# Dobaara: See Your Evil
**Dobaara: See Your Evil** is a 2017 Hindi-language supernatural horror film directed and written by Prawaal Raman, an official adaptation of the 2013 American horror film *[Oculus](https://www.edgepedia.org/oculus-film)*. It stars the real-life siblings [Huma Qureshi](https://www.edgepedia.org/huma-qureshi) and [Saqib Saleem](https://www.edgepedia.org/saqib-saleem) as Natasha and Kabir Merchant, who investigate a mirror believed to be haunted and connected to the murder of their parents a decade earlier.[1](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/oculus-director-speaks-about-its-remake-dobaara-see-your-evil-1706736) • [2](https://www.aajtak.in/entertainment/film-review/story/dobaara-see-your-evil-film-review-449480-2017-06-01) The film was released on 2 June 2017.[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dobaara-see-your-evil/cast/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 2 June 2017 (India); earliest release 2 June 2017 in the United Kingdom[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dobaara-see-your-evil/cast/) • [4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt4552486/) |
| Director and writer | Prawaal Raman[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dobaara-see-your-evil/cast/) |
| Basis | Official adaptation of the 2013 American horror film *Oculus*; *Oculus* director Mike Flanagan served as executive producer[1](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/oculus-director-speaks-about-its-remake-dobaara-see-your-evil-1706736) • [5](https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/dobaara-see-your-evil-movie-review-huma-qureshis-film-isnt-a-spine-chiller-1707094) |
| Cast | Huma Qureshi (Natasha Merchant), Saqib Saleem (Kabir Merchant), Adil Hussain (Alex Merchant), Lisa Ray (Lisa Merchant), Rhea Chakraborty (Tanya)[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dobaara-see-your-evil/cast/) |
| Music | Arko Pravo Mukherjee, with Samira Koppikar also credited[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dobaara-see-your-evil/cast/) • [6](https://www.wishesh.com/bollywood/bollywood-movie-reviews/62392-dobaara-movie-review.html) |
| India box office | Opening day ₹4.6 million (₹0.46 crore); lifetime total ₹19.2 million (₹1.92 crore), classified as a flop[7](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dobaara-see-your-evil/box-office/) |
| Critical reception | 25% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 8 reviews; 3.8/10 on IMDb[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dobaara_see_your_evil) • [9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4552486/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The story centers on the Merchant family. Alex Merchant ([Adil Hussain](https://www.edgepedia.org/adil-hussain)), an artist living in the United Kingdom with his wife Lisa ([Lisa Ray](https://www.edgepedia.org/lisa-ray)), buys an old mirror that carries a supernatural power which hypnotizes those near it.[6](https://www.wishesh.com/bollywood/bollywood-movie-reviews/62392-dobaara-movie-review.html) • [10](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/dobaara/story.html) The couple's two children, Natasha and Kabir, grow up after their parents' deaths and try to learn the truth behind them; the brother and sister hold contradictory views about the killing, and the film follows their attempt to unravel the mystery of the haunted mirror in their old parental home.[10](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/dobaara/story.html) • [11](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/dobaara-16171) Rotten Tomatoes summarizes the premise as a haunted mirror that allows a brother and sister to see their parents being murdered a decade earlier.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dobaara_see_your_evil)
## Relationship to Oculus
*Dobaara: See Your Evil* is an authorized adaptation of *Oculus* (2013), the American supernatural horror film written and directed by Mike Flanagan.[1](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/oculus-director-speaks-about-its-remake-dobaara-see-your-evil-1706736) Flanagan, who saw the Hindi film before its release and served as executive producer, described it as a new interpretation rather than a shot-for-shot copy: "What Prawaal did with this movie is that he was able to capture the spirit of Oculus and he made his own movie. There is a lot of new material that the audience can discover." He added that the word "remake" was misleading for this kind of relationship to the original.[1](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/oculus-director-speaks-about-its-remake-dobaara-see-your-evil-1706736)
