The film is a combination of best horror movies.There are plenty of spine chilling moments which will keep you on the edge of your seats.If you have watched the recent Hollywood horror movies then you won't find any spine chilling moments.First half of the movie is up to the mark of Bollywood films.But the second is going to disappoint you.After a while, you give up. Because there is nothing to be feared from this predictable tale.The climax is a big letdown.The acting of Jimmy Shergil is good and the makeup few ghosts that appear are done vaguely.There is not much story in the film and it is just the horror.The film is a one time watch for few scenes.The special effects in the movie are good.
13 Reviews
Begins well but then falls back to the same routine, inspired stuff as usual.
bobbysing27 March 2014
Looking at the decent number of people coming in to watch this not so big or hugely publicized venture, it was pretty clear that Indian audience are still ready and waiting for a good, enjoyable Hindi horror film as always. But unfortunately our film-makers are visibly struggling to crack this particular genre from quite long and that is the reason why a film like THE CONJURING (2013) enjoys a great run at the multiplexes of the cities, whereas our own Hindi horror movies fail to generate a similar kind of impact at the box office.
To put it straight, either we are too much influenced from what is being made in the west in this specific field (like the mall is named AMITY MALL here) or not ready to try something fresh fearing an outright rejection. In fact this is what can clearly be seen inDARR @ THE MALL too which begins in a very fine way with a fresh approach and an interesting background score promising the most desired welcome change.
But then just after the first 30 minutes, it again starts falling back to the same routine, seen before inspired stuff as witnessed in films such as GRAVE ENCOUNTERS (2011). Interestingly last year we had HORROR STORY taking it mostly from this experimental foreign flick and this year we have DARR @ THE MALL again based on a similar theme with only the venues changed. For instance, the abandoned hospital (or Hotel) turns into an abandoned shopping mall and the mental hospital of the flashback turns into an orphanage here to give it a different feel. So everyone getting locked into the haunted building concept remains the same and the only saving grace is its interesting culmination wherein the dark secret at least gives the viewer a few engaging moments, served in too late.
With an apt duration of just 2 hours, the film starts becoming monotonous towards the mid and then turns completely predictable with the revenge angle thrown in quite expectedly. Jimmy Sheirgill simply does this film like another of his side project but also remains strictly professional in his given character too as required. Nushrat Bharucha seems uninterested throughout and Arif Zakaria plays it well as the mall owner. However the other actors and youngsters do not get much to do in the film due to their short roles. The soundtrack is pretty average and the narration leaves few major questions unanswered in the end mainly about the character of Jimmy. Plus a purely forced in sequence of the foreign dancer is just there to get some steamy scenes on the screen and nothing else.
In short, considering the way it begins with a smart opening and an impressive background score, director Pawan Kirpalani might be able to crack the horror code in one of his coming venture for sure. But with DARR @ THE MALL he has simply missed the mark and the opportunity given.
To put it straight, either we are too much influenced from what is being made in the west in this specific field (like the mall is named AMITY MALL here) or not ready to try something fresh fearing an outright rejection. In fact this is what can clearly be seen inDARR @ THE MALL too which begins in a very fine way with a fresh approach and an interesting background score promising the most desired welcome change.
But then just after the first 30 minutes, it again starts falling back to the same routine, seen before inspired stuff as witnessed in films such as GRAVE ENCOUNTERS (2011). Interestingly last year we had HORROR STORY taking it mostly from this experimental foreign flick and this year we have DARR @ THE MALL again based on a similar theme with only the venues changed. For instance, the abandoned hospital (or Hotel) turns into an abandoned shopping mall and the mental hospital of the flashback turns into an orphanage here to give it a different feel. So everyone getting locked into the haunted building concept remains the same and the only saving grace is its interesting culmination wherein the dark secret at least gives the viewer a few engaging moments, served in too late.
With an apt duration of just 2 hours, the film starts becoming monotonous towards the mid and then turns completely predictable with the revenge angle thrown in quite expectedly. Jimmy Sheirgill simply does this film like another of his side project but also remains strictly professional in his given character too as required. Nushrat Bharucha seems uninterested throughout and Arif Zakaria plays it well as the mall owner. However the other actors and youngsters do not get much to do in the film due to their short roles. The soundtrack is pretty average and the narration leaves few major questions unanswered in the end mainly about the character of Jimmy. Plus a purely forced in sequence of the foreign dancer is just there to get some steamy scenes on the screen and nothing else.
