The trailer for Roohi begins with the words, “The magic of cinemas return.” It’s a direct invitation to viewers to overcome their inhibitions and venture out. Co-incidentally, the film too is about characters who must overcome their fear and walk the mile.
It’s about a witch, Roohi (Janhvi Kapoor), who steals brides from their wedding night. She’s locked up in a cabin in the hoods, where two boys, played by Rajkummar Rao and Varun Sharma, must attend to her. They consult various shamans, but fail to exorcise the ghost. Finally, an answer appears: to save the brides, they must marry off Roohi.
Roohi is directed by Hardik Mehta (Kaamyaab) and produced by Maddock Films, which backed the blockbuster Stree in 2018. The two films share a lot in common: female protagonists, panicky humour and a dark, folksy visual design. There’s even a callback to Rajkummar’s SRK pantomime from Stree. “Palaat…,” Varun coos, as Roohi pulls a 360 headturn.
Roohi went through several name changes (earlier titles were Roohi Afza and Roohi Afzana) before settling on this one. The film marks the first collaboration between Rajkummar and Janhvi.
You can watch the trailer here: