Makdee

Everyone in the village believes a witch lives in the old mansion at the edge of the forest and that anyone who enters is turned into an animal. Playing a trick, one of two mischievous twins sends her sister into that house, and the sister does not come back. Now she has to get her out. The film is not interested in horror. It is interested in who produces the fear: the village's belief is useful to somebody, and in the costume of a children's tale the film shows how superstition becomes a business model. The form sits between children's film and fable: colourful, fast and full of songs, while the dark forest scenes are genuinely uneasy. It is Vishal Bhardwaj's first film as a director. He was known as a musician and wrote the score himself; in later years he would be known for Shakespeare adaptations like Maqbool, Omkara and Haider. Shabana Azmi plays the witch. Shweta Basu Prasad, who plays the twins, won the national award for best child actor for the role. Who it is for: anyone looking for Indian films to watch with children and viewers curious about where Bhardwaj started. Who it is not for: anyone wanting something entirely safe for small children. Some scenes are genuinely frightening and the threat is physical.