An Indian moviegoer by the name of Pavin Ponanna apparently took Bollywood director Ram Gopal Varma at his word when Varma declared his new horror film Phoonk was so terrifying that no one could get through it alone.According to entertainment website BuzzSugar, no sooner had Varma made the hyperbolic claim than Ponanna, obviously a man of some means, went out and spent a whopping 47,000 rupees (that's roughly $1,160) to buy all the seats for a matinée showing of Phoonk.
After watching the flick unspool for an hour and a half all by himself like a consummate jackass, Ponanna then commented, "I never felt scared, not even for a moment. I took just ten minutes to settle down."
While it may be true that the Indian exorcism flick isn't as scary as it's purported to be, that doesn't make Mr. Ponanna any less of a first-rate shmendrick. If you're feeling slighted, Mr. Varma, look at it this way: that's just another 47,000 rupees your movie grossed.
Phoonk (doesn't that sound like the noise Vader's helmet made when he lowered it onto his head in Empire Strikes Back?) opened last Friday throughout India and in other select theaters worldwide.