Director Anil Bajpai Opens Up on Creating Horror in 'Happy Ending'

Director Anil Bajpai's horror short film Happy Ending which stars Nalini Negi (of Naamkarann fame) and Ishita Ganguly (known for her role in Maitree), recently released on Jio Cinema. 

The film is a spooky 11-minute Halloween treat written by the acclaimed screenwriter Mushtaq Shiekh who is renowned for his work on popular Bollywood features like "Om Shanti Om," "Ra.One," "Billu," and "Rangrezz."

Happy Ending: Dialogue-Free Horror with Shocking Twist

Director Anil Bajpai gives insights about the film, stating, "Happy Ending takes a unique approach by relying entirely on visuals and atmosphere to build suspense, eschewing dialogue altogether. While dialogue can be a powerful storytelling tool, its absence in this horror short creates a truly immersive experience for the audience. The film further elevates the chills with a shocking twist ending, a hallmark of effective horror storytelling.

 
He further discusses the challenges of crafting a horror film in the short format: "Every scene and frame becomes crucial. With limited time to build suspense, you need to grab the audience's attention immediately and hold it captive. My inspiration for this approach was David Sandberg's chilling two-minute horror short, 'Lights Out.' It masterfully delivered scares and surprises within a tight timeframe, proving that brevity can be incredibly effective in the horror genre."

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Sharing about his working experience, he adds, "Ishita and Nalini both are terrific performers. To be with Mushtaq Sir on the set was a lifetime experience. He is extremely humble and supportive. He is a terrific guide for filmmaking. My DOP Arvind Yadav is very talented and comes up with some innovative ideas for the shoot. The whole unit was superb and we had a lot of fun."

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