Vikram
Bhatt is a name synonymous with India’s horror film genre. From Raaz to 1920 to Haunted 3D, he has delivered some of Bollywood’s most memorable scary films. Now, the filmmaker is back with his signature spooky story. He is currently gearing up for the release of his upcoming film, Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past. Starring Mimoh Chakraborty in the lead role, the movie is set to release in theatres on June 12, 2026. Ahead of its release, the makers recently unveiled the official teaser, which opened to rather negative reactions from netizens. Bhatt has now reacted to the criticism over the use of CGI.
Vikram Bhatt On Haunted 3D Echoes Of The Past
The original film released in 2011. When we asked what took so long, Vikram jokingly replied, "
Jail chala gaya na beech me." For those unversed, he and his wife were jailed in a Rs 30 crore cheating case.Speaking about his upcoming film,
Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past, he exclusively told Zoom, "The funny thing is that after the first feedback where there was a lot of VFX, we went and shot on real location. But some people are stupid. I'm like that's the real location, foolish. So, haters will hate but lovers will love." Reacting to the not-so-nice first impressions, he said, "The point is that we have to get more educated about cinema. Now suppose,
aap Star Wars dekh aaaye and if you start saying, 'This is CGI.'
Star Wars mein aur kya hoga? Mai real bhoot kahan se leke aaunga? Bhoot toh aisa hi hoga bhai (If you go and watch Star Wars and then start saying, ‘This is CGI,’ what else will it be in Star Wars? Where will I bring a real ghost from? A ghost will be like this only)."
Pointing out that he delivered hit horror films even before visual effects became a trend, he added that he faced criticism even back then.He reiterated, "
Bhoot is real only. This ghost is real. We've just touched upon the makeup so that it doesn't look like a human being. So, that's the sad part. Whatever we've done in real, people feel
'yeh toh kuch aur hi hai.' Ab kya karenge batao? Aap logo ne pehle se maan liya hai ki yeh CGI hai. CGI aise move kar hi nahi sakta. It just shows their lack of (knowledge). It is very robotic. You will never get a flowing scene in CGI."
Haunted 3D Echoes Of The Past's Pan-India Appeal
Speaking about the pan-India appeal of
Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past, Vikram said that horror films tend to travel more easily across regions. He added that his films have historically performed well even in dubbed versions. He cited 1920 as an example, noting that such success comes from the fact that audiences in the South do not quickly connect with Hindi film stars."The way Hindi has accepted
Allu Arjun or Yash, they haven't accepted ours. That is the reality of the situation. So, considering that, I think we've always had a much better response. Because horror is castless that way, you are selling fear, you are not selling any kind of stardom here," said the veteran filmmaker. He also pointed out that globally, horror films often feature newcomers, and this trend is not limited to India.
Do you agree with Vikram Bhatt?