In short, considering the way it begins with a smart opening and an impressive background score, director Pawan Kirpalani might be able to crack the horror code in one of his coming venture for sure. But with DARR @ THE MALL he has simply missed the mark and the opportunity given.
Beginning was perfect, but after that No Darr at all.
prashantsaini764 June 2014
The movie begins in excellent manner. And once again No Doubt Jimmy Shergil acted brilliantly once again. The story of movie is Good having a suspense or mystery about the actor Jimmy Shergil that reveals up at the end. That suspense or mystery creates a good taste in the story line of the movie. So these are the good things about the movie. But as the time passes there is no effectiveness in the movie. There is no horror,no entertainment,no good acting except Jimmy.This movie is waste of time actually. As I told earlier that story is good but direction of the movie is not so good. It is not directed well. I watched the movie just because Jimmy was acting excellent in each and every scene of the movie otherwise there is nothing to watch in it. Paranormal activities in the mall are not shown well. No such type of horror is created. Ghostly appearances are not shown well. As we see mostly in Hollywood horror movies that end of the movie is not so good. There is no end of evil at the end of most of the movies and many Bollywood movies follow this trend. But end of this movie was nice. So in all, beginning was good, story is good, end is good, but acting(Except jimmy) and direction will make you feel that you have completely wasted your time in seeing such diverted movie.
NO darr at all
snaidu4223 March 2014
The USP of every horror movie is its ability to spook or scare its audience out of their wits. The primary reason a horror movie fan walks into a theater is to get frightened and its the only thing which is expected from such films.
Sadly, Darr@Mall fails on this count, scare you is the last thing it does. The attempt is very amateurish and is presented like a high school stage play.
Amity Mall (a take off on the Amityville horror series) is a mall somewhere in India where spooky happenings and mysterious deaths surround the place, threatening to close it down. The owners decide to sell it after an event which they plan in order to extnguish everyone's fear in the mall.
The event goes uneventfully, but soon after 5 people get trapped in the mall and get killed one by one by more than a single spook who have an agenda of their own and have a soft corner for the lead actor Jimmy Shergill which is revealed in "oh really?" type of flashback in the end, which is so clear that you would be pretty stupid not to have noticed the connection right from the beginning.
The best part is an firang item girl who speaks heavy accented Hindi but surprisingly sings in very good Hindi (maybe some of the ghosts might have possessed her). But to give credit, she is the only one who does justice to her character, she is expected to look hot and she was good at that.
But it does have all other ingredients in place, you have a dumb heroine, a survivor hero, a mediocre Villain, a hot item girl and false scares.
The music is bad, the screenplay is dumb, the direction is awful and the acting is third rate.
You want to get scared, go and watch the reruns of the Ramsay Movies or better still watch the Zee horror show on you tube.
Sadly, Darr@Mall fails on this count, scare you is the last thing it does. The attempt is very amateurish and is presented like a high school stage play.
Amity Mall (a take off on the Amityville horror series) is a mall somewhere in India where spooky happenings and mysterious deaths surround the place, threatening to close it down. The owners decide to sell it after an event which they plan in order to extnguish everyone's fear in the mall.
The event goes uneventfully, but soon after 5 people get trapped in the mall and get killed one by one by more than a single spook who have an agenda of their own and have a soft corner for the lead actor Jimmy Shergill which is revealed in "oh really?" type of flashback in the end, which is so clear that you would be pretty stupid not to have noticed the connection right from the beginning.
The best part is an firang item girl who speaks heavy accented Hindi but surprisingly sings in very good Hindi (maybe some of the ghosts might have possessed her). But to give credit, she is the only one who does justice to her character, she is expected to look hot and she was good at that.
But it does have all other ingredients in place, you have a dumb heroine, a survivor hero, a mediocre Villain, a hot item girl and false scares.
The music is bad, the screenplay is dumb, the direction is awful and the acting is third rate.
You want to get scared, go and watch the reruns of the Ramsay Movies or better still watch the Zee horror show on you tube.
Even Ghosts Wouldn't Approve Of This Farce. ♦ 11%
nairtejas26 February 2014
I won't talk about the plot of the film which heavily borrows from yesteryear flicks, local & foreign alike. Rather, I will talk about few sequences.