In a later interview marking *Oculus*'s tenth anniversary, Flanagan recalled that he and his team had not known the film was being made until the director and star arranged a private screening at a theater in Burbank. He said the filmmakers "did a bunch of stuff we had wanted to do and didn't," including a section devoted to the mirror's history and how it came to be created, and that he tried to encourage and celebrate the film.[12](https://www.distinguished-mag.com/an-incorrect-image-of-ourselves-mike-flanagan-on-oculus-tenth-anniversary/)
The lead actors also framed the film as an adaptation with its own interpretation. Saqib Saleem said the film adds a full emotional angle and a proper brother-sister relationship, and Huma Qureshi told interviewers that viewers expecting a cut-and-paste of the original would be disappointed, because adaptation meant more than changing the characters' names.[13](https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/have-tried-to-stay-true-to-horror-genre-no-gimmicks-in-dobaara-saqib-saleem-117052300165_1.html)
## Cast and production
The film pairs Huma Qureshi and Saqib Saleem, siblings in real life, on screen for the first time.[2](https://www.aajtak.in/entertainment/film-review/story/dobaara-see-your-evil-film-review-449480-2017-06-01) Adil Hussain and Lisa Ray play the parents, Alex and Lisa Merchant, and [Rhea Chakraborty](https://www.edgepedia.org/rhea-chakraborty) appears as Tanya in a special appearance; Madalina Bellariu Ion plays Ana.[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dobaara-see-your-evil/cast/) Child versions of the siblings were played by Rysa Saujani and Abhishek Singh.[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dobaara-see-your-evil/cast/)
Production companies included B4U Motion Pictures, Relativity Media, Zahhak Films, and Intrepid Pictures, with producers Ishan Saksena, Prawaal Raman, Sunil Shah, and Vikram Khakhar; Trevor Macy and Mike Flanagan are also credited as producers on some listings.[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dobaara-see-your-evil/cast/) • [11](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/dobaara-16171) The film was shot as a India and United Kingdom co-production, and Anuj Dhawan was the cinematographer.[14](https://www.streamguide.be/film/458032/dobaara-see-your-evil) • [15](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt4552486/) The Indian censor certificate, issued 25 May 2017, was an "A" (adults only).[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dobaara-see-your-evil/cast/)
Director Prawaal Raman, previously known for *Darna Mana Hai*, *[Darna Zaroori Hai](https://www.edgepedia.org/darna-zaroori-hai)*, and *404*, said the makers approached him after liking those films. He described *Dobaara* as not a conventional horror film but something a family could watch, and argued that in horror the concept, not star power, is the hero of the film.[16](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/dobaara-concept-is-the-star-in-horror-films-says-prawaal-raman/story-3F6q5Erpub9su5D1OXSxCN.html)
## Reception and box office
The film opened poorly. Its first day in India earned ₹4.6 million (₹0.46 crore), the opening weekend ₹14.9 million (₹1.49 crore), and the lifetime India total ₹19.2 million (₹1.92 crore); Bollywood Hungama classifies the performance as a flop.[7](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dobaara-see-your-evil/box-office/) Trade reports at the time noted that new releases that weekend, including *Dobaara*, were disasters, with combined collections of the new Hindi releases below ₹10 million (₹1 crore) on some days.[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dobaara-see-your-evil/cast/) In the United Kingdom, where it was released on 2 June 2017, it grossed $6,164.[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt4552486/) [Aaj Tak](https://www.edgepedia.org/aaj-tak) reported the film's budget as around ₹100 million (₹10 crore) and noted that digital and music rights had already been sold, making recovery likely.[2](https://www.aajtak.in/entertainment/film-review/story/dobaara-see-your-evil-film-review-449480-2017-06-01)
