Dead 2: India | 2013
"Dead 2: India" is a zombie horror film released in 2013. It is a sequel to the 2010 film "The Dead," following the continuity of events. The film was produced in collaboration by Road Trip Pictures and Latitude Films, directed by the Ford brothers, and stars Joseph Millson, Meenu Mishra, and Anand Krishna Goyal. The setting of "Dead 2: India" takes place in Rajasthan and Maharashtra, India. It had its world premiere on August 22, 2013, at the Film 4 FrightFest in London, serving as the opening film of the festival.
A ship arrives in Mumbai, India, from Somalia. As the workers disembark and receive their wages, one worker named Rajiv is seen sick and injured on his elbow. Another worker inquires about Rajiv's whereabouts, and the manager reveals that he was bitten by a 'mad woman' before leaving Somalia. In the background, news is broadcasting that the cause of cannibalism in Africa is still unknown. Meanwhile, Rajiv goes home to his dilapidated house, where he soon succumbs to a fever, triggering a zombie infection upon his arrival in India.
In a village in Rajasthan, far from Mumbai, a man dies for unknown reasons. His wife covers his face with a blanket and mourns with other villagers. She asks her daughter to fetch water, while elsewhere in the village, a woman is hanging clothes outside. Suddenly, a strong wind blows, and she hurriedly goes inside, feeling uneasy about a figure approaching. The scene shifts to the girl gathering water, who screams upon seeing the approaching figure, and the villagers notice the figures emerging from the darkness. The woman, still anxious, is suddenly attacked by an old man who breaks into her home and bites her husband.
Ishani visits a hospital and sees multiple bite wounds on various people. Meanwhile, Nicholas, working atop a wind turbine, witnesses a family hastily leaving their home. Ishani calls Nicholas to inform him that she is pregnant and worried about her safety due to the events unfolding in the streets.
Nicholas calls his friend Max, who is aware of the street fights but believes they are merely conflicts between two communities. Nicholas encounters zombies for the first time and promises Ishani that he will save her. He calls Max again, who informs him that American citizens are evacuating from India and advises him to head to New Delhi or Mumbai. However, Nicholas decides to keep his promise to Ishani and returns to rescue her. He soon realizes that the dead are rising again. Before finishing his call, he is surrounded by zombies and becomes trapped in a powered paragliding school. Unable to return to his jeep, he resorts to paragliding from the building for safety.
Nicholas crash-lands in a village and rescues an orphan named Javed (Anand Goyal) from zombies. Javed offers to guide Nicholas to Mumbai. They take a car from a deceased tour operator's house, during which Javed injures his hand. They arrive at a military checkpoint and witness soldiers killing the injured. Consequently, Nicholas and Javed decide to abandon the car on the road and take an alternate route through the mountains. They soon find a motorcycle and return to the road.
Meanwhile, the situation in Mumbai is rapidly deteriorating. Ishani's mother is bitten and dying. Ishani's father, a pastor, begins to believe that the end is near. The father and daughter reconnect as death approaches. Javed and Nicholas stop for food, but their motorcycle is stolen by a desperate man. Now, they must walk through the desert. Javed is rescued by the Indian army and separated from Nicholas. Nicholas searches for the stolen motorcycle and heads towards Mumbai.
Ishani's father is bitten, and Nicholas finally arrives at her home. Ishani's father realizes that Nicholas truly loves his daughter. He allows them to leave, succumbing to his wounds. Nicholas and Ishani reach a camp set up by the army, where they find Javed. The camp is bombed by the military, and the camp building collapses. The film ends with Nicholas, Javed, and Ishani trapped, their fate uncertain.
Joseph Millson plays Nicholas Burton, while Anand Krishna Goyal portrays Javed. Meenu Mishra plays Ishani Sharma, and Poonam Mathur plays Ishani's mother. Sandip Datta Gupta plays Ishani's father. During production, several issues arose, including language barriers, as many extras playing zombies were not fluent in English, necessitating the use of translators. Joseph Millson also mentioned that they did not receive permission to shoot the film in India.
The film received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it garnered two positive and two negative reviews.
