''Raaz 3: The Third Dimension'' is a 2012 Indian 3D
horror
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** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction
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thriller
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* Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television
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film directed by
Vikram Bhatt
Vikram Bhatt (born 27 January 1969) is an Indian director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for directing the Raaz (film series), ''Raaz'' film series, an Indian horror series produced by Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt and for d ...
, and produced by
Mahesh Bhatt
Mahesh Bhatt (born 20 September 1948) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter known for his works in Hindi cinema. A stand-out film from his earlier period is ''Saaransh'' (1984), screened at the 14th Moscow International Film F ...
and
Mukesh Bhatt
Mukesh Bhatt (born 5 June 1952) is an Indian people, Indian film producer and actor who has produced several Bollywood films. He is the younger brother of Mahesh Bhatt, and also the co-owner of the production company Vishesh Films, set up in 19 ...
.
The movie features
Bipasha Basu as the lead and antangonist along with
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi (; born 24 March 1979) is an Indian actor who appears predominantly in Hindi cinema. Hashmi debuted in 2003 with the crime thriller film ''Footpath'' and subsequently appeared in films include ''Murder'' (2004), '' Kalyug'' ...
and
Esha Gupta as main characters. The film is the third installment in the ''
Raaz series'', which is a sequel to ''
Raaz: The Mystery Continues'' in 2009, which itself was a sequel to ''Raaz'' in 2002. Bipasha Basu, who was a part of the first film of the ''Raaz'' series, made a comeback to the series after opting out of the second film. It was one of the films in a series of quasi-sequels released under the Bhatt Banner including ''
Raaz: The Mystery Continues'', ''
Murder 2
''Murder 2'' is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language psychological thriller film and the second installment in the ''Murder film series''. A quasi-sequel to the 2004 film, ''Murder'', it stars Emraan Hashmi, Jacqueline Fernandez and Prashant Narayana ...
'', ''
Jannat 2'', ''
Jism 2'', ''
1920: Evil Returns'', ''
Murder 3
''Murder 3'' is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language psychological thriller film. It is the third instalment in the ''Murder film series'' and sequel to the 2011 film, '' Murder 2''. Directed by Vishesh Bhatt and produced by Mukesh Bhatt from Vishesh ...
'' and ''
Aashiqui 2'', each of which had nothing to do with their respective prequels, but somehow fell into the same genre following a similar story.
Plot
Shanaya Shekhar (
Bipasha Basu) is a influential bollywood actress who has a passionate affair with a famous bollywood film director named Aditya Arora (
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi (; born 24 March 1979) is an Indian actor who appears predominantly in Hindi cinema. Hashmi debuted in 2003 with the crime thriller film ''Footpath'' and subsequently appeared in films include ''Murder'' (2004), '' Kalyug'' ...
). Her career takes a drastic roll when a debutant actress named Sanjana Krishna (
Esha Gupta), receiving accolades and appreciation for her work. Suddenly, Shanaya seems forgotten and everybody only wants to work with Sanjana. Soon enough, Shanaya sees her career fading away and her envy slowly becomes craziness. She turns to black magic and makes it her goal in life to destroy Sanjana's career and make her feel the pain of loss.
She seeks help of her former servant, Sonu (Sunil Dhariwal), a tantrik who helps her practice black magic and call upon a black magician named Tara Dutt (
Manish Choudhary
Manish Choudhari is an Indian actor who is best known for his character of Sunil Puri in ''Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year''. He made his film debut in the 2003 Indian film ''Rules: Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula''. He was also seen in the 2021 w ...
). She asks him to destroy Sanjana's life and career. Tara agrees to help haunt and torture Sanjana until she becomes suicidal. He asks Shanaya to give Sanjana a black poison through a person she trusts. Shanaya seduces Aditya to do it for her. Although reluctant at first, Aditya agrees due to his love for Shanaya but soon he realizes that what he's doing is immoral.
