Call
it
a
coincidence,
most
Hindi
films
focus
on
haunted
homes
when
it
comes
to
horror
genre.
A
Flat
is
no
different.
In
fact,
it
brings
back
memories
of
various
films,
including
Bhoot
[was
it
shot
in
the
same
housing
complex?]
and
also
Chetan
Anand's
multi-starrer
Kudrat.
Of
course,
it
wouldn't
be
right
to
compare
A
Flat
with
Bhoot
or
Kudrat
or
even
Vaastu
Shastra
or
13-B
or
Phoonk/Phoonk
2
because
the
plotline
of
each
is
different,
although
you
can't
ignore
the
uncanny
resemblance
with
the
finale
of
Kudrat.
A
horror
films
works
if
it
scares
the
living
daylights
out
of
you,
if
it
succeeds
in
giving
you
goose
bumps
at
vital
points
of
the
narrative,
but
barring
a
scene
or
two
in
A
Flat
[I'd
like
to
single
out
the
elevator
sequence
involving
Jimmy
Shergill],
you
don't
break
into
a
cold
sweat
or
bite
your
nails
in
anxiety.
The
writing
is
clearly
the
problem
here,
which
follows
the
beaten
path
in
its
post-interval
portions.
A
spate
of
unexpected
events
jolts
Rahul
[Jimmy
Shergill]
as
soon
as
he
lands
from
U.S.
to
pacify
his
lost
love
Preeti
[Kaveri
Jha].
First,
the
mysterious
death
of
his
dad
[Sachin
Khedekar],
when
he
visits
the
flat,
followed
by
the
baffling
disappearance
of
Preeti…
and
now
Rahul
finds
himself
trapped
in
his
own
flat,
completely
cut
off
from
the
world.
The
only
companion
he
has
is
a
ghost.
Debutant
director
Hemant
Madhukar's
choice
of
subject
lacks
novelty,
which
explains
why
the
film
doesn't
hold
your
attention
after
you
are
introduced
to
the
characters
and
setting.
Besides,
the
director
uses
the
usual
tricks
that
are
mandatory
in
horror
movies
-
hand-held
camera
movements,
loud
background
score
and
sound
effects,
a
scary
looking
spirit
-
but
let's
not
forget
that
these
factors
work
only
if
the
written
material
is
convincing,
which,
unfortunately,
isn't
the
case
here.
The
film
also
suffers
due
to
miscasting.
Hazel
doesn't
look
like
a
village
belle
from
any
angle.
Besides,
the
rural
accent
makes
it
worse.
Ditto
for
Sanjay
Suri,
who
tries
so
hard
to
look
the
evil
guy,
but
he
doesn't.
The
romantic
relationship
between
Jimmy
and
Kaveri
Jha
is
half-baked,
while
the
conclusion,
though
well
shot,
is
similar
to
Kudrat.
Musically,
nothing
to
hum
about.
The
cinematography
is
striking;
the
scenic
locales
of
North
India
are
well
captured
on
celluloid.
Talking
of
performances,
Jimmy
does
reasonably
well,
while
Sanjay
doesn't
look
convincing.
Kaveri
Jha
seems
confident.
Sachin
Khedekar
is
alright.
Nasser
Abdullah
is
strictly
okay.
On
the
whole,
A
Flat
fails
to
create
an
impact.
Director:
Hemant
Madhukar
Cast:
Sanjay
Suri,
Jimmy
Sheirgill,
Kaveri
Jha,
Aindrita
Ray,
Hazel,
Sachin
Khedekar,
Nassar
Abdulla
Story first published: Wednesday, November 17, 2010, 17:37 [IST]