Go Goa Gone

About the film

Go Goa Gone is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language zombie action comedy film directed by Raj & DK. The film stars Saif Ali Khan, Kunal Khemu, Vir Das, Anand Tiwari, and Puja Gupta. Set partly in Mauritius, where nearly one-third of the film was shot, the narrative follows a group of friends who travel to Goa for a rave party and find themselves trapped on an island overrun by zombies. It is widely regarded as India’s first zombie film and has also been described as the country's first stoner comedy.

The film was released theatrically in India on May 10, 2013. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its pacing, editing, and inventive use of genre elements while criticizing the screenplay and its second half. Despite this, Go Goa Gone was a commercial success and gradually attained cult status for its offbeat humor and genre-bending approach.

Plot

Hardik and Luv are two friends living in Mumbai with their roommate Bunny. After Hardik loses his job and Luv experiences a breakup, the two accompany Bunny on a business trip to Goa in search of the distraction and relaxation. There, Luv meets Luna, who invites them to a rave party hosted by the Russian mafia on a secluded island. At the party, a powerful new drug called D2RF is introduced, though the three friends choose not to consume it due to its high cost.

The next morning, the island is overrun by zombies. Attempting to flee, the group discovers that Luna is still on the island and ventures to a villa to find her. Inside, Luna explains that her friend became ill after taking the drug, subsequently turned into a zombie, and attacked the others. The group escapes the villa and encounters Boris, a Russian mafioso, who is originally Indian and his associate Nikolai, who are armed and experienced in fighting the undead.

Boris and Nikolai plan to escape the island using the boat that brought them there. They provide Luv and Hardik with the firearms and instruct them to conserve ammunition, but the duo wastes their bullets on a single zombie. Boris later explains that the drug D2RF shuts down all bodily functions except the hypothalamus, leaving users driven only by hunger.

Production

Go Goa Gone was originally conceived as a crime comedy before evolving into a zombie comedy, blending horror with humor in what became India's first zombie film. Kunal Khemu, who was involved in the writing process, suggested casting Saif Ali Khan in the role of Boris. Khan, intrigued by the genre, was the directors’ first choice for the role. To prepare, he was given The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks, as he had no prior experience in the genre.

Khan was cast as Boris, a Russian mafioso turned zombie hunter. The lead cast also included Khemu, Vir Das, Anand Tiwari, and Puja Gupta.

Principal photography began in 2012, with about one-third of the film shot on location in Mauritius. The island served as the stand-in for the fictional zombie-infested setting, with additional scenes filmed in Goa and Mumbai.[4]

Marketing

Go Goa Gone was marketed as India's first "Zom-Com," a term used to highlight its blend of zombie horror and comedy.

As part of its promotional campaign, the filmmakers partnered with Volkswagen India for a unique cross-branding initiative. A specially selected Volkswagen Polo featured in the film was chosen through a public contest titled "My Car Superstar!" conducted in collaboration with the company.

Soundtrack

The film's music was composed by the duo Sachin–Jigar, with lyrics written by Priya Panchal and Amitabh Bhattacharya. The soundtrack features vocal performances by Jigar Saraiya, Talia Bentson, Sachin Sanghvi, Priya Panchal, and Shreya Ghoshal.

Reception

Go Goa Gone was released on 10 May 2013 and had a production budget of approximately ₹19 crore. The film collected around ₹3.75 crore on its opening day and ₹12.9 crore over its opening weekend in India. By the end of its theatrical run, it had earned a total of ₹25.16 crore net domestically (₹32.26 crore gross) and approximately ₹5.56 crore overseas, bringing its worldwide gross to ₹37.82 crore.

Go Goa Gone received mixed reviews upon its release but has since garnered a cult following within the horror-comedy genre. Critics praised its innovative blend of zombie horror and comedy, though some noted shortcomings in its screenplay and pacing.

Piyasree Dasgupta of Firstpost likened the film's appeal to that of Delhi Belly, commending its "superb pace" and "smart editing." Lisa Tsering of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as starting "promisingly," highlighting its "infectious" soundtrack, but criticized the screenplay for "fizzling out halfway through."

Sequel

A sequel to Go Goa Gone was initially announced with production scheduled to begin in January 2019. However, filming was postponed to September 2020 due to scheduling conflicts among the lead cast. On 15 January 2020, Maddock Films released the first-look poster of Go Goa Gone 2 on its social media platforms, announcing a planned release for March 2021. The project was subsequently delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sequel was expected to continue the story from the first film, with Saif Ali Khan, Kunal Khemu, Vir Das, Anand Tiwari, and Puja Gupta all set to reprise their roles.

As of 2024, the sequel remains stalled and is not in active production. In an interview, actor Anand Tiwari stated that he would be open to returning for the sequel, but noted that the decision ultimately rests with directors Raj & DK and producer Dinesh Vijan.

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