# Ghost Stories (2020 film)
**Ghost Stories** is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language anthology horror film consisting of four short film segments directed by [Zoya Akhtar](https://www.edgepedia.org/zoya-akhtar), Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, and [Karan Johar](https://www.edgepedia.org/karan-johar), released on Netflix on January 1, 2020.[1](https://www.rsvpmovies.com/projects/ghost-stories) It is the third omnibus from the same quartet, following *Bombay Talkies* (2013) and *Lust Stories* (2018), and their first foray into horror.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10230404/) • [3](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81088083)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Four supernatural short films from four directors, in the omnibus format of *Bombay Talkies* and *Lust Stories*[4](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/news/ghost-stories-netflix-india-release-date-january-2020-cast-movie-karan-johar-anurag-kashyap-2140089/amp) |
| Release | Netflix worldwide, 12 am IST on January 1, 2020[4](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/news/ghost-stories-netflix-india-release-date-january-2020-cast-movie-karan-johar-anurag-kashyap-2140089/amp) |
| Runtime | 144 minutes (2 h 24 m)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ghost_stories_2020) |
| Producers | Ronnie Screwvala (RSVP Movies) and Ashi Dua (Flying Unicorn Entertainment)[1](https://www.rsvpmovies.com/projects/ghost-stories) |
| Principal cast | Janhvi Kapoor, Surekha Sikri, Sobhita Dhulipala, Vijay Varma, Mrunal Thakur, Avinash Tiwary, Sukant Goel, Gulshan Devaiah, Raghuvir Yadav, Pavail Gulati[1](https://www.rsvpmovies.com/projects/ghost-stories) |
| Reception | 36% Tomatometer from 11 reviews and a 17% audience Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ghost_stories_2020) |
## Spoilers
### The four segments
The title credits use graphic 2D visuals drawn from each film, and the Cinema Express review identifies the four segments by name: Nurse, Bird, Monster, and Granny.[9](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/reviews/something/2020/Jan/03/ghost-stories-netflix-review-this-horror-anthology-doesnt-frighten-you-as-much-as-it-should-16346.html)
**Nurse (Zoya Akhtar).** Sameera ([Janhvi Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/janhvi-kapoor)), a young live-in nurse, is assigned to care for a bedridden elderly woman with dementia, Mrs. Malik ([Surekha Sikri](https://www.edgepedia.org/surekha-sikri)), in a desolate house, and must spend a night there.[8](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/ghost-stories-movie-104422) • [10](https://www.filminquiry.com/bollywood-inquiry-february-2020/) Akhtar developed the script with Ensia Mirza, a self-described horror movie fan who brought her the idea of a temporary nurse aiding a bedridden patient.[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/ghost-stories-zoya-akhtar-horror-genre-janhvi-kapoor-netflix-6194261/) Akhtar said she deliberately avoided conventional horror tropes and prosthetics, using the genre instead to chronicle fundamental fears.[7](https://www.theweek.in/news/entertainment/2020/01/01/ghost-stories-karan-johar-idea-he-panicked-when-everyone-agreed.html) • [6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/ghost-stories-zoya-akhtar-horror-genre-janhvi-kapoor-netflix-6194261/)
**Bird (Anurag Kashyap).** A paranoid pregnant woman, Neha ([Sobhita Dhulipala](https://www.edgepedia.org/sobhita-dhulipala)), babysits her late sister's child, Ansh, in the father's absence, and begins to lose sight of what is real and what is nightmare.[8](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/ghost-stories-movie-104422) The review in Cinema Express notes the segment's desaturated look and a bird motif worked into the story.[9](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/reviews/something/2020/Jan/03/ghost-stories-netflix-review-this-horror-anthology-doesnt-frighten-you-as-much-as-it-should-16346.html)
**Monster (Dibakar Banerjee).** A middle-class man (Sukant Goel) is relocated for work to a bizarre small town called Bees-ghara, where he finds children cowering in fear and zombie-like figures roaming outside.