Had never heard of this movie (but no apologies, very few actually have), why I went on to watch whole of it was that it began with first year students being ragged in what turns out soon to be a medical college, reminding of my first year(I am a medical student too). But for a few scenes the initial part of this ragging stuff was completely life-like. The portrayal of a student's hostel in India is excellent where the new comers are initially troubled and mocked before they get frank with their seniors who in turn get friendly. What follows, though not a very day-to-day experience, is very much sensible and realistic. And that's what makes me like this movie -"sense and realism"- something lacking in well more than 90 percent of its contemporaries- bollywood and Hollywood alike. This movie is a very smooth depiction of how situations can throw our mind in directions we could never imagine. And in the circumstances of abhimanyu, hallucinations can never be far. Nothing in the movie has been over-done. The acting and directions have been superb. And above all the story is smooth with some sharp twists at the end, and that is sure to make watching this movie a memorable experience. 'Taare zameen par' remains my all time favourite and 'the shawshank redemption' and 'pursuit of happiness' from overseas come next but after that I like this movie the most, it's a pity that the movie remained so unnoticed, no one seems to believe that it is a must watch. So few views for a movie like this is perhaps a result of lack of strong promotion. Surely this movie deserved a platform similar to 'taare zameen par'. Some stupid ones like 'bodyguard' can create records at box-office, but this one has to search for worthwhile viewers just because of the promotions and starring moulding our expectations- abhimanyu was right "it's all in the mind".

Its raining horror movies galore in bollywood--and here's one more......Room number 404 is a room in the hostel of a medical college where a student has committed suicide previously . No one dares to stay in that room for 3 years until a brave young junior decides to take that room as his room during his stay at the hostel . Senior students decide to rag him , and during the ragging , convince him that the ghost of the dead student resides in the room.But does it really exist ??This is a horror movie with a difference-- in the sense that unlike other horror movies which are clear-cut about the certainty of the spirits' existence , in this movie the audience itself is left wondering whether the ghosts being shown are for real , or they are just a hallucination in the mind of the junior.And the movie does try to explore the psychology behind people's belief in ghosts.So are ghosts for real ?The movie gives no clear-cut answers for that--but who cares......thanks for the entertainment anyway Verdict--not bad.

Kudos to the director, writer and actor for this movie. I was not sure of watching this movie after watching the trailer, but picked the movie with a friend at half and watched it from the beginning. Well, he was scared for sure. It was not the special effects or the scary faces but the blend of idea that the characters were discussing and the perfectly timed appearances of events in room no. 404.Satish Kaushik is himself in the movie, his character is always on the safe side of the discussion and he proves it. Tisca Chopra was good and Immad shah could do better than this, after his Dil Dosti etc. Nishikant Kamat delivers a good performance and Rajvvir Arora's character has to be poker face at times but he overdid it.If you are thinking its based on college ragging, some copied or failed implementation of a great idea, you are wrong. To enjoy the movie it is necessary to be confused than to be sure about the existence of paranormal/what happens after death. The scene just before the curtain drops can haunt you for days.

404 is one of those kind of movies whose fate is decided by the Indian Box Office - dominated by mutiplex and masala movies - much before its release. Though its box office collections were not good, 404 has impressed critics and that small sectional of Hindi movie audience who would like to experiment with something new.404, is a psychological thriller (name given nowadays to a film which combines the elements of mystery and psychology) which although is not a new genre, but has remained largely untouched in Hindi film industry, due to lack of success. The director Prawal Raman is bold enough that even after his repeated failures (Darna Zaroori Hai, Darna Mana Hai, Gayab) has remained loyal to this genre, and this time with an unknown starcast has produced something worth watching. The plot has many twists and turns, which keeps the audience involved till the very end. The climax is the USP of the movie and produces the same "Shock" about which Robert McKee speaks in Spike Jonze directed "Adaptation". Nishikant Kamat as Professor Anirudh has once again impressed after his solid job in Mumbai Meri Jaan. Although I found the acting of the others weak, the crew can be excused as they are not much experienced. The only thing which was a letdown was Satish Kaushik. He was highly underutilized. Even Imaad Shah could have done more.But as Robert McKee says, if you can shock your audience, and they say 'wow' in the end, nothing else matters. Coming to my main point, its a pity that our industry rejects these sort of movies and such movies beg for screen space in mutiplexes, where only money speaks. Crap movies such as Ready has become a blockbuster whereas such cleverly made movie don't even get sufficient takers. Anyways, for those who constantly criticize Hindi Film Industry for using the same old clichéd storyline and not coming up with anything new, this movie can be a good watch.