There’s something undeniably eerie about horror film sets. Dark lighting, isolated locations, and a constant immersion in fear can start playing tricks on even the most seasoned actors. But sometimes, it’s more than just nerves—many stars claim the supernatural isn’t just confined to the script.
Take actress Bipasha Basu, who was shooting at the infamous Mukesh Mills in Mumbai, a location known for its ghost stories. Despite her familiarity with horror films, she couldn’t shake off a strange energy during one scene that left her repeatedly forgetting her lines—something highly unusual for her. In an interview with Bombay Times, she recalled:
"It was during the day and I was supposed to shoot on the second floor. I was alone in the room with a long camera track, and every time I tried to say my dialogue, it felt like something was stopping me. Even though I knew the monologue by heart, I kept forgetting it. Eventually, we stopped shooting and did a pooja. But even the priest met with an accident soon after. We never returned to shoot there.”
She also recounted another eerie night in Goa, where the fan in her hotel room switched on by itself, despite neither she nor her hairstylist having touched it. When they tried to turn on the lights, nothing worked. "I screamed a lot that night," she said, admitting that while she often plays fearless characters, she’s someone who actually gets scared easily in real life.
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Rajkummar Rao experienced something even more spine-chilling on the set of Stree, a horror-comedy inspired by urban legends. During filming, a crew member was allegedly pushed off a height by an unseen force, resulting in serious injuries and hospitalization. For a film that revolved around a mythical female spirit, the incident struck an unsettling chord with the entire team.
Even veteran actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Emraan Hashmi have spoken of unexplained events—photos falling on their own, sudden temperature drops, and mysterious technical glitches—all while filming horror-themed projects.
Such experiences raise an intriguing question: Can immersing oneself in fear actually invite it in?
Divine Direction: The Sacred Energy of Mythological SetsWhile horror films tend to attract the eerie, mythological films often inspire a sense of the divine. For filmmakers working on such stories, the experience is frequently described as uplifting, surreal, and even guided by unseen forces.
Director Prasanth Varma, known for Hanu-Man—a Telugu film that blends superhero fiction with mythology—described multiple unexplainable events on set. In an interview with ETimes, he shared:
“There were so many near-misses—Teja Sajja (the lead actor) almost got bitten by a snake, and another time, a bullock cart he was on nearly fell off a mountain edge. But nothing ever happened. It was as if some higher power was watching over us. Every time a problem came up, it would magically resolve.”
He went on to say that people often told him the film wasn’t being made by him, but by Lord Hanuman himself. At first, he brushed off such comments, but as the film's success far exceeded expectations, he began to believe it too.
“We expected decent appreciation, but the reception was thousands of times more. We thought, ‘Let’s just recover what we’ve invested.’ But what happened was much bigger. I truly feel Hanumanji directed the film—we were just instruments.”
Prasanth also revealed that this spiritual journey inspired him to create a full mythological superhero universe. After Hanu-Man, the next project is Adhira, focusing on Lord Indra, followed by a female-led mythological story directed by a woman filmmaker.
Faith on Set: Ajay Devgn and the Power of Local DeitiesActor Ajay Devgn is known for his reverence toward local spiritual traditions, especially while shooting in culturally rich or spiritually sensitive locations. According to director Mani Shankar, during the filming of Tango Charlie, Devgn insisted on performing a puja at the local temple before the shoot began.
In an interview with ETimes, Mani shared:
“With Ajay, I learned the importance of appeasing the local deity. He made sure to offer prayers and feed the poor in the area before shooting. When I asked him why, he said, ‘This is their land. We are strangers here. Without their blessings, nothing will go right for us.’ That gesture set a tone of humility and gratitude for the entire crew.”
The atmosphere on such sets often transforms. The rituals, the reverence, and the spiritual discipline bring a sense of calm and purpose to the work—adding a layer of authenticity and soul to mythological storytelling.
So, Does the Energy Speak on Set?
Time and again, actors and directors have described film sets as being more than just physical spaces. Whether it’s the heavy, fearful stillness of a horror set or the uplifting, divine charge of a mythological one, the environment reflects the story being told. And in turn, it shapes the people telling it.
Perhaps it's the power of collective belief, the intensity of emotion, or simply the mysteries of energy we don’t fully understand—but one thing is clear: on the sets of certain films, reel experiences do have a way of becoming real.
