The
two
aspects
you
look
forward
to
in
a
horror
film
are
[i]
The
thrills-n-chills
should
scare
the
living
daylights
out
of
you
and
[ii]
The
story
should"ve
something
new
to
offer.
Sure,
Gauri
-
The
Unborn
has
a
new
story
to
tell,
but
the
chills-n-thrills
don"t
give
you
the
jitters
and
jhatkas,
barring
a
scene
or
two.
On
the
contrary,
what
you
carry
home
is
a
socially
relevant
message:
Say
'No" to
foeticide.
Sudeep
[Atul
Kulkarni],
an
architect,
lives
with
his
wife
Roshni
[Rituparna
Sengupta]
and
their
daughter
Shivani
[Baby
Rushita
Pandya].
The
family
decides
to
go
for
a
holiday
to
Mauritius,
but
the
daughter
insists
on
going
to
their
ancestral
home.
The
parents
agree
half-heartedly,
but
decide
to
visit
the
ancestral
home
nonetheless
to
keep
their
daughter
happy.
But
an
incident
from
the
past
comes
back
to
haunt
them.
And
the
unseen
force
threatens
to
take
their
daughter
away
from
them.
Gauri
-
The
Unborn
had
the
potential
to
work
big
time,
but
the
screenplay
has
its
limitations.
The
moment
the
aatma
of
the
unborn
kid
swears
revenge,
you
expect
the
sequence
of
events
that
are
to
follow
to
give
you
gooseflesh.
But
what
unfolds
is
hardly
spine
chilling.
Besides,
the
pacing
slackens
in
the
second
hour,
which
is
a
deterrent.
However,
the
concluding
20
minutes
are
the
best
part
of
the
enterprise.
The
climax
is
indeed
novel
and
the
end
drives
home
the
message
effectively.
Another
aspect
that
catches
the
eye
is
the
visual
effects,
which
are
skilfully
executed
and
smartly
integrated
in
the
narrative.
Director
Aku
Akbar
makes
a
promising
debut.
He"s
a
proficient
technician,
but
he
should"ve
emphasized
on
a
far
more
convincing
script.
There"s
just
one
song
in
the
narrative
[a
lullaby],
which
is
strictly
okay.
Cinematography
is
up
to
the
mark.
Background
score
enhances
the
impact
at
places.
Atul
Kulkarni
is
plain
mediocre.
Rituparna
Sengupta
has
her
moments.
However,
their
intimate
scenes
seem
forced
in
the
screenplay.
Baby
Rushita
Pandya
is
the
real
scene
stealer.
To
see
a
kid
carry
off
a
tricky
role
is
wonderful.
Anupam
Kher
is
passable.
On
the
whole,
Gauri
-
The
Unborn
is
an
okay
fare
that
may
find
its
share
of
advocates
in
those
who
tilt
towards
the
horror
genre.
Story first published: Monday, December 10, 2007, 12:37 [IST]