‘Ours will be the scariest film ever, ’ proclaim the makers and actors of horror films prior to the release. But most of these films in Bollywood turn out to be anything but scary and at times, inspired from Hollywood flicks or are just unintentionally funny. 3AM definitely had the scope and is mostly original. It sets the mood well but turns into a disaster in the second half!
The story of the movie: Sunny(Rannvijay Singha) is a TV host and producer, who has just faced the biggest loss of his life – the mysterious demise of his fiancé Sarah(Anindita Nayar). After mourning and finally coming to terms with the reality, he decides to move on. He comes up with a new TV show in which he would travel to the significant haunted places of the country and record on camera the existence of ghosts and spirits. He along with his friend and colleagues Cyrus(Salil Acharya) and Raj(Kavin Dave) pick Rudra Mills as the location for the first episode. After knowing the tragic history, they set out with their work in the mills. At night and as expected, they begin to experience the presence of the supernatural. However, hell breaks loose at 3AM.
3AM commences with a disclaimer depicting the significance of the ‘demonic hour’ followed by the eerie opening credits, instantly setting the mood. The romantic portions that follow aren’t great but are worth a watch nonetheless. The death of Sarah and the sequence thereafter is too good. And the film gets better when the trio enters Rudra Mills and gets to know the history of the place from the caretaker Khan Saab and later when they start facing scary experiences. The intermission point is superb. But the film goes for a toss in the second half. The dead people of the mill looked fake, thanks to tacky VFX work. And when the tension is at an all-time high, the maker suddenly decides to go in a flashback mode and tell viewers how Sunny and Sarah met and fell in love! And note that it serves no purpose at all and that the film would have made total sense without this 10 minute sequence! The climax should have been the best part of the film but it is thanda and ends too soon. We have seen better face-offs in other horror films between the demon and the hero and 3AM climax is miles behind in this regard! The final scene is well thought of but sadly, it is predictable and one can guess the same in the first 5 minutes of the film.
Rannvijay Singh delivers a fine performance and after Mod and Toss, he proves yet again that he can play the lead role with ease. He has the looks and talent and he definitely deserves better than the films he does! Anindita Nayar is charming and does fine. Sadly, she is there in the film for just 15 minutes. Salil Acharya and Kavin Dave play their respective parts very well and don’t go overboard at all. Yusuf Hussain(Dave Sir) and the actor playing Khan saab are good.
Music doesn’t get proper scope. The only song that works big time is Raeth Ki Tarah – very melodious and well shot. Vijay Mishra’s cinematography is fair. The digital camera works nicely in such a film but towards the end, it began to give a TV serial feel. Sanjay Masoomm’s dialogues are straight out of life. Raju Singh’s background score is subtle. VFX could have been better. Location is top class and it seems the makers were inspired by the infamous Shakti Mills of Mumbai. Vishal Mahadkar’s story is interesting but he messes it all in the end. Few questions remain unanswered till the end. And his direction fails to engage towards the second half. And this is very disappointing since he had everything going on in his favour. The mood was well set, the actors and technical team(except the VFX guys) were doing their job well. If only he could have come up with a better second half(sans the love saga in the pre-climax), 3AM would have surely been a film to watch out for!
On the whole, 3AM had the potential to be a well-made spooky fare. But the second half spoils it all. The climactic fight is thanda and could have been more engaging. Also, adding a flashback of how the protagonists met and romanced when there is no need for it kills the mood of the film. On the positive side, performances are decent and the location(inspired from Shakti Mills?) is top-class. However, the negatives outweigh the positives. Disappointing!