Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt is basking in the success of his much-delayed film Haunted 3D Echoes of the Past. Released in theatres amid many other titles, the horror film has stood out among the rest and found audiences in the opening weekend. The interest for the film among audiences has provided a sigh of relief for the filmmaker who had to go through a lot of challenges to finish the project.
What Vikram shared
Vikram took to his Instagram account to share a note on the film’s release and box office performance. He shared a picture on his Instagram account with the words, ‘From hunted to haunted.’ In the caption, he penned a long note to explain further. He began, “Two and a half years ago, Haunted: Echoes of the Past began as just another film. Born of the success of 1920: Horrors of the Heart, and like every new film, it was built on hope, excitement, and the belief that the road ahead would be easier. Ten days into the shoot, money ran out. Most films would have died here. Not this one. We borrowed money on interest, negotiated with vendors, and somehow kept the cameras rolling. Every day felt like a balancing act – keeping the film alive and keeping the wolves from the door. Just when things seemed to stabilize, production challenges arrived. Then post-production challenges. Then VFX challenges. Every problem that could have appeared seemed determined to find its way to us.”
He added how the biggest impediment was next. “And then life delivered its hardest blow. My wife and I were arrested on allegations that I maintain were false. I spent 75 days in prison while Haunted sat unfinished. The film waited while interest accumulated on borrowed money. At one point, sitting in prison, I made a phone call and suggested that the film be released without me. The answer that came back from Mr. Anand Pandit has stayed with me ever since. “No Vikram Bhatt, no film release.” When I returned to Mumbai, I discovered that the post-production had stalled. Together with people who refused to abandon the project, we worked eighteen and twenty-hour days, doing whatever was necessary to bring the film to completion.”
The filmmaker went on to add, “Just when the finish line appeared a legal challenge threatened to stop the release of the film. Two days before release, nobody knew whether Haunted would actually make it into theatres. Distributors were nervous. Exhibitors were nervous. Years of effort seemed to hang in the balance.
Then the film was cleared. Even then, due to the uncertainty surrounding the court order, the showcasing remained limited. The release entered theatres wounded. By every conventional yardstick, it should have struggled. Instead, something extraordinary happened. The audience arrived. In the end, all I wanted was for the world to meet Haunted. And when it finally did, That was enough. That was everything.”
About the film
The film has collected more than Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga, and Kangana Ranaut-starrer Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata at the box office so far. The film’s total collection stands at ₹11 crore after 4 days of release, as per Sacnilk. It revolves around Dev (Mimoh Chakraborty), a successful filmmaker who mysteriously disappears to Nainital without informing anyone in Mumbai, where apparently people are obsessed with him. Accompanying him is a friend. They arrive at an old palace and, from there on, the film practically writes itself. Haunted mansion, tragic backstory, tormented heroine, reincarnation, trapped spirit.