Exclusive: Vishal Furia talks 'Chhorii 3,' slams generic Indian horror
What's the story
Back in 2021, filmmaker Vishal Furia stunned Indian horror fans with Chhorii.
Instead of diluting the genre to shadowy figures and jump scares, he positioned social evils as the true monster.
If Chhorii had opened new doors for horror, four years later, Furia's Chhorii 2 has only taken the mantle forward.
But are such isolated efforts enough to revolutionize horror?
Furia tells us.
#1
Tell us how the reception to 'Chhorii 2' has been?
Yes, this has quite kicked the mark because this one is a bit of a film with some experiments and some new treatments. The idea was to expose the Indian audience to different kinds of storytelling that the horror genre offers. It might not always do with just bhoot-aatma and black magic.
That was the intention, and I think that has mostly worked.
#2
'It was always meant to have a mixed response'
I mean, it was always meant to have a bit of mixed response because whenever you try to do things a little differently, it's not easy for everyone to get it. So, the reviews have been two extremes—from extreme love to extreme hate, which is okay.
At least they've watched it...this helps the industry to expand and gives me the freedom to experiment more.
#3
How did the storyline for 'Chhorii 2' come up?
Unfortunately, there are too many social evils in our society. So, after the first film, the child marriage subject came up organically, which, again, is hugely unreported in India.
At the end of Chhorii, you feel hope looking at the protagonist. But years later, things haven't progressed, so one can say, Chhorii 2 came as a rage—where I feel less hope and more anger.
#4
Does making social horror leave an impact on you?
Absolutely, because as a director, you're not just playing out one character but all the characters. You are experiencing the pain and trauma of every character in the film, be it Nushrratt's (Bharuccha) or Soha's (Ali Khan), or even the unnamed female characters.
So, the maker (writer and director) has to live their pain and suffering, and it's extremely traumatizing.
#5
How was it working with this cast?
Casting is 50% job done. If you get the right people who have understood the script, then half of the job is done.
Thankfully, all artists in the film were in complete sync with the script. Many of them had already gone through the process in the first film, and for the newer ones, they also trusted the writing and completely devoted themselves.
#6
How did Soha Ali Khan come on board?
Soha had seen the first film and she had really liked it. When we went to speak to her, she had her concerns about the genre as a whole because India doesn't make aesthetic horror films and has done some really shoddy work.
But after the initial conversation and reading, she was very happy to put her trust in me and the project.
#7
Is a Part-3 coming? Any future projects you can mention?
I'm hoping. There should be a third part because we have some ideas and the film has been received well.
The talks have not yet started on it. Hopefully, once things settle down, we'll sit and talk about it.
While I am making a couple of horror films, my next, interestingly, is a pure comedy.
We can expect details about it to come soon.