[8](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/ghost-stories-movie-104422) • [11](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/ghost-stories-review-rating-netflix-6194377/) An academic reading of the film describes the "zombie-land called Bees-Ghara" as a commentary on sectarian violence based on caste, with oblique references to the state of rural education.[12](https://garhbetacollege.dspaces.org/bitstream/123456789/377/1/Article%20by%20Tapan%20Kumar%20Rana.pdf) Critics repeatedly singled this segment out: Firstpost called it "a scathing take on current politics" that elevates the anthology,[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ghost_stories_2020) and Namrata Joshi of *The Hindu* wrote that it "steals a march on the rest with its evocation of a real, contemporary dystopia".[13](https://assets.moviebuff.com/ghost-stories-2020-hindi/reviews/critics)
**Granny (Karan Johar).** A young woman ([Mrunal Thakur](https://www.edgepedia.org/mrunal-thakur)) agrees to an arranged marriage with a wealthy man ([Avinash Tiwary](https://www.edgepedia.org/avinash-tiwary)) who lives in a house his grandmother built, and finds the mansion's housekeeper, in-laws, and husband increasingly unsettling.[11](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/ghost-stories-review-rating-netflix-6194377/)
## Origin and production
The idea came from Karan Johar. After *Lust Stories*, he suggested the group make a horror anthology, and Zoya Akhtar recalled that none of the four had made horror before, which made the project appealing.[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/ghost-stories-zoya-akhtar-horror-genre-janhvi-kapoor-netflix-6194261/) Johar later told *THE WEEK* that the plan was floated at a screening of *Lust Stories*, and that he then grew nervous about committing to a scary film: "I got very scared with the idea of making a scary film... I put myself deep into the ocean and probably learnt how to swim to some shore." [Dibakar Banerjee](https://www.edgepedia.org/dibakar-banerjee) joked that Johar spent the next two weeks trying to dissuade the others once everyone agreed.[7](https://www.theweek.in/news/entertainment/2020/01/01/ghost-stories-karan-johar-idea-he-panicked-when-everyone-agreed.html)
The film was announced in April 2019 as one of ten new Netflix original movies from India, and produced by [Ronnie Screwvala](https://www.edgepedia.org/ronnie-screwvala)'s RSVP with Ashi Dua Sara of Flying Unicorn Entertainment, who had produced both earlier anthologies.[4](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/news/ghost-stories-netflix-india-release-date-january-2020-cast-movie-karan-johar-anurag-kashyap-2140089/amp) Netflix set the release for [New Year's Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-years-day) 2020, and in the announcement video Kashyap promised monsters and supernatural elements, with Banerjee adding that the film was "about things that are not really human".[4](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/news/ghost-stories-netflix-india-release-date-january-2020-cast-movie-karan-johar-anurag-kashyap-2140089/amp) The credited writers are Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, Isha Luthra, and Avinash Sampath.[8](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/ghost-stories-movie-104422)
## Reception
The film was reviewed poorly. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 36% Tomatometer from 11 critics and a 17% Popcornmeter from more than 50 audience ratings.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ghost_stories_2020) Shubhra Gupta of *The Indian Express* gave it 2 stars out of 5, writing that there was "not enough sustained unease or a sense of dread or foreboding" and noting echoes of *A Quiet Place* and *Rebecca*.[11](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/ghost-stories-review-rating-netflix-6194377/) Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave 2.5 out of 5, saying the film did not manage even moments that could be deemed spine-chilling.[13](https://assets.moviebuff.com/ghost-stories-2020-hindi/reviews/critics) The Times of India's 2.5-star review judged it "more of a character study with a statement to make, rather than a 'ghost story' per se".[14](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/ghost-stories/amp_ottmoviereview/76108480.cms)
