# Raaz (2002 film)

Raaz (transl. Secret) is a 2002 Indian supernatural horror film directed by Vikram Bhatt. The film stars Dino Morea and Bipasha Basu in lead roles, with Malini Sharma and Ashutosh Rana in supporting roles. The story follows Aditya and Sanjana who are a couple and have moved to Ooty to save their failing marriage. However, what they find in their new home is more than they expected when a ghost starts haunting the place. The wife (Sanjana) soon realises that her husband (Aditya) is part of a ghostly and scary conspiracy, which she must solve to restore their relationship. The film is an unofficial adaptation of the American film What Lies Beneath (2000).
It was the second-highest-grossing film of the year 2002 being the most profitable venture and the first instalment in the Raaz series. Basu's performance was highly praised and earned her a Best Actress nomination at the 48th Filmfare Awards. Nadeem-Shravan's music also earned them several Filmfare Award nominations. American entertainment publication Collider has considered it better than the original.
The film was shot in places across Ooty including The Lawrence School, Lovedale. The voices for the leading cast were dubbed by professional artists; Mona Ghosh Shetty dubbed for Basu, Namrata Sawhney dubbed for Sharma, and Bhatt himself dubbed for Morea.
A spiritual sequel to the film was released on 23 January 2009, under the title Raaz: The Mystery Continues and the third installment of the series titled Raaz 3 was released in 3D on 7 September 2012. A fourth film, Raaz Reboot, was released on 16 September 2016.

## Plot

In Ooty, a group of college students are picnicking in a forest. One of the girls, Nisha, dies under paranormal circumstances after inexplicably attacking her boyfriend. Professor Agni Swaroop, an expert in supernatural beings, is called by police to look into the matter. After investigating, Swaroop discovers that Nisha was possessed by an evil spirit. He reveals that this spirit has awakened for a purpose and will not stop until that purpose is fulfilled.
Sanjana and Aditya Dhanraj are a married couple living in Mumbai. After an argument, Sanjana asks her husband for a divorce; Aditya instead suggests a vacation to work out their problems. They go to Ooty, where their relationship began, and stay in a bungalow near where Nisha was attacked. Sanjana starts experiencing mysterious events, including hearing a woman screaming in the forest, but Aditya brushes her concerns away. From the cleaning staff, Sanjana learns that the bungalow's previous caretaker Robert disappeared without a trace. She visits Robert's wife, who tells her that he used to hear strange voices from the forest, just like Sanjana.
After Sanjana tells her friend Priya about the incidents, Priya advises her to visit Professor Swaroop. Swaroop suspects the presence of a spirit in the house. He gives Sanjana a lemon and asks her to check its color after sunset. Upon seeing the lemon turn red, a hysterical Sanjana tells Aditya their home is haunted, but Aditya still doesn't believe her. Priya asks Sanjana to stay with her, but Sanjana wants to learn the truth about the haunting.
The next night, Sanjana, Priya, and Swaroop visit the spot in the forest where Nisha was attacked. On Swaroop's advice, Sanjana goes alone to talk to the spirit and discovers a revolver, which they later learn was licensed to a retired colonel, Arjun Malik. They visit the colonel and learn that the spirit is his daughter, Malini, who was mentally ill and escaped from the mental asylum several times before suddenly disappearing. The colonel also tells them that his revolver disappeared on the same day.
Sanjana summons the spirit, believing it wants to tell her something. She learns that Aditya had an extramarital affair with Malini; upon confronting Aditya, he admits to the affair, which happened at the same bungalow where they are staying. Aditya rebuked Malini's demands that he leave his wife and an enraged Malini committed suicide in front of Aditya to frame him for murder. Aditya, with the help of Robert, buried her body in the forest.
Swaroop tells Sanjana that Malini's spirit is attempting to separate Sanjana and Aditya, and its next step will be to kill Aditya. Aditya is told by Sanjana that they should leave for Mumbai immediately, but it turns out to be Malini's spirit in disguise. The real Sanjana, Priya, and Swaroop arrive at the bungalow, where the maid tells them that Aditya just left in the car.
Malini's spirit runs the car off a cliff and Aditya is hospitalized. To stop the spirit, Sanjana, Priya, and Swaroop enter the forest to find and burn Malini's body. The spirit attacks the trio, killing and possessing Swaroop. While being pursued, Sanjana finds Robert's corpse hanging on a tree. She manages to find a petrol can and burns Malini's body.
At the hospital, Aditya is saved and Sanjana receives congratulatory applause.

## Cast

* Dino Morea as Aditya Dhanraj
* Bipasha Basu as Sanjana Dhanraj
* Malini Sharma as Malini Malik
* Ashutosh Rana as Professor Agni Swaroop
* Shruti Ulfat as Priya
* Vishwajeet Pradhan as Ajay, Priya's husband
* Mink Brar as Nisha
* Ali Asgar as Rohit, Nisha's boyfriend
* Masood Akhtar as Robert
* Pratima Kazmi as Robert's wife
* Anang Desai as Mr Dhanraj, Aditya's father
* Neha Bam as Mrs Dhanraj, Aditya's mother
* Murli Sharma as Police Inspector
* Yusuf Hussain as a doctor treating Nisha
* Ishwar Patel
* Kiran Randhawa

## Box office

Raaz released on 1 February 2002 and grossed ₹370 million (equivalent to ₹1.4 billion or US$16 million in 2023) and was declared a "blockbuster" by Box Office India.

## Reception

Webindia123.com said that Raaz is "something different from the current trend...Raaz is a psycho-thriller worth a look". The film was praised because of its unique story.

## Awards
### 48th Filmfare Awards

Nominated
* Best Film – Vishesh Films and Tips Industries
* Best Director – Vikram Bhatt
* Best Actress – Bipasha Basu
* Best Music Director – Nadeem–Shravan
* Best Lyricist – Sameer for "Aapke Pyaar Mein"
* Best Female Playback Singer – Alka Yagnik for "Aapke Pyaar Mein"
* Best debut-Malini Sharma

## Music

The music of Raaz was released on December 8th 2001 and was composed by the duo Nadeem-Shravan, while the lyrics were penned by Sameer. Singers Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Abhijeet, Sarika Kapoor, Jolly Mukherjee and Bali Brahmbhatt lent their voices for the songs. It was the third best selling bollywood soundtrack album of the year and its songs gained huge popularity and became huge hits. According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, the soundtrack sold 30,00,000 units, contributing to the film’s Blockbuster success.
All lyrics are written by Sameer; all music is composed by Nadeem-Shravan

## Release

The film was dubbed in Tamil as Rahasyam.