Adah Sharma is in the news for her latest movie ‘The Kerala Story’ that’s caught in the eye of the storm of controversies. But very few people knew or noticed her up until now. Or at least, that’s the general perception. Maybe because she was considered a mediocre artist. Or people don’t remember her role in the horror movie 1920 alongside Rajneesh Duggal. But 1920 was a good movie for the horror factor. And we have pretty good reasons to support our claim:
1. A good plot:
Most horror movies fail to scare the living daylights out of the audience because of a script that falls flat even before the jump scares have begun. But the plot of 1920 was well thought-out. In the backdrop of an honour killing, Rajneesh Duggal and Adah Sharma’s love takes them to the bowels of her past life where an evil lies in wait for redemption, or rather, annihilation. With elements of the colonial rule and a vengeful spirit to seal the deal, the plot was solid for a real horror spectacle.
2. Perfect casting:
Rajneesh Duggal and Adah Sharma did a good job as the love-struck couple on a mission they aren’t aware of, but can definitely sense on a deeper level. Adah Sharma was the perfect ghost bait with her faraway dreamy eyes and unexplained sadness. Rajneesh was also the perfect doting husband cum accidental exorcist strengthened by his deep sadhana of the Hanuman Chalisa. The other characters were also well placed. Like that one creepy doctor whose lifetime of evil doing was outed in seconds by the demon in Adah Sharma’s skin.
3. Actually scary jump scare sequences:
The problem with horror movies is that most of the jump scare sequences are almost laughable. And they don’t even manage to tickle thick-skinned movie watchers. But the scare sequences in 1920 actually managed to give us goosebumps. Especially the part where the ghost impersonates Adah Sharma’s shadow. Also when the priest is tricked into believing that his holy sarong was a snake and threw it away, and when Adah Sharma climbed a wall backwards. Although, we have to admit, a few of the scenes were copied from ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’ especially the one where Adah Sharma eats a cat.
4. A riveting tale:
As the protagonists discover the background of the ghostie, a very heart-touching tale comes to the fore. That of a prestigious woman in the colonial era who sacrificed her honour to get a traitor arrested. It’s also very interesting how Adah Sharma is the same woman incarnate and how fate has brought her to the very same place where the demon-ghost lies in wait seeking vengeance.
5. A terrific climax:
For some reason, every priest doing exorcism in a horror movie runs into unfortunate circumstances and somehow has to abandon ship. In this case, Father exorcist is stabbed by a possessed Adah Sharma. Now who takes over his task of chasing away the vile spirit? The spiritually elevated husband of course, who is yet unaware of his own powers. The climax ends terrifically when Rajneesh Sharma whose faith was shaken by the misdeeds of those he thought were dear in his life, goes through an eye-opening moment when he realises that when one is cornered in life, only God can come to the rescue. He whacks the demon away into the depths of hell with just a single incantation of the Hanuman Chalisa and gets back the love of his life, shaken but unscathed. So that’s that, and we really think 1920 was a pretty good movie of its time.