Aditya, whose sympathy for Sanjana has now turned into love, leaves Shanaya and refuses to listen to her any more. To end Aditya's and Sanjana's love triangle, Shanaya hatches a plan by befriending Sanjana in order to poison her which Aditya gets suspicious about. At a movie premiere, Shanaya reveals that she actually hid the poison in the chocolate basket she gave to Sanjana earlier. In the bathroom, Sanjana is attacked by a swarm of
Cockroach
Cockroaches (or roaches) are a paraphyletic group of insects belonging to Blattodea, containing all members of the group except termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known as ...
es that cause her to strip and run back to the party, thus getting her nudity exposed by the paparazzi and the people there. The public wrongly believe this to be a deliberate
publicity stunt
In marketing, a publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs. Such events are frequently utilize ...
of hers, causing her career to be the verge of being ruined. Aditya takes her to a hospital and finds out that Shanaya was behind it. In rage, Aditya visits Shanaya's house and damages her possessions, taking away the last bit of the poisonous water.
Agitated, Shanaya seeks Tara Dutt's help again, wanting to kill Sanjana once and for all. Tara Dutt tells Shanaya that life and death are in God's hands and that to fight God he'll need her life force. He tells Shanaya that she has to has sex with him to enable Tara to become powerful enough to fight God, to which Shanaya agrees. At the hospital, with the help of the doctor and a priest, Aditya goes into the spirit world to fight Tara Dutt. A hard fight ensues and Aditya defeats Tara Dutt, rescuing Sanjana's soul in the process. Back in the real world, Shanaya suffers physical damage as a result of the fight between Tara Dutt and Aditya and attempts to kill Aditya and Sanjana, only to meet failure. Aditya protects Sanjana from the defeated Shanaya, who vows that she will forever remain a star and commits suicide by pouring acid on her head, causing her skin to melt to death. Later, the media puts Sanjana off the hook as they conclude her 'publicity stunt' was a result of a
nervous breakdown
A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...
she had due to stress.
The film ends with the moral that our love for others matters more than our love for ourselves.
Cast
*
Bipasha Basu as Shanaya Shekhar
*
Emraan Hashmi
Emraan Anwar Hashmi (; born 24 March 1979) is an Indian actor who appears predominantly in Hindi cinema. Hashmi debuted in 2003 with the crime thriller film ''Footpath'' and subsequently appeared in films include ''Murder'' (2004), '' Kalyug'' ...
as Aditya Arora
*
Esha Gupta as Sanjana Krishna
*
Manish Choudhary
Manish Choudhari is an Indian actor who is best known for his character of Sunil Puri in ''Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year''. He made his film debut in the 2003 Indian film ''Rules: Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula''. He was also seen in the 2021 w ...
as Tara Dutt (Ghost)
* Su
*
Mohan Kapoor
Mohan Kapur (born 27 October 1965) is an Indian actor, voice artist and television host who works predominantly in Hindi films and television.
Career
Mohan is famous for being the first South Asian host of the first South Asian original progra ...
as Doctor
*
Jagat Rawat as Tantrik
Production
Casting
The original choice for the female lead of the film was
Jacqueline Fernandez, but she had later dropped out due to not wanting to establish herself as a Bollywood sex symbol, as she was uncomfortable with a scene where cockroaches attack her and she had to be topless in front of 300 people. Fernandez was later replaced with ''
Jannat 2'' debutant, Esha Gupta. Bipasha Basu(main female lead and antagonist) will be playing the role of an actress who is a "prisoner of fame". Actor
Dino Morea and actress
Kangana Ranaut
Kangna Amardeep Ranaut (; born 23 March 1987) is an Indian actress and filmmaker who works in Hindi films. Known for her work in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including four National Film Awards and five Filmfar ...
