# Haunted – 3D (हॉन्टेड – 3D)
**Haunted – 3D** (हॉन्टेड – 3D) is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language horror film directed by [Vikram Bhatt](https://www.edgepedia.org/vikram-bhatt), starring [Mahaakshay Chakraborty](https://www.edgepedia.org/mahaakshay-chakraborty) and debutant Tia Bajpai, and described in Indian film coverage as India's first stereoscopic 3D (filming with two lenses giving each eye a separate image) film and its first stereoscopic 3D horror film.[1](https://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/haunted-3d-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-film/) • [2](https://ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT_182123.pdf) It was shot natively in 3D rather than converted from 2D, and its story of a real-estate broker drawn into a haunted mansion combines the haunted-house premise with time travel.[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/haunted-3d/movie-review/8167883.cms)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 6 May 2011 (Hindi)[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/haunted-3d/cast/) |
| Director / producers | Vikram Bhatt; produced by Vikram Bhatt and Arun Rangachari under ASA Production and Enterprises, Dar Motion Pictures, and BVG Films[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/haunted-3d/cast/) |
| Distinction | India's first stereoscopic 3D film and first stereoscopic 3D horror film[1](https://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/haunted-3d-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-film/) • [5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/photo-features/race-3-to-chhota-chetan-bollywood-films-made-in-3d/photostory/64176582.cms) |
| Cast | Mahaakshay Chakraborty as Rehan, Tia Bajpai as Meera Sabharwal, Achint Kaur as Margaret, Arif Zakaria as Professor Iyer[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/haunted-3d/cast/) |
| 3D method | Shot in 3D like *Avatar*, not converted from 2D, though one database describes the release print as partly converted; 3DCC custom camera systems; stereographer Brent Robinson[6](https://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/vikram-bhatts-haunted-indias-first-stereoscopic-3d-film/) |
| Music | Chirantan Bhatt; lyrics by Junaid Wasi and Shakeel Azmi; Tia Bajpai also sang a song[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/haunted-3d/cast/) • [1](https://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/haunted-3d-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-film/) |
| Sequel | *Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past* (announced as *Ghosts of the Past*), released 12 June 2026 with Mimoh Chakraborty and Vikram Bhatt returning[7](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Haunted_3D_Echoes_of_the_Past_2026) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The story follows Rehan (Mahaakshay Chakraborty), a real-estate broker sent to sell a sprawling mansion in the hills, in the hill station of Dalhousie according to one synopsis.[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/haunted-3d/movie-review/8167883.cms) • [8](https://www.moviemeter.com/movies/horror/haunted-3d) On arriving he finds the house haunted, and he cannot deal with the property until he gets to the bottom of the problem; director Vikram Bhatt described the discovery that "the house was almost waiting for him to come there."[9](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/fear-looms-larger-in-3-dimension-vikram-bhatt/story-490FsBHaBf152acO9hPXMO.html) The house's spirits have been present for about 80 years, and Rehan, having fallen for a girl, or more precisely her spirit, travels back in time to change her destiny and re-align an unsavoury incident from eight decades earlier.[10](https://www.viennale.at/en/films/haunted-3d) • [3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/haunted-3d/movie-review/8167883.cms)
### Sequel
A sequel, announced as *Haunted 3D: Ghosts of the Past* and released as *Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past*, brought back Mimoh (Mahaakshay) Chakraborty as protagonist and Vikram Bhatt as director, opening on 12 June 2026.[7](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Haunted_3D_Echoes_of_the_Past_2026) It opened to largely negative reviews and poor word of mouth, with critics panning its AI-assisted production; it nevertheless outgrossed its simultaneous competitor Imtiaz Ali's *Main Vaapas Aaunga*, earning about ₹187 million (₹18.7 crore) net in India against that film's ₹122.5 million (₹12.25 crore) net.[20](https://www.zoomtventertainment.com/bollywood/haunted-3d-echoes-of-the-past-indian-box-office-success-article-154949409) • [21](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/vikram-bhatt-on-haunted-3d-beating-imtiaz-ali-main-vaapas-aaunga-franchise-film-10747191/)
## Production and the 3D technology
**Native stereoscopic shooting.** Bhatt conceived the idea of a 3D horror film around May 2010, after finishing his horror trilogy of *Raaz*, *1920*, and *Shaapit*, and after seeing *Avatar* in Los Angeles he began to wonder when such a film could be made in India.[11](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/2011/Mar/09/vikram-bhatt-on-haunted-3d-234004.html) • [1](https://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/haunted-3d-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-film/) He repeatedly distinguished native stereoscopic photography from conversion: "Directors fraudulently convert 2D films into 3D and parade them as 3D films. But technically the output is very different from a real 3D film."[9](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/fear-looms-larger-in-3-dimension-vikram-bhatt/story-490FsBHaBf152acO9hPXMO.html) The production used 3DCC's custom 3D camera systems exclusively, with a technical crew including Brent Robinson as stereographer, Christan Jeams and Cassidey as digital imaging technicians, and Michael Reuben Flax as digital media technician.[6](https://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/vikram-bhatts-haunted-indias-first-stereoscopic-3d-film/) A team of Hollywood technicians who had worked on films such as *Resident Evil: Afterlife*, *Saw 7*, and *The Incredible Hulk* also joined the unit.[1](https://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/haunted-3d-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-film/) One later 3D-film database describes the release print as part shot and part converted, with 3D conversion by EFX Prasad Labs, a characterization that differs from the promotional accounts.[12](https://3diq.app/film/haunted-3d)
Bhatt argued that the format suited horror specifically: "Horror is all about creating an ambience and a mood. In 3D, I will actually take the audience inside the haunted house to experience the thrill and fear for real."[9](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/fear-looms-larger-in-3-dimension-vikram-bhatt/story-490FsBHaBf152acO9hPXMO.html) He called the 3D camera the star of the film, and described the shoot as "almost like your worst nightmare coming true."[11](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/2011/Mar/09/vikram-bhatt-on-haunted-3d-234004.html) • [13](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/2011/May/04/vikram-bhatt-on-his-3d-horror-film-haunted-250208.html) The film was billed as his most expensive and ambitious project to date, and he said statistics made it the most expensive film in the horror genre, though he thought *Raaz 2* might have cost slightly more.[6](https://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/vikram-bhatts-haunted-indias-first-stereoscopic-3d-film/) • [11](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/2011/Mar/09/vikram-bhatt-on-haunted-3d-234004.html)
The release was delayed by extensive post-production and was set for 6 May 2011, later than an originally announced April date.[11](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/2011/Mar/09/vikram-bhatt-on-haunted-3d-234004.html) • [9](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/fear-looms-larger-in-3-dimension-vikram-bhatt/story-490FsBHaBf152acO9hPXMO.html) The number of 3D screens in India was growing quickly at the time, from roughly 40 to 50 screens when *Avatar* released to around 120 to 130, and was expected to reach 220 to 230 by the film's May release.[13](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/2011/May/04/vikram-bhatt-on-his-3d-horror-film-haunted-250208.html)
## Place in Indian 3D cinema
Haunted was not the first Indian film seen in 3D. The 1984 Malayalam film *My Dear Kuttichathan* was a hit and was dubbed into Hindi as *Chhota Chetan*, re-released with added scenes in 1998; Raj Sippy's *Shiva Ka Insaaf* (1985) was the first Hindi 3D film, and the Ramsay brothers' *Saamri* (1985) holds what one reviewer calls the actual claim to being India's first 3D horror film.[14](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/tech-technological-evolution-hindi-cinema-part/) • [15](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/haunted-3d-movie-review/articleshow/8167041.cms) What *Haunted* claimed was to be the first Indian film actually shot in stereoscopic 3D, after a long gap in Hindi 3D production since 1985.[14](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/tech-technological-evolution-hindi-cinema-part/) Shyam Ramsay, who had made a 3D horror film in 1985, said he was amused by the "India's first horror 3D" billing but happy to let Bhatt take the credit.[16](https://tehelka.com/i-watched-haunted-with-shyam-ramsay/)