Individual performances drew praise even within negative reviews. Namrata Joshi called Janhvi Kapoor and Surekha Sikri "quite a treat to watch" in their close-up moments,[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ghost_stories_2020) and Gupta named Kapoor "the only real surprise of the film".[11](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/ghost-stories-review-rating-netflix-6194377/) A recurring critical pattern, summarized by Film Companion-adjacent and other outlets collected on Moviebuff, was that the segments were well produced but predictable, with Banerjee's short the standout and the anthology as a whole under-scary.[13](https://assets.moviebuff.com/ghost-stories-2020-hindi/reviews/critics) One reviewer noted that the film had not enjoyed the positive word of its predecessor *Lust Stories*.[13](https://assets.moviebuff.com/ghost-stories-2020-hindi/reviews/critics)
## Context in the quartet's anthologies
*Bombay Talkies* (2013) marked 100 years of Indian cinema, *Lust Stories* (2018) explored women's sexuality, and *Ghost Stories* turned the same omnibus format to the paranormal.[15](https://www.filmfare.com/features/the-directors-of-ghost-stories-on-paranormal-experiences-cinema-and-their-collab-38312.amp) *Lust Stories* had been nominated for the International Emmy Award for Best Mini Series, and the group announced *Ghost Stories* while attending the ceremony in New York.[15](https://www.filmfare.com/features/the-directors-of-ghost-stories-on-paranormal-experiences-cinema-and-their-collab-38312.amp) Netflix's own synopsis describes the film as the four directors' first foray into psychological horror and drama on the back of the omnibus format.[3](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81088083)
## References
1. [Ghost Stories, RSVP Movies](https://www.rsvpmovies.com/projects/ghost-stories)
2. [Ghost Stories (2020), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10230404/)
3. [Ghost Stories, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81088083)
4. [Ghost Stories: Netflix Sets Release Date for Johar, Kashyap, Akhtar, Banerjee Anthology, Gadgets 360](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/news/ghost-stories-netflix-india-release-date-january-2020-cast-movie-karan-johar-anurag-kashyap-2140089/amp)
5. [Ghost Stories (2020), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ghost_stories_2020)
6. [Karan Johar floated the idea of Ghost Stories: Zoya Akhtar, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/ghost-stories-zoya-akhtar-horror-genre-janhvi-kapoor-netflix-6194261/)
7. ['Ghost Stories' was Karan Johar's idea, he panicked when everyone agreed, THE WEEK](https://www.theweek.in/news/entertainment/2020/01/01/ghost-stories-karan-johar-idea-he-panicked-when-everyone-agreed.html)
8. [Ghost Stories Movie (2020), Gadgets 360](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/ghost-stories-movie-104422)
9. [Ghost Stories movie review, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/reviews/something/2020/Jan/03/ghost-stories-netflix-review-this-horror-anthology-doesnt-frighten-you-as-much-as-it-should-16346.html)
10. [Bollywood Inquiry January 2020: Ghost Stories, Chhapaak, Panga, Film Inquiry](https://www.filminquiry.com/bollywood-inquiry-february-2020/)
11. [Ghost Stories review: Ghosts from the Present, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/ghost-stories-review-rating-netflix-6194377/)
12. [Article by Tapan Kumar Rana, International Journal of Cultural Studies and Social Sciences](https://garhbetacollege.dspaces.org/bitstream/123456789/377/1/Article%20by%20Tapan%20Kumar%20Rana.pdf)
13. [Critic Reviews for Ghost Stories (2020), Moviebuff](https://assets.moviebuff.com/ghost-stories-2020-hindi/reviews/critics)
14. [Ghost Stories Review, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/ghost-stories/amp_ottmoviereview/76108480.cms)
15. [The directors of Ghost Stories on paranormal experiences, cinema and their collab, Filmfare](https://www.filmfare.com/features/the-directors-of-ghost-stories-on-paranormal-experiences-cinema-and-their-collab-38312.amp)
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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 2020s › Hindi films of 2020*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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