, who were a part of ''
Raaz'' and ''
Raaz – The Mystery Continues
''Raaz: The Mystery Continues'', shortened as RTMC, (English: ''Secret: The Mystery Continues'') is 2009 Indian supernatural horror film directed by Mohit Suri and starring Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut and Adhyayan Suman. The film is the second ...
'' respectively are not a part of the film.Emraan Hashmi will be playing the male lead.
Filming
The film began shooting on 29 January 2012, director
Vikram Bhatt
Vikram Bhatt (born 27 January 1969) is an Indian director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for directing the Raaz (film series), ''Raaz'' film series, an Indian horror series produced by Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt and for d ...
explained how confident he is that the film should be completed sometime in Summer 2012 and that ''Raaz 3'' is amongst his most important films.
Promotion
Trailer launch
The ''Raaz 3'' trailer was originally scheduled to be attached with the prints of
Rohit Shetty
Rohit Shetty (born 14 March 1974) is an Indian film director, stuntman, producer and television host who works in Hindi cinema. He is one of the most recognised film director of Hindi Cinema. His movies are often mix genres of action, comedy a ...
's ''
Bol Bachchan'' on 6 July 2012. However, it was delayed multiple times due to censoring. The theatrical trailer was officially launched on 30 July 2012 for the media, as confirmed by actress Bipasha Basu. Despite being widely speculated that it would be released to the public also, this was proven false. Later, the theatrical trailer was unveiled for the public as it was released online a day later on 31 July 2012. The theatrical trailer will also be in theatres on 3 August 2012 with
Pooja Bhatt
Pooja Bhatt (born 24 February 1972) is an Indian film director, actress, voice over artist and film maker. Born into the Bhatt family, she is the daughter of Indian filmmaker, Mahesh Bhatt. Bhatt played her first leading role in Mahesh Bhatt's ...
's ''
Jism 2'', as they are both under the
Vishesh Films
Vishesh Films is an Indian film company founded in 1986 and currently owned by Mukesh Bhatt. Vishesh Films is one of the most successful Indian film production houses. The production company is named after Vishesh Bhatt, the son of Mukesh Bhatt. ...
banner.
Marketing
''Raaz 3'' was promoted on the Sony TV show ''
C.I.D.'' Bipasha Basu and Esha Gupta promoted the film by making an appearance on a special episode of ''CID'', which aired on 2 September 2012.
Although, the film was originally planned to release on 31 August 2012 alongside ''
Barfi!'' and ''
Joker'', it was later delayed to avoid clashing with any other big film. Raaz 3 was banned for release in
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
, although is being kept under review for the adult content included in the film.
Soundtrack
The film's music was composed by
Jeet Gannguli and
Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan Arman ( ps, ; born 20 September 1998) is an Afghan international cricketer and a former captain of the national team. In franchise leagues, he plays for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Adelaide Strikers in Austra ...
, while the lyrics were penned by
Devendra Singh
Devendra Singh (January 12, 1938 – May 18, 2010) was a professor of Psychology at the University of Texas, known largely for his research regarding the evolutionary significance of human attraction.
Biography
Singh was born in 1938 in Urai, Ind ...
, Sanjay Masoomm and
Kumaar
Rakesh Kumar Pal, known mononymously as Kumaar, is an Indian lyricist active in Bollywood cinema. Some of his more successful songs include '' Rula ke gaya ishq, '' Tu bhi royega'', '' Dil ki aadat'', ''Baby Doll'','' Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan'', ...
.
Release
''Raaz 3'' released in India and overseas on 7 September 2012. ''Raaz 3'' is India's second-ever 3D horror movie. The movie released in stereoscopic 3D, Imax 3D and 3D worldwide. There are more 3D prints of the movie than its 2D version. ''Raaz 3'' is the biggest release for an Emraan Hashmi film as it released on over 2000 screens in India, including in its 3D format. This movie is Emraan Hashmi's first ever 3D movie. The movie received an Adult Certificate from the Censor Board of India without any cuts.
