When I saw the box for HAWA in a local charity shop, I was immediately intrigued by a few things. There was the fact I'd never heard of it, the fact I'm always on the look out for Bollywood horror films (a rare breed indeed) and the fact that 'supernatural terror' was plastered across the box in big letters. Inevitably I bought it and took it home for a spin on the DVD player – and I found myself with no less than a Bollywood rip-off of two big 1980s Hollywood ghost films, THE ENTITY and POLTERGEIST! As far as rip-offs go, this one is pretty good. It's got its own visual style and plenty of special effects sequences whereby glass shatters, cars are possessed by malignant forces, and bodies hurled through the air. Even better, the cast seem to be behind their characters, giving performances which lessen in no way because of the film's subject matter. Tabu, in particular, shines as the innocent woman repeatedly violated by an evil spirit. My only problem with the film is the length and repetition of these rape scenes, which are disturbing and done in very poor taste. I understand the director's reliance on them – after all, showing a woman getting raped by an invisible ghost requires no effects whatsoever – but one scene would have been enough without the endless focusing on them.Things pick up for the climax, which is where the POLTERGEIST stuff really kicks in, including the introduction of a weird exorcist type character. Things shift to an underground cavern and take on a decidedly fantastic aspect as our heroine relies on a magical amulet to fight a giant animated demon whose cartoonish features still look somewhat frightening even to this adult viewer. It's no surprise to say that it all ends well, but during its running time, HAWA ably does what it sets out to do: horrify the audience. A distinctive Bollywood spin on old Hollywood themes.

As mentioned by others, Hawa borrows heavily from the Barbara Hershey film The Entity and to a lesser degree from Poltergeist. This kind of homage is typical of Bollywood horror films, but outside of that Hawa is anything BUT typical of Indian horror movies. As an American viewer I -- like most of my countrymen -- have been desensitized enough by Hollywood slasher films that an old-fashioned spook story doesn't usually get much of a rise out of me. What is horrifying in India is usually prime time TV fodder here on this side of the world. And while Hawa isn't going to make me check under the bed at night, it did have enough suspense to raise a few hairs on my neck. Surprising when considering its obvious similarities to two films I've seen several times before. A few more films like this one and Bollywood will begin to be viewed as a credible producer of films in the horror genre by those accustomed to the more graphic Western versions. Normally I would recommend that if you want to watch Indian movies, stick with what Bollywood does best -- romantic comedy, drama, musicals and the like. But in this case I'm willing to make an exception. Hawa is definitely worth a watch, and if you're easily spooked it might even scare you. If you're not, it may still creep you out a little.

A total copy of "The Entity" made in 1981 however the director goofed up big time. Compromising on the CGI makes the movie sloppy and cheesy.A few scenes are so cheap and make you wonder if you are watching a B-grade movie. In fact the whole movie transports you back 15-years to the era of Ramsay's brothers.In "The Entity" the protagonist has vast scope to display her histrionics which could have been the only apparent reason for Tabu to nod for the role.Tabu's early years of troubled childhood leave a bad taste in mouth and the redemption of Avtar Gill makes you wonder if the storyboard got lost during movie-making.Guddu Dhanoa - please stick to action flicks and Deol's.Avoid at all costs.

I am extremely shocked and disappointed in the talented Tabu, who is known for picking mature roles, for choosing to perform in such a cheap movie. From the graphics to the story to the plot...you name it, it is bad. This perverted ghost comes over and over again and does the most unbelievable things be it driving a car, exploding windows, or sucking the contents and people of an entire room. To top it all of, the ghost is given a face that looks like a 10-year old's drawing. You'll end up laughing rather than screaming when you watch this "terror."