Take actress Bipasha Basu, who was shooting at the infamous Mukesh Mills in Mumbai, a location known for its ghost stories. Despite her familiarity with horror films, she couldn’t shake off a strange energy during one scene that left her repeatedly forgetting her lines—something highly unusual for her. In an interview with Bombay Times, she recalled:
"It was during the day and I was supposed to shoot on the second floor. I was alone in the room with a long camera track, and every time I tried to say my dialogue, it felt like something was stopping me. Even though I knew the monologue by heart, I kept forgetting it. Eventually, we stopped shooting and did a pooja. But even the priest met with an accident soon after. We never returned to shoot there.”
She also recounted another eerie night in Goa, where the fan in her hotel room switched on by itself, despite neither she nor her hairstylist having touched it. When they tried to turn on the lights, nothing worked. "I screamed a lot that night," she said, admitting that while she often plays fearless characters, she’s someone who actually gets scared easily in real life.
Video
Rajkummar Rao experienced something even more spine-chilling on the set of Stree, a horror-comedy inspired by urban legends. During filming, a crew member was allegedly pushed off a height by an unseen force, resulting in serious injuries and hospitalization. For a film that revolved around a mythical female spirit, the incident struck an unsettling chord with the entire team.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DBF8iUbKuyO/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DBF8iUbKuyO/
Even veteran actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Emraan Hashmi have spoken of unexplained events—photos falling on their own, sudden temperature drops, and mysterious technical glitches—all while filming horror-themed projects.
Such experiences raise an intriguing question: Can immersing oneself in fear actually invite it in?
Divine Direction: The Sacred Energy of Mythological SetsWhile horror films tend to attract the eerie, mythological films often inspire a sense of the divine. For filmmakers working on such stories, the experience is frequently described as uplifting, surreal, and even guided by unseen forces.
Director Prasanth Varma, known for Hanu-Man—a Telugu film that blends superhero fiction with mythology—described multiple unexplainable events on set. In an interview with ETimes, he shared:
“There were so many near-misses—Teja Sajja (the lead actor) almost got bitten by a snake, and another time, a bullock cart he was on nearly fell off a mountain edge. But nothing ever happened. It was as if some higher power was watching over us. Every time a problem came up, it would magically resolve.”
He went on to say that people often told him the film wasn’t being made by him, but by Lord Hanuman himself. At first, he brushed off such comments, but as the film's success far exceeded expectations, he began to believe it too.
“We expected decent appreciation, but the reception was thousands of times more. We thought, ‘Let’s just recover what we’ve invested.’ But what happened was much bigger. I truly feel Hanumanji directed the film—we were just instruments.”
Prasanth also revealed that this spiritual journey inspired him to create a full mythological superhero universe. After Hanu-Man, the next project is Adhira, focusing on Lord Indra, followed by a female-led mythological story directed by a woman filmmaker.
Faith on Set: Ajay Devgn and the Power of Local DeitiesActor Ajay Devgn is known for his reverence toward local spiritual traditions, especially while shooting in culturally rich or spiritually sensitive locations. According to director Mani Shankar, during the filming of Tango Charlie, Devgn insisted on performing a puja at the local temple before the shoot began.
In an interview with ETimes, Mani shared:
“With Ajay, I learned the importance of appeasing the local deity. He made sure to offer prayers and feed the poor in the area before shooting. When I asked him why, he said, ‘This is their land. We are strangers here. Without their blessings, nothing will go right for us.’ That gesture set a tone of humility and gratitude for the entire crew.”
The atmosphere on such sets often transforms. The rituals, the reverence, and the spiritual discipline bring a sense of calm and purpose to the work—adding a layer of authenticity and soul to mythological storytelling.
So, Does the Energy Speak on Set?
Time and again, actors and directors have described film sets as being more than just physical spaces. Whether it’s the heavy, fearful stillness of a horror set or the uplifting, divine charge of a mythological one, the environment reflects the story being told. And in turn, it shapes the people telling it. Perhaps it's the power of collective belief, the intensity of emotion, or simply the mysteries of energy we don’t fully understand—but one thing is clear: on the sets of certain films, reel experiences do have a way of becoming real.
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