Madhuri Dixit, horror comedy by Vidya Balan

The kindest thing you can say about it Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 it's that it's unpredictable. There's little that can prepare you for a climactic twist that is, in equal measure, audacious and ridiculous. While well intentioned, it is so clumsily staged that it fails to evoke the required empathy. But I will say: I didn't expect it.

Otherwise we are back in familiar territory. THE Bhool Bhulaiyaa the franchise began with the classic 1993 Malayalam film Manichitrathazhuwhich was remade in Hindi in 2007. Both versions offered a clever cocktail of laughs and scares without any real paranormal activity. In each of them, the real culprit that led the protagonist to transform into Manjulika, the mad spirit of a real-life dancer, was eventually identified as dissociative identity disorder.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

The bottom line

A shaky and disjointed sequel.

Release date: Friday 1 November
Launch: Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri, Rajpal Yadav, Vijay Raaz, Sanjay Mishra, Manish Wadhwa, Rajesh Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar, Arun Khushwah
Director: Anees Bazmee
Screenwriter: Aakash Kaushik

2 hours and 38 minutes

But when director Anees Bazmee took over the reins of the 2022 reboot, the horror became real. Black magic, spirits, jump scares, creepy backdrops, and of course, Shreya Ghoshal's magical rendition of the song “Ami Je Tomar” were all part of the mix, as was some light-hearted lowbrow humor. My favorite bit was Rajpal Yadav's Chhote Pandit and Sanjay Mishra's Bade Pandit who mistake Manjulika for the latter's wife Panditayeen and ask her to prepare daal (lentils), only to be slapped severely by the ghost.

In the third chapter, Bazmee retains the clichés of the first two Hindi films: a vast stately home in which a room has remained closed for years because a ghost is believed to reside there; a royal family hiding secrets; the mysterious dancing Manjulika. The popular title track returns, along with “Ami Je Tomar.” And, of course, there are the atmospheres: long empty corridors, dark skies, eerie sounds, and enough CG crows to populate a sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's film. The birds.

Once again, Kartik Aaryan plays Ruhaan (aka Rooh Baba), a fraudulent ghostbuster who makes money by exploiting people's fear of the supernatural. He is summoned to a castle somewhere in West Bengal where, strangely, the locals seem to recognize him. And there begins a tale that includes punar janam (reincarnation); a poor raja who desperately wants to sell his palace; several characters who speak with terrible Bengali accents; sibling rivalry; and the immeasurable shadow of Manjulika, who no longer pines for her murdered lover.

Among the film's highlights is the return of Vidya Balan, whose stunning performance as Avni, an archaeologist who believes herself to be Manjulika, was key to the 2007 film's success. Her dancing, with tousled hair , the frantic eyes and the vermilion red spread across his forehead, it was truly chilling. This time she plays Mallika, a restoration expert who may or may not be Manjulika, and her performance fits the overall look of the film.

In fact, Bazmee has not one but two trump cards here. Madhuri Dixit also enters the franchise as Mandira, a potential buyer of the mansion who is clearly hiding something. At one point, Balan and Dixit have a face-off where they are ready to strangle each other. In another, they have a prom in the palace. The clash between two of the best actors of Hindi cinema should be enthralling.

But the script, written by Aakash Kaushik, is so disjointed that it is difficult for the characters to make an impact. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 it follows no internal logic, but comes across as a perfunctory assortment of jokes, scares, exposition, songs, and scenes strung together in the hope that they add up to a coherent, compelling narrative. Mandira and Mallika exchange barbs or giggle together maniacally, seemingly at random, or it all turns out to be a dream. Dixit is billed as a special appearance, which perhaps explains why the part is so underwritten that I began to focus on her vast collection of saris and the size of her jewellery: Mandira loves dressing up.

I also wondered what the late Saroj Khan could have done with an opportunity like the dance duel. While Dixit and Balan are superb in the sequence choreographed by Chinni Prakash, there is little in it as memorable as the dance between Dixit and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Devdas.

Above all, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 staggers. Two romantic songs are inserted, perhaps to give Triptii Dimri something to do; otherwise, it's mostly about looking adorable. Vijay Raaz and Rajesh Sharma, both actors with solid comic chops, are relegated to the ornate backdrop – though I smiled when Raaz, as the poor raja, says he's willing to face the ghost in the palace but not live another day in poverty.

Aaryan is front and center, doing it all: being charming and funny, making love and dancing, defeating ghosts. I love that the actor is willing to poke holes in the trend of hyper-masculine heroes in Bollywood. Ruhaan gets scared easily and just like in the second film, when things get too daunting, he tries to escape. But the copious energy he invests is sabotaged by flat writing. The jokes just aren't funny enough, even if there is a killer joke out there Shehzadawhich was one of Aaryan's biggest flops – and the scares aren't terrifying enough.

Maybe it's time to give Manjulika a break. After all, until now you can't take a vengeful ghost and two amazing songs.

Leave a Comment

url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url url