The film opened a wave of Indian 3D projects: Bhatt followed it with *Dangerous Ishq* and *Raaz 3* (2012), [Ram Gopal Varma](https://www.edgepedia.org/ram-gopal-varma) announced a 3D horror film called *Warning*, and filmmakers such as [Priyadarshan](https://www.edgepedia.org/priyadarshan) planned 3D ventures, although *Raaz 3* and [Remo D'Souza](https://www.edgepedia.org/remo-dsouza)'s *ABCD* films were the only 3D hits for some years afterward.[9](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/fear-looms-larger-in-3-dimension-vikram-bhatt/story-490FsBHaBf152acO9hPXMO.html) • [14](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/tech-technological-evolution-hindi-cinema-part/) • [17](https://gulfnews.com/amp/story/entertainment%2Fbollywoods-next-generation-of-horror-1.803228)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed to negative. The Times of India gave the film 3 out of 5, calling it "horror chills in 3D" while noting that the industry still awaited an authentic bone-chiller from Bollywood.[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/haunted-3d/movie-review/8167883.cms) Another Times review found that Bhatt had added "the illusion of depth in every frame" but that the story remained hollow and stereotyped.[15](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/haunted-3d-movie-review/articleshow/8167041.cms) Rediff's reviewer was harsher, writing that "nothing in this film works. Not the story, not the acting, not the music and certainly not the 3D."[18](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/movie-review-haunted/20110506.htm)
Commercially the film did better with audiences than with critics. Reliance Home Video, releasing it on 3D DVD and Blu-ray in July 2011, quoted its COO Sweta Agnihotri describing it as "a proven success at the box office" and "amongst the top grosser of 2011."[19](https://www.imdb.com/news/ni13055768/)
## References
1. [Haunted 3D: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Movie, Koimoi](https://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/haunted-3d-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-film/)
2. [A film still showing, IJCRT](https://ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT_182123.pdf)
3. [Haunted 3D Movie Review, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/haunted-3d/movie-review/8167883.cms)
4. [Haunted – 3D Cast & Crew, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/haunted-3d/cast/)
5. ['Race 3' to 'Chhota Chetan': Bollywood films made in 3D, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/photo-features/race-3-to-chhota-chetan-bollywood-films-made-in-3d/photostory/64176582.cms)
6. [Vikram Bhatt's Haunted – India's First Stereoscopic 3D Film, Koimoi](https://www.koimoi.com/bollywood-news/vikram-bhatts-haunted-indias-first-stereoscopic-3d-film/)
7. [Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past (2026) Box Office, Sacnilk](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Haunted_3D_Echoes_of_the_Past_2026)
8. [Haunted - 3D (2011), MovieMeter](https://www.moviemeter.com/movies/horror/haunted-3d)
9. [Fear looms larger in 3-dimension: Vikram Bhatt, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/fear-looms-larger-in-3-dimension-vikram-bhatt/story-490FsBHaBf152acO9hPXMO.html)
10. [Haunted 3D, Viennale](https://www.viennale.at/en/films/haunted-3d)
11. [Vikram Bhatt, on 'Haunted 3D', The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/2011/Mar/09/vikram-bhatt-on-haunted-3d-234004.html)
12. [Haunted – 3D (2011) in 3D, 3DIQ](https://3diq.app/film/haunted-3d)
13. [Vikram Bhatt on his 3D horror film, 'Haunted', The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/2011/May/04/vikram-bhatt-on-his-3d-horror-film-haunted-250208.html)
14. [Tech That: Technological evolution in Hindi cinema – Part I, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/tech-technological-evolution-hindi-cinema-part/)
15. [Haunted (3D): Movie Review, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/haunted-3d-movie-review/articleshow/8167041.cms)
16. [I watched Haunted with Shyam Ramsay, Tehelka](https://tehelka.com/i-watched-haunted-with-shyam-ramsay/)
17. [Bollywood's next generation of horror, Gulf News](https://gulfnews.com/amp/story/entertainment%2Fbollywoods-next-generation-of-horror-1.803228)
18. [Review: Haunted is extremely torturous, Rediff.com](https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/movie-review-haunted/20110506.htm)
19. [Reliance home video releases Vikram Bhatt's 'Haunted' on 3D DVD, BollySpice via IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/news/ni13055768/)
20. [Haunted 3D: Echoes Of The Past Box Office (Final Earnings), Zoom TV](https://www.zoomtventertainment.com/bollywood/haunted-3d-echoes-of-the-past-indian-box-office-success-article-154949409)
21. [Vikram Bhatt on Haunted 3D beating Imtiaz Ali's film, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/vikram-bhatt-on-haunted-3d-beating-imtiaz-ali-main-vaapas-aaunga-franchise-film-10747191/)
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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 2011*
*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 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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