Vishal Karwal. Sushmita Mukherjee is equally effective.

Unfortunately, for the actors, it is the script which is their Waterloo. Written by Vikram Bhatt, the plot and the characters are a quick-fix. What’s more, the dialogues too seem regressive and obsolete, making the entire narration seem like an unintentional comedy.

The graphics and computer-generated images are intricately conceived and they seamlessly mesh with cinematographer Prakash Kutty’s frames, which are moody and atmospheric. (YouTube)
The graphics and computer-generated images are intricately conceived and they seamlessly mesh with cinematographer Prakash Kutty’s frames, which are moody and atmospheric. (YouTube)

The action sequences are well-choreographed, but they are not exciting enough to give a teeth clenching edge-of-the seat experience. The horror tropes engaged are generic and not at all spooky. Nor are there any jump-scares.

The graphics and computer-generated images are intricately conceived and they seamlessly mesh with cinematographer Prakash Kutty’s frames, which are moody and atmospheric. His interior, as well as exterior shots are well-captured, but they are not consistent with regard to their tones.

Read: Everyone judges you in Bollywood, says 1920 actor Meera Chopra

The songs break the seriousness of the narrative and they do not help in the story progression either.

To sum it up, don’t bother travelling back in time and give 1920 London a skip.

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