404: Error Not Found (2011)

404 is the kind of film that came when we also had mindless entertainers being churned out in bulk (and all being huge BO successes). Nothing wrong with the hardcore commercial films. The problem is that these are too many in number. And films like 404 are scarce. Luckily, that is slowly changing. Very slowly.404 is a brave attempt. A film that truly ***** with your mind. A true psychological thriller with no room for any gimmicks. No item songs, no romance, no stereo type hero or heroine. Just one strong plot, a solid storyline, stellar performances, a riveting background score, shock value, suspense and an eerie climax. On the downside is the languid pace. But given the merits, let's overlook that.Set in a hostel, the film doesn't directly try to address the problems caused by ragging (the message is there, but the film doesn't preach about it) but uses it as a catalyst. Abhimanyu (Rajvvir Arora) defies fear when he agrees to inhabit a room that's been locked for a while as it houses the spirit of Gaurav (Rucchir Raj) who ended his life a while ago in the room when ragging got the better of him. If the spooky ambiance isn't enough to terrify Abhimanyu, Chris (Immauddin Shah) takes center stage in harassing Abhimanyu, along with his friends. Professor Anirudh (Nishikant Kamath) and his wife Dr. Meera (Tisca Chopra) support Abhimanyu in every way possible but when Abhimanyu's only friend is the ghost of Gaurav, things begin to get out of hand. The climax is shocking! The film is brilliantly directed by Prawal Raman (Darna Mana Hain, Gaayab). It is the slow pace which may cause disinterest. Films like 404 demand your constant attention because every bit fits in like a jig saw puzzle. For the average cine-goer, that must have been a challenge. But for an avid film enthusiast like myself, the film haunts you even after it has ended.The actors hit the hammer right on the nail-head with supreme performances. Each one of them. Rajvvir may have been denied nominations at popular awards for his performance but as the intelligent student who slowly is gripped by fear and who transforms into a paranoid youngster, he excels. Immaudin Shah is perfectly cast as the senior bully and also adds a dash of humor with both his dialogs and his mannerisms. It is truly satisfying to see Satish Kaushik not act as a buffoon. The actor does well in a serious role with a few smart lines. Rucchir in a smaller part is effective. Tisca Choprra is finally getting roles she deserves (her stint in the 90s as the lead was forgettable. She was known as Priya Chopra back then with films like Platform, Gunhegaar and Karobaar). The pick among this talented lot is director turned actor, Nishikant Kamath. He is confident, natural and makes Anirudh believable. The character has many layers and Nishikant gets most of it right.404 is a great experiment when it comes to Hindi cinema. Experiment because it rips the Bollywood rule book apart and stands tall. It's time we grew up and encourage such films. The BO saw poor numbers but my rating at IMDb won't! Go for it!

Its raining horror movies galore in bollywood--and here's one more......Room number 404 is a room in the hostel of a medical college where a student has committed suicide previously . No one dares to stay in that room for 3 years until a brave young junior decides to take that room as his room during his stay at the hostel . Senior students decide to rag him , and during the ragging , convince him that the ghost of the dead student resides in the room.But does it really exist ??This is a horror movie with a difference-- in the sense that unlike other horror movies which are clear-cut about the certainty of the spirits' existence , in this movie the audience itself is left wondering whether the ghosts being shown are for real , or they are just a hallucination in the mind of the junior.And the movie does try to explore the psychology behind people's belief in ghosts.So are ghosts for real ?The movie gives no clear-cut answers for that--but who cares......thanks for the entertainment anyway Verdict--not bad.

'404-error not found' is an example for the Indian movies that movies should not be made only for earning money by casting the big stars. 404 is a masterpiece from Indian movies which brings Indian cinema in the queue of Hollywood's intelligent movies like 'the sixth sense' and 'fight club'.basically it is a psychological thriller movie. it is the story of a medical college' student, seniors and a professor. the script is well written and direction is done so brilliantly. actors has also done a very good job in their roles.this film is a must watch for everyone specially for an Indian. watch it with some of your intelligent friends. this movie will generate a debate b/w both the people who believe in spirits and who do not believe. i give it 9/10.