1. The protagonist closes his eyes, hugs a girl, folds his hands around her back and prays to the surrounding ghosts from leaving the girl alone. I'll leave the rest to your imagination. (The defensive power-play of the story turns into a survival drama.)
2. Consider a girl. She forbids her boyfriend from pestering her and goes on a drinking spree. Lets the charming ghost inside her and then attempts suicide. Saved by a security person, gets hugged by her boyfriend who just made out voraciously with a stranger. Then they run amok the mall premises and get inside a furniture shop (which staood open) where they try to make out in one of the dummy beds. This is what I consider horror than the scenes which actually involved blood & gore & screams.
3. Its probably midnight. After a party, another girl decides to practice her ice-skating lessons while simultaneously listening to music.
These are few of the hundred horrible scenes I had to watch in the 2 hours of comic screenplay. Probably the worst thing about this haggardly titled film is that no one scene is shown for more than 3 seconds. As a result nothing makes sense. The cast performance is hopeless, not to mention how much expectations I had from Jimmy Shergill.
With a story so commonplace, Darr @ The Mall is the worst this year. Last year's "Horror Story" scared me more.
BOTTOM LINE: Not recommended!
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO
Sex/Porn: No | Mouth-Kiss/Foreplay: Strong | Alcohol: Strong
1. The protagonist closes his eyes, hugs a girl, folds his hands around her back and prays to the surrounding ghosts from leaving the girl alone. I'll leave the rest to your imagination. (The defensive power-play of the story turns into a survival drama.)
2. Consider a girl. She forbids her boyfriend from pestering her and goes on a drinking spree. Lets the charming ghost inside her and then attempts suicide. Saved by a security person, gets hugged by her boyfriend who just made out voraciously with a stranger. Then they run amok the mall premises and get inside a furniture shop (which staood open) where they try to make out in one of the dummy beds. This is what I consider horror than the scenes which actually involved blood & gore & screams.
3. Its probably midnight. After a party, another girl decides to practice her ice-skating lessons while simultaneously listening to music.
These are few of the hundred horrible scenes I had to watch in the 2 hours of comic screenplay. Probably the worst thing about this haggardly titled film is that no one scene is shown for more than 3 seconds. As a result nothing makes sense. The cast performance is hopeless, not to mention how much expectations I had from Jimmy Shergill.
With a story so commonplace, Darr @ The Mall is the worst this year. Last year's "Horror Story" scared me more.
BOTTOM LINE: Not recommended!
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO
Sex/Porn: No | Mouth-Kiss/Foreplay: Strong | Alcohol: Strong
Waste of time and money
debashish-sarkar2 March 2014
This movie was the worst of the lot I have scene in recent times. The story line, screen play, acting (barring Jimmy), songs, editing all are sub-standard quality work and deserves lot of improvement in all departments. The story-line is weak from the beginning and unconvincing. I was not able to understand why an actor like Jimmy accepted this kind of movie, his talent was totally under-utilized. The story-line was like a bumpy ride with scenes thrown in with the hope that viewers are fools and will appreciate this kind of worthless movie. I will strongly suggest avoiding this movie and save your precious time and spend money on flicks which are truly deserving. I wish I could do the same for this one too (somehow got misguided by previous reviews).
Poorly executed
devindervaltoha7 December 2018
Good Organized Horror Movie
topu9025 February 2014
Director tried to Present in different way, good improvisation, Its not like a traditional Indian horror movie, well organized. All the actors performed really well, especially "Jimmy". After interval, it started feeling bore but at the end it holds it rhythm again. Director tried to put scary scene in regular interval, sometimes it work, sometimes it doesn't. Ghosts are not traditional faces, which really makes me interest in this film. Finally I would say its screenplay or storyline is not so strong but presented nicely, all performed well, had to wait till end to know the real fact and not follow the traditional horror theme. That's the beauty of the film.
Darrk and dull.
BA_Harrison10 July 2016
Yes, there is an incongruous song and dance routine midway through this Bollywood horror, and it's the best part of the whole meandering mess. High-energy dance number aside, Darr @ The Mall is a sloppy hotchpotch of clichéd creepy atmospherics and lazy jump scares, with assorted elements borrowed from supernatural horrors far and wide.
The plot is a predictable vengeful ghost mystery that most viewers will be able to work out long before the denouement: a shopping mall is the site of several seemingly supernatural slayings. Can new security man Vishnu Sharma (Jimmy Shergill) discover the dark secret behind these deaths? Sure he can, but only after 2 hours of characters running around aimlessly in the dark, encountering wholly unoriginal CGI spooks along the way, all of which proves tedious in the extreme.