Critical reception
The movie received mixed reviews from critics. Critics pointed out that the only saving grace of the movie was Bipasha.
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media.
Career
Taran Adarsh started his journalism career at the age of 15 with ''Trade Gui ...
gave it 3.5/5 stars, commenting "If you are an enthusiast of supernatural thrillers/horror movies, RAAZ 3 should be on your list of 'things to do and watch' this weekend. Go, get ready to be spooked!" Bollywood3 awarded it 3.25/5 stars and wrote," On the whole, Raaz 3 is one movie which has everything going its way. Gritty screenplay, awesome songs and mature performances are sure shot plus points. On the other hand it would be interesting to see how family audience, who love watching popcorn entertainment respond to this film. To those who love edge of the seat horror thrillers, Raaz 3 is one film which is highly recommended. Go buy yourself a ticket and experience the thrill in 3D." Madhureeta Mukherjee of
The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
gave it 3/5 stars while writing, "For all those who want to move over from the Ramsay Bros... go watch 'Raaz 3' in 3D, at your own risk. But don't take it to your grave." Ananya Bhattacharya of Zee News gave it 3/5 stars and stated that"Watch 'Raaz 3' for Bipasha and its 3D factor."Independent Bollywood gave 3 out of 5 stars and quoted "Some real original scares and chills this time with memorable performances." IBNLive also gave it 3/5 stars calling it a good horror film.
Subhash K. Jha of IANS gave 2 out of 5 stars saying, "It's Bipasha who holds together the feverish proceedings. She delivers a full-bodied gutsy performance." Udita Jhunjhunwala of businessofcinema.com said, "Bhatt gets the rhythm of the suspense-building wrong, going all too rapidly from grotesque decapitation to a kiss and song scene. It does not help that the acting is also at different levels. Most of the burden to convince rests on Basu's fit shoulders – and she does. You do believe that she is menacing and wicked."
Box office
India
''Raaz 3'' took a good opening of around 50% at multiplexes and 65–70% in single screens on average. The opening at single screens later picked up to an excellent occupancy of 70%–100% over the noon and matinees shows. Raaz 3 went on to collecting approx. on its opening day, thus becoming the sixteenth film ever to cross the mark on the opening day itself. The film then went on to collecting approx. on its second day. The film then collected approx. on its third day, taking its opening weekend total to , thus making it the sixth biggest weekend grosser of 2012 for a Bollywood release. Raaz 3 had a huge first week where it had collected .
Raaz 3 collected nett in its second weekend taking its ten-day collection to nett.
It had collected in its second week and in its third week to make a total of domestically.
The film ultimately grossed domestically and worldwide. ''
Box Office India
Box Office India is an Indian film website. Its traffic ranking in India is 83,665 . A new Box Office India website went live on 20 January 2014.
About
Box Office India was launched on 10 June 2003. Its uses Whois privacy to anonymize its owne ...
'' declared the film as a ''Super Hit''.
Overseas
''Raaz 3'' did not do as well overseas, as it approximately collected around US$1 million ( 55 million) plus in ten days. The film was not released in the UAE, which has been noted to have hit it hard, as it could have been the film's best International market and added another $250,000 plus in revenue. Raaz 3 was declared average by box office India.
Awards and nominations
Reboot
A fourth film in the series, titled ''
Raaz Reboot
''Raaz: Reboot'' () is a 2016 Indian horror thriller film written and directed by Vikram Bhatt. It features Emraan Hashmi, Kriti Kharbanda and Gaurav Arora in the lead roles. The film is the fourth in the horror film series, Raaz (film series), ...
'' released on 16 September 2016 .
References
External links
*
{{Raaz series, state=autocollapse
2012 films
Indian erotic horror films
2010s Hindi-language films
Indian 3D films
2012 3D films
2012 horror films
Films directed by Vikram Bhatt
Films scored by Jeet Ganguly
Indian sequel films
Fox Star Studios films
Raaz films