Critics were largely negative. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds 25% on the Tomatometer from 8 reviews.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dobaara_see_your_evil) Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave 2 out of 5, writing of "too much superficial style for a film so slight," while Meena Iyer of The Times of India gave 2.5 out of 5 and found the film stretched.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dobaara_see_your_evil) Bollywood Hungama's review, rated 2.0/5, judged that the psychological-thriller element "doesn't come across and is limited to a few scenes" and criticized the reliance on jump scares.[17](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dobaara-see-your-evil/critic-review/dobaara-see-your-evil-movie-review/) Aaj Tak's review was more mixed, praising the cinematography and Adil Hussain's performance while faulting a wandering script and confusing handling of flashbacks.[2](https://www.aajtak.in/entertainment/film-review/story/dobaara-see-your-evil-film-review-449480-2017-06-01) On IMDb the film holds a 3.8/10 rating.[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4552486/)
## Distinction from Dobaaraa
*Dobaara: See Your Evil* (2017) is unrelated to *[Dobaaraa](https://www.edgepedia.org/dobaaraa)* (2022), the [Anurag Kashyap](https://www.edgepedia.org/anurag-kashyap) film starring [Taapsee Pannu](https://www.edgepedia.org/taapsee-pannu), which is a remake of the Spanish film *Mirage* and involves time travel through a television set rather than a haunted mirror.[18](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/dobaaraa)
## References
1. [Oculus Director Speaks About Its Remake Dobaara: See Your Evil, NDTV (1 June 2017)](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/oculus-director-speaks-about-its-remake-dobaara-see-your-evil-1706736)
2. [Review: Dobaara: See Your Evil, Aaj Tak (1 June 2017)](https://www.aajtak.in/entertainment/film-review/story/dobaara-see-your-evil-film-review-449480-2017-06-01)
3. [Dobaara – See Your Evil Cast & Crew, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dobaara-see-your-evil/cast/)
4. [Dobaara: See Your Evil (2017), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt4552486/)
5. [Dobaara: See Your Evil Movie Review, NDTV (2 June 2017)](https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/dobaara-see-your-evil-movie-review-huma-qureshis-film-isnt-a-spine-chiller-1707094)
6. [Dobaara See Your Evil Movie Review, Wishesh](https://www.wishesh.com/bollywood/bollywood-movie-reviews/62392-dobaara-movie-review.html)
7. [Dobaara – See Your Evil Box Office Collection, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dobaara-see-your-evil/box-office/)
8. [Dobaara: See Your Evil, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dobaara_see_your_evil)
9. [Dobaara: See Your Evil (2017), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4552486/)
10. [दोबारा कहानी, Filmibeat Hindi](https://hindi.filmibeat.com/movies/dobaara/story.html)
11. [Dobaara: See Your Evil (2017), BollywoodMDB](https://www.bollywoodmdb.com/movie/dobaara-16171)
12. [An Incorrect Image Of Ourselves: Mike Flanagan on Oculus' Tenth Anniversary, Distinguished](https://www.distinguished-mag.com/an-incorrect-image-of-ourselves-mike-flanagan-on-oculus-tenth-anniversary/)
13. [Have tried to stay true to horror genre, no gimmicks in 'Dobaara': Saqib Saleem, Business Standard/ANI (23 May 2017)](https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/have-tried-to-stay-true-to-horror-genre-no-gimmicks-in-dobaara-saqib-saleem-117052300165_1.html)
14. [Dobaara: See Your Evil (2017), Streamguide](https://www.streamguide.be/film/458032/dobaara-see-your-evil)
15. [Dobaara: See Your Evil, IMDbPro](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt4552486/)
16. [Dobaara: Concept is the star in horror films, says Prawaal Raman, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/dobaara-concept-is-the-star-in-horror-films-says-prawaal-raman/story-3F6q5Erpub9su5D1OXSxCN.html)
17. [Dobaara – See Your Evil Movie Review, Bollywood Hungama (2 June 2017)](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/dobaara-see-your-evil/critic-review/dobaara-see-your-evil-movie-review/)
18. [Dobaaraa (2022) streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/dobaaraa)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 2010s › Hindi films of 2016*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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