The plot is a predictable vengeful ghost mystery that most viewers will be able to work out long before the denouement: a shopping mall is the site of several seemingly supernatural slayings. Can new security man Vishnu Sharma (Jimmy Shergill) discover the dark secret behind these deaths? Sure he can, but only after 2 hours of characters running around aimlessly in the dark, encountering wholly unoriginal CGI spooks along the way, all of which proves tedious in the extreme.
Very Good Horror Movie after a long time
malhar-chudasama24 February 2014
Indeed, a good movie to watch.
Characters are perfect, Jimmy steal the show. Asif Basra has grown from vendor on Ratlam station in Jab we met and giving good performances now, nusrat is good.
But every character played a good role in movie, we can say there is no loop holes in the movie. Indeed the movie has many scary scenes, few are taken from Conjuring (like guy on the cupboard).
It shocks you every now and then with the special effects, also the main ghost is very strong in posture.
One of the scene at the end where director showing past of what happened when all children got burned is created with great special effects, and can give you goosebumps.
Over all good effort from director and definitely a one time watch in theater.
Characters are perfect, Jimmy steal the show. Asif Basra has grown from vendor on Ratlam station in Jab we met and giving good performances now, nusrat is good.
But every character played a good role in movie, we can say there is no loop holes in the movie. Indeed the movie has many scary scenes, few are taken from Conjuring (like guy on the cupboard).
It shocks you every now and then with the special effects, also the main ghost is very strong in posture.
One of the scene at the end where director showing past of what happened when all children got burned is created with great special effects, and can give you goosebumps.
Over all good effort from director and definitely a one time watch in theater.
Awesome Movie
sunnyp_34324 February 2014
wow best Bollywood movie in last few years.best writing.best screenplay.best acting. And special effects are too good in Hollywood style.the most perfect thing is in movie is sound effect.Director Pawan Kripalani did a tremendous job.writers also did their job well.because i thinks for making a good horror movie need 3 things are most important Direction,Script and Special effects.Jimmy Shergill acting good.only a item song is unnecessary.Some bullshit TV news gave this movie Avg score.but believe me guys this movie is totally worth of money.And this movie deserve above 7 score out of 10.now we can say that Bollywood also can make good Horror movies.i am waiting for sequel for this movie.
It's Comparable To English Movies
Sohamds22 February 2014
The Movie's Story Plot Was Good, But The Making Of The Ghost Was Not Satisfying. The Thrilling And Horror Was Good And Comparable To English Movies. Jimmy Shergill Acted Very Fine, I Think I Was Watching A English Movie, It Contains Some Adult Scenes. I Think It Was The Best Hindi Horror Movie I've Seen From 2013-Till Date. The Girls In The Hall Were Shouting Like A Mad People When The Horror Scenes Started. It Is A Good Movie. It Is A Value For Money. So Going In Hall And Watching This Is Good. So You Could Go And Watch The Movie And Enjoy It With Your Partner. And If It Is A Girl Then She Will Definitely Hold Your Hand. Woo- Hoo Enjoy The Movie.
One of the finest horror movies made in Bollywood
swastiksrivastava-141999 January 2022
The overall story is fabulous the scenes really gives us some chills worth watching
Hdjjsnsjksnsbssnsb ddjebe dje dbsjd dbsjbs sjsbd fjfbtksms wnwj r rjrnridndnwiwbwodbr. Rejnee djenr enek e eensndoksme.e e ejene eejebejwijwojqpehridbd f did eiebfjdns did dhx9fnfbdu3i f d dkdbfjd d djdidko1pppk DDR3 ndndndkdndjd JB d dndknsnd d d dndnfiglfpqlrjfbd dbdkd soana HB.
Hdjjsnsjksnsbssnsb ddjebe dje dbsjd dbsjbs sjsbd fjfbtksms wnwj r rjrnridndnwiwbwodbr. Rejnee djenr enek e eensndoksme.e e ejene eejebejwijwojqpehridbd f did eiebfjdns did dhx9fnfbdu3i f d dkdbfjd d djdidko1pppk DDR3 ndndndkdndjd JB d dndknsnd d d dndnfiglfpqlrjfbd dbdkd soana HB.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
