Mahakaal

This was the first Bollywood movie I've ever seen, and I have read that by Bollywood standards it's considered bad, but I got a tremendous kick out of this movie.

I rented it due to the Nightmare on Elm Street link, but I was amazed just how blatant the rip-offs are. The first half of the movie follows the original film almost exactly, even in small details. The soundtrack is a light variation of the original, but there were many scenes where it sounded like not one note had been changed.

In terms of popcorn enjoyment, this movie is delightful. There's literally something for everyone: horror, music, goofy comedy, tawdry drama. There's a little bit of gore; the only missing ingredient is nudity. The murderer is at times goofy, but he has no dialog, so the horror scenes are rarely spoiled.

Most surprising of all, Mahakaal actually has a few moments where it's genuinely good. A murder involving real cobras is very creepy, and the fact that it rips of NOES' effective soundtrack helps at times to enhance the horror. There's also a very effective musical sequence in a Disco Bar that actually helps the plot, using an interesting visual technique along with catchy music.

While no classic, Mahakaal is a must for cult movie enthusiasts. Hopefully, it's release on DVD will lead to a rediscovery.

Nightmare On Elm Street The Hindu musical I was hoping for a dubbed version or subtitles Because I want to understand what's being said (I'm weird like that) In fairness it doesn't really matter very much anyway Because you would have to be blind or in a coma or never seen a Nightmare On Elm Street To not know what movie they're copying Not sure why they needed a Michael Jackson copycat or so many musical numbers I did notice there was one musical number that was completely muted I'm assuming it was because of copyright issues With all that aside I don't really care it's a wildly fun and entertaining good time at the movies.

Troubled by her recurring nightmares, a woman and her friends find themselves targeted by a deformed killer that exists only in their dream world who was originally killed years ago by their parents and forces them to deal with the killer in order to stop his deadly rampage.

This turned out to be quite the impressive and enjoyable effort. What gives this one a lot of its impact is the fact that it's so close to the original film that it allows for plenty of fun to come from these familiar elements. Once she enters the dream world, those scenes are incredibly fun as the extended opening dream of her running through the abandoned boiler room where she continually runs into the strange figure despite all the different attempts to run away gives this a strong, stylish opening as well as sets the stage for the dreams to follow. The following night, where her friend is also involved when the two of them are chased around the strange bunker is just as crazy and frantic detailing their encounters in the cobweb-riddled structures is a fantastic sequence, while the big attack at the hotel makes a strong reference to the original's strong opening sequence as well as helps itself to some censorship- imposed changes that allow for a chilling sequence. The later hallucination at the school following her dead friend into his hideout actually comes off far better in this variation with the encounter featuring the body resurrected to fight her before running into the killer for a lengthy sequence, while the jail encounter works far better here by incorporating the elements of local cinema into the attack by using poisonous snakes to add that extra level of tension to the sequence. Even the flashback sequence explaining the killers' resurrection is a rather enjoyable affair with the brawl inside the sacrificial temple and the subsequent search for the burial spot that really serves this one incredibly well by keeping the pace going to fill the engorged running time as well as give this the kind of chilling set-pieces needed to really make this one quite fun. Even the finale, where it features his attempts at getting to the family before their big confrontation with him gives this a lot of fun qualities and really let the good qualities of her possession take the forefront here. As well as offering that kind of film, the fact that it employs so many elements from Indian cinema makes for a rather enjoyable immersion, from the song-and-dance routines that offer some enjoyable pop tunes to the goofy comedic relief from the pop- obsessed classmate that even manages to crack some hilarious meta-jokes here that add to the fun. The closeness to the story in terms of how it plays out makes this one so easy to get into based on being able to recognize the plot-points and beats quite easily while allowing for the different side-tangents that bring about the different local antics that add a flavor to the film such as the goofy wordplay, dance routines and even several martial arts sequences. Now, in the end, these do end up leading the film to a few small problems in that this does feel it's length because of its tangents and side points, as the need for the constant rape attempts by the gang aren't needed not only because they add nothing to the film but also because the censorship dictates due to the country of origin mean it won't play with them anyway. That also has an effect on rendering a lot of the kills bloodless when they shouldn't, but overall these are all that's wrong with it.

Rated Unrated/PG-13: Violence and Attempted Rapes.

"The Monster" (aka "Mahakaal") is a fun and scary film at the same time. Yes, it's a ripoff of "A Nightmare on Elm Street", but it was so much fun for me. And the acting wasn't as bad as I expected. Not Oscar worthy. But fine for an Indian horror film. The music is taken straight from the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise. The thing that really stands out is the role of Johnny Lever. He is funny, clumsy and everything you want from Mr. Lever. The musical numbers also stands out. The comedy stands out. The villian is not the best. A cheep rip-off of Freddy Krueger. In this film called Shakaal. But overall it's a great pile of entertainment. I definitely recommend this title!

Avoid this time waste movie. Its no where near to the Nightmare at the elm Street. Go and watch the real movie amazing graphics. Real movie is best freddy kruger is best villain.