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You do not go to watch a film titled Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 to be inspired. You expect it to be everything it is in the first two hours. It makes the leading man stretch a wafer-thin script like the elastic in a worn-out undie. It force-fits a side track to present a comic trio (Sanjay Mishra, Rajpal Yadav, and Ashwini Kalsekar) at their unfunny best. You get Vidya Balan and Madhuri Dixit in a middling dance-off. Lastly, the franchise’s popular songs get reworked like an over-milked cow. Then comes the climax – an unexpected breath of fresh air. One that shocks you to bits for its sheer empathy, the plot point surpasses the franchise’s reason to exist.
Anees Bazmee directs Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and it takes the familiar ghosthunter Ruhaan alias Rooh Baba (a highly watchable Kartik Aaryan) to a haunted mansion in rural West Bengal. This time, the man is there because he resembles the kingdom’s crown prince who lived there many centuries ago. The setup somehow reminded me of the mansion in Bulbull. The similarity dies a dismal death when you see the common factor (an otherwise talented Triptii Dimri) being wasted to wearing skimpy sarees with no memorable scene or dialogue.
Of course, the spirit of Manjulika along with many aerial shots (Manu Anand is the DOP) and overdone VFX await Ruhaan in the mansion. The jokes refuse to land unless it’s a meta-reference to Kartik’s Shehzada or Vijay Raaz’s Run. While the signature songs retain some degree of their charm, the new ones are poorly tuned and placed. Also, can someone help me with a petition to request Tulsi Kumar to quit singing for films?
Additionally, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 brings two mysterious women to the dilapidated property. Mallika (Balan) is a restoration specialist and Mandira (Dixit) is a prospective buyer. Together, the duo creates confusion among the family members who fear the presence of Manjulika in a closed sanctum.
ALSO READ: ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ review – Anees Bazmee’s horror-comedy is a watchable formula fare
The first act is tough to sit through. It will remind you of that desperate and touchy friend who would run hands all over your body to trigger a laugh or smile. The back story – involving a prince and his sister – has potential though. But we constantly feel Bazmee’s choice to piggyback on the popular franchise is a different liability altogether. The comic subplot finds no place in a story like this and you would imagine Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 becoming a better film minus the Pandit trio track. The film’s most amusing person is a freaky priest (Manish Wadhwa as ‘Rajpurohit’) who appears to time-travel from what must be Manjulika’s era. It’s as if his kink is to warn people and do nothing. The man is also the only premium subscriber to the palace’s centuries-old library with big secrets. Like an unappraised employee and any man of culture, he uses it only when all hell breaks loose.
Bazmee’s film also likes to play with foreshadowing as it uses the mystery around Balan and Dixit quite well. Both women are supposed to ham, but Balan understands the assignment better. Dixit (who has aced many a potboiler in the past) appears too self-conscious unless it is a dance sequence where she effortlessly topples Balan. Even after the suspense around the two gets revealed, the film saves a bigger surprise for the final 15 minutes, skyrocketing Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 to the realm of relevance. The added attraction in this segment is a powerful song. It reminds you how every good tune deserves a Sonu Nigam cover before we write it off completely.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is more of an opportunity than it is a film. It’s Diwali and Bollywood producers must fill the cinema halls. Bazmee’s film uses this chance to apologize to a marginalized community that suffers for being who they are. It’s an apology we owe as a society and to register it on a monstrous blockbuster scale is no less a triumph. If the soft sniffles and the stumped silence were anything to go by, entertainment stands delivered in Kartik Aaryan’s next box office money-spinner.
Rating: ★★★
