Article Updated 15 April, 2006 08:56:36 AM IST   Eight Shani By Prema K. ©2006 Bollyvista.com   This film has an unusual concept and could have been a superb film had it been well-handled! The film deals with the effect of Shani and it does have its spooky moments. Raj (Raj Tara) lives in U.K with his brother, Suraj (Gulshan Grover), and sister-in-law, Radha (Padmini Kolhapure). Raj is interested in paranormal activities and possesses a strange quality of seeing the dead. He's armed with a compass and a Kirlin camera (a camera that detects objects not seen with the naked eye). Suraj thinks his brother is a good-for-nothing while Radha supports her brother-in-law. The happenings in their house one night, changes everything. A troubled spirit enters their house. It's that of Kamini (Vastavikta). There are bizarre happenings in the house and everyone is petrified. Suraj blames Raj for this. Raj in turn turns to his friend, Sadhvi, for help. She too is interested in these activities like him. They chant and the figure of 'eight' appears on Sadhvi's back in blood. Sadhvi concludes that the mishaps in the house are a result of the anger of Shani (Saturn). Suraj and his family move out of their London home to his friend, Balwant's (Raju Kher), farmhouse. But the spirit of Kamini continues to haunt them. Why is she out to destroy the family. This bit is interesting, if one hasn't yet guessed why! But the film picks up from this point. One of the biggest downers, however, is the love story of Raj and Meghna Naidu (She's there only to add the glamour quotient to the film). The second sore point is the endless love songs between the two. It actually spoils the narrative. To top it all, the music lacks soul. And the special effects aren't really worth talking about. Performances: Raj Tara is decent for a newcomer. Do we have to say that Meghna Naidu needs to desperately lose weight and work on her costumes and makeup. Having said that, one should quickly add that she looks better in this film as compared to her other film. And this is not saying much! Vastavikta looks the character. Gulshan Grover and Padmini Kolhapure are okay. The box office prospects of this film seem doubtful. ** (Two stars) *poor; **average; ***good; ****very good; *****excellent   close   Print this Article http://www.bollyvista.com   http://www.bollyvista.com/article/a/29/6497