Bandh Darwaza

Bandh Darwaza (1990)

Genres - Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Romance  |   Sub-Genres - Supernatural Horror  |   Release Date - May 7, 1990 (USA - Unknown)  |   Run Time - 139 min.  |   Countries - India  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Donald Guarisco

This Bollywood horror epic saw the reunion of directors Tulsi and Shyam Ramsay with actor Ajay Agarwai, the same triumvirate that produced the classic Purana Mandir. Bandh Darwaza represents a uniquely Bollywood-styled take on the Dracula myth. A prologue depicts the childless wife of a nobleman striking a deal with sorcerer Neola (Agarwai). She asks him to use his dark skills to grant her a pregnancy so she can give her husband an heir. The catch is that she must give the child to the sorcerer's cult if it is female. She tries to renege when she has a baby girl but Neola's minions poison her and steal the child. The baby is saved before it can be sacrificed but Neola swears he will return from the beyond to claim the girl when she is an adult. Several years later, the baby has grown into a headstrong young woman, Kaamya (Kunika Lal). Kaamya schemes to make her handsome friend Kumar (Hashmat Khan) into her lover but he is already in love with another woman, Sapna (Manjeet Kullar). Kaamya decides to turn to the supernatural for help, thus allowing her to play into the hands of the surviving cult members. They use Kaamya to bring their master back, sparking an intense battle between the sorcerer and the mortals who want to put him back in his grave. Bandh Darwaza was not a big hit during its initial release because it arrived near the tail end of a glut of horror films in India but it has become a cult favorite since then and is recognized by fans as one of the most accomplished films by the Ramsay Brothers.

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