Famous psychologist William James said "Faith means belief in something concerning which doubt is theoretically possible". This line sums up 404, an intelligent psychological thriller that deals with a certain aspect of human psychology which explores the dilemma arising because of belief and disbelief resulting in many unsolved debate. This debate is the spinal cord of the narrative of 404 that brilliantly explores the psyche of both the sect of people. The films begins with a grainy video of a medical college focusing on a particular student who commits suicide in his room 404 and thus setting the mood for an edgy thriller but unlike loud desi horror films it comes across as a sensible story. Set in a medical college of high repute it explores the world of ragging and its side effect which results in psychological misbalance and drastic suicides. Abhimanyu (played by débutant Rajvvir Aurora) is a fresher stands against the seniors and dares to complain against them. A man with strong rational mind he chooses to stay in the forbidden "rumoured to be haunted" room 404. With help from rationalist medical psychology professor Aniruddha (brilliant acting by director Nishikant Kamath), Abhimanyu got the key to room number 404. Ragging went to the extent of psychological hammering by seniors led by Chris (played by Immaduddin Shah) which moulded Abhimanyu's mind to start hallucinating about Gaurav (the person who committed suicide in 404). With series of incidence Abhimanyu's rational soul is severely beaten as he starts experiencing the paranormal activities in the room. And there starts the fight between rational thinking and paranormal beliefs as Aniruddha sir becomes hell bound in saving a bright young mind like Abhimanyu getting drained down into irrationality. Following this the story is about the fight between rationalism and some undefined force which is beyond explanation of science. Whether Abhimanyu was really hallucinating or there is an existence of a/an atma (soul) in the room becomes the rest of the story in the second half. With two mediocre horror films in his kitty Prawal Raman take a complete u-turn by scripting the brilliant 404, something unseen in Indian cinema. Without playing it to the gallery the story moves at its own pace gradually involving and intoxicating the audience to the proceedings. The grainy starts to the blurred sequences there is a continuous swinging between belief and disbelief. Throughout the film director kept the debate open ended without supporting one extreme. Even camera (by Savita Singh) and lighting department helped to maintain balance between the two extremes. The jerks and sudden frame change sequences reflected the disturbances in the mind of Abhimanyu as well as Aniruddha sir and credit goes to Sarvesh Parab for the fine tuning. Prawal Raman has an eye for detailing and subtleties. Just after the opening credit, there was a sequence showing a TV channel airing a programme about the Nazi ruling by imposing fear which leads to forced belief and respect. In the similar manner the rational professor feels that the belief of god or evil are nothing but imposed fear which flows out of our subconscious mind thus our brain forcing the eyes to decipher. To keep the balance the costume and set designs are made with utmost detailing. The rational Abhimanyu is wearing a red string holy dhaga in hindu religion) in his hand. The posters in the room of Chris were all of spaghetti western which were in between the huge commercial films and low budget art-house ones. Every shot has an element of "somewhere in the middle" feeling attached to it. Raman scripted a non conclusive climax which has an element of belief and disbelief whereby two world of thinking collides with each having its own way of representation. Prawal Raman deserves a standing ovation for such an intelligent script and specially the camera angle in the climax scene which makes the scene non-conclusive, open to interpretation. Sameeruddin's back ground score with Singh's camera-work played the perfect duo in inducing an eerie feeling throughout the film. Coming to the acting department Nishikant Kamat (who made the critically acclaimed Mumbai Meri Jaan and Domvibli Fast) gives a stupendous performance as the famous careerist rational Professor Aniruddha who has a mysterious psychological past. He underplays his role beautifully in every sequence with special mention to the climax when he breaks down in fear and confusion when his own ideologies were challenged. Rajvvir Aurora makes a promising debut and is an actor to look for. The gradual transformation of a rationalist to believer in paranormal existence Rajvvir plays his role with striking acuteness. Tisca Chopra as Aniruddha's wife and a professor herself reflects elegance, charm and intelligence. She plays her role beautifully and even at this age she looks stunning without make-up and in regular dress. Satish Kaushik is always a great actor and here also excels in the role of a professor who is in dilemma about the existence of spirit. Imad Shah as Chris is a natural actor who plays the senior with a conscience perfectly. All the actors in the film underplay themselves brilliantly giving some believable performances. In 2009 a well crafted thriller "The stoneman murders" got released but went away unnoticed. I sincerely hope 404 gets its due credit as this is one of the rarest intelligent film on Indian celluloid that balances science and paranormal activities and breaks away from all the cliché of horror films that are made in India. 404 is a must watch for those who are craving for good cinema.