Milind Rau’s production is very well crafted and a commendable addition to the genre.
Milind Rau’s horror film, supposedly based on a true story, opens in the 1930s during colonial times. Against the backdrop of the Himalayas, a contented Chinese mother and daughter occupy a beautiful house.
Decades later, with the film now turning from grainy black and white to colour, the opening credits quickly take us through the courtship and wedding to the present life of Krish (Siddharth) and Lakshmi (Andrea Jeremiah). The couple lives in a cosy home with a view of the Himalayas. Krrish is a respected brain surgeon at a local hospital. The only interruption to their well-settled and peaceful life is the morning doorbell that marks the maid’s arrival. But things change when a new family moves into the house next door.
We know the vast colonial house next door to be the same one from the black and white bits seen earlier. It is now freshly occupied by a couple, two daughters, the grandfather and house help. But soon after they move in, the older daughter Jenny (Anisha Victor) starts behaving strangely. This is not just about flirting openly with Krish with scant disregard for Lakshmi, but about going into a daze, having fits and other inexplicable behaviour.
With the help of Krish, a local pastor and psychiatrist, Jenny’s father Paul (Atul Kulkarni) tries to understand what is troubling his child and what is haunting his new home.
By now, you have been taken through the wood-panelled corridors of the house next door and seen flashes of a passing shadow or heard things moving around at night. Rau does not shy away from liberally using the genre tropes and tools, but he does so very effectively.
The story brings in disquieting spirits, possession, exorcism, good versus evil and devil worship in serious ways, using low angles sparingly and, barring one or two instances, sidestepping cheesiness. Rau packs in the scares even as he and co-writer Siddharth pay blatant homage to their favourite stories in the genre. In one scene, Jenny is reading William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist on Friday the 13th.
The sound effects, lighting, special effects and music elevate the eeriness and sense of dread. The pre-interval set piece is notable for being tautly executed and impressively performed – by Victor in particular. However, the story should have crisply come together thereafter. At 140 minutes, we are introduced to fresh theories, slowly unfolding discoveries and new characters after the interval. Snipping a few scenes would have speeded up the pulse rate.
The execution and acting make up for what the screenplay squanders. Victor, Jeremiah and Siddharth bring in the right dose of lightness, depth, fear and frenzy to their parts. The House Next Door is very well crafted and a commendable addition to the genre.
The cultural similarities between Germany and India are well known, especially with regards to the language. Linguists believe that Sanskrit and German share the same Indo-Germanic heritage of languages. A quick comparison indeed holds up theory – ratha in Sanskrit (chariot) is rad in German, aksha (axle) in Sanskrit is achse in German and so on. Germans have long held a fascination for Indology and Sanskrit. While Max Müller is still admired for his translation of ancient Indian scriptures, other German intellectuals such as Goethe, Herder and Schlegel were deeply influenced by Kalidasa. His poetry is said to have informed Goethe’s plays, and inspired Schlegel to eventually introduce formal Indology in Germany. Beyond the arts and academia, Indian influences even found their way into German fast food! Indians would recognise the famous German curry powder as a modification of the Indian masala mix. It’s most popular application is the currywurst – fried sausage covered in curried ketchup.
It is no wonder then that German travellers in India find a quite a lot in common between the two cultures, even today. Some, especially those who’ve settled here, even confess to Indian culture growing on them with time. Isabelle, like most travellers, first came to India to explore the country’s rich heritage. She returned the following year as an exchange student, and a couple of years later found herself working for an Indian consultancy firm. When asked what prompted her to stay on, Isabelle said, “I love the market dynamics here, working here is so much fun. Anywhere else would seem boring compared to India.” Having cofounded a company, she eventually realised her entrepreneurial dream here and now resides in Goa with her husband.
Isabelle says there are several aspects of life in India that remind her of home. “How we interact with our everyday life is similar in both Germany and India. Separate house slippers to wear at home, the celebration of food and festivals, the importance of friendship…” She feels Germany and India share the same spirit especially in terms of festivities. “We love food and we love celebrating food. There is an entire countdown to Christmas. Every day there is some dinner or get-together,” much like how Indians excitedly countdown to Navratri or Diwali. Franziska, who was born in India to German parents, adds that both the countries exhibit the same kind of passion for their favourite sport. “In India, they support cricket like anything while in Germany it would be football.”
Having lived in India for almost a decade, Isabelle has also noticed some broad similarities in the way children are brought up in the two countries. “We have a saying in South Germany ‘Schaffe Schaffe Hausle baue’ that loosely translates to ‘work, work, work and build a house’. I found that parents here have a similar outlook…to teach their children to work hard. They feel that they’ve fulfilled their duty only once the children have moved out or gotten married. Also, my mother never let me leave the house without a big breakfast. It’s the same here.” The importance given to the care of the family is one similarity that came up again and again in conversations with all German expats.
While most people wouldn’t draw parallels between German and Indian discipline (or lack thereof), Germans married to Indians have found a way to bridge the gap. Take for example, Ilka, who thinks that the famed differences of discipline between the two cultures actually works to her marital advantage. She sees the difference as Germans being highly planning-oriented; while Indians are more flexible in their approach. Ilka and her husband balance each other out in several ways. She says, like most Germans, she too tends to get stressed when her plans don’t work out, but her husband calms her down.
Consequently, Ilka feels India is “so full of life. The social life here is more happening; people smile at you, bond over food and are much more relaxed.” Isabelle, too, can attest to Indians’ friendliness.
