Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; March 4, 2014)

It has emerged that Vikram Bhatt, not Vishal Mahadkar, will direct Raaz 4. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt said the decision was taken considering the fact that the audiences associate him with the Raaz franchise. “Vikram Bhatt will direct Raaz 4. Raaz as a franchise is very dear to him; it’s his baby. It was not fair to take it away from him and give it to someone else though he (Vikram) was content with just writing the script,” he said.

Vikram has earlier directed Raaz and Raaz 3. Only the second instalment was made by Mohit Suri.
The film is expected to go on the floors after Vikram winds up the shoot for Mr X. “It is a purely business decision as Vikram and Raaz are synonymous with each other. The film will be shot in India as well as abroad and feature newcomers. Raaz is a star in itself, and we don’t need a star for the film,” said Bhatt.

Vikram confirmed the news. He said: “It is not just a film but a journey, like milestones in my life with (Mahesh) Bhatt saab and Mukesh ji. There are so many memories of our association. Bhatt saab is my guru, my boss and jo boss bolega woh karne ka!”

The Bhatts had initially decided that Raaz 4 would be a remake of the 1976 classic The Omen, starring Gregory Peck, and would be directed by Vishal Mahadkar while Vikram Bhatt was supposed to work on its script. However, the idea was shelved due to budget issues.