Fronting this week's release Bhoot, Vicky Kaushal on why he felt the need to experiment with the horror genre
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 22, 2020)

"I scare easy," laughs Vicky Kaushal, emphasising that he hasn't watched a horror movie since Paranormal Activity (2007). Not the sentiment you would expect from an actor who has fronted this week's release, the supernatural thriller, Bhoot — Part One: The Haunted Ship. But Kaushal says he was so taken by the script of the Bhanu Pratap Singh-directed project that he gave his nod.

"This film was nowhere on my radar, and yet, here was a director who had the conviction to sell a horror film to a man who would never watch one. I had second thoughts [about doing the film] till I went through the script. The empty ship [MV Wisdom] that had appeared on Juhu beach out of nowhere [in 2011] had all of us talking for weeks. The film may be a paranormal affair, but it hits close to home," says the actor.

Working on his first horror film was a learning experience for Kaushal. "There's an entire science behind a horror film. There are tricks you play. This is not a quintessential Dharma film. It's a true blue scary movie, one with the aesthetics of Hollywood horror."

Many may view a paranormal film as an unsafe choice, but he disagrees. "In 2020, you don't know what a Friday looks like. Had we been able to predict [the success of] Uri? There's no dearth of Indians who pay money to watch [the likes of] The Conjuring [2013] and Annabelle [2014], so doing this film was a no-brainer."

While the success of Uri: The Surgical Strike turned him into a superstar, Kaushal asserts he wouldn't want to compromise on his acting by choosing run-of-the-mill films. "This is what I aspired for. But now that I am here, I can't succumb to the pitfalls of stardom, and choose films basis trends. I choose by instinct. My priority is to work with the best directors."