Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Movie Review: A solid twist elevates this Diwali entertainer

Star Cast: Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Vidya Balan, Kartik Aaryan, Triptti Dimri, Sanjay Mishra, Rajpal Yadav, Ashwini Kalsikar, Vijay Raaz, Rajesh Sharma

Director: Anees Bazmee

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Movie: Story

A con man, Rooh Baba (Kartik Aaryan), earning his living as a ghost-buster is employed by Meera (Triptii Dimri) and her maternal uncle (Rajesh Sharma) to bust a myth in the haveli of a king. The fable to be falsified (for a remuneration of a crore!) is that a spirit named Manjulika (Vidya Balan) resides behind a locked room in the palace. This myth once busted, will bring in builders ready to pay the earth for the place. But is it a myth at all?

According to the (once) royal priest (Manish Wadhwa), there lies a legend that ended in tragedy, 200 years old, Rooh Baba a.k.a. Ruhaan is the incarnation of an heir apparent who was murdered by his sister, Manjulika. In turn, she was burnt alive by their father, the king, but she returned as a malevolent spirit. But there is more. The present royalty (Vijay Raaz) is living in poverty as the palace is out of bounds because of the fear of the evil spirit. And Meera is his daughter.

Rooh Baba decides to pre-empt the auspicious occasion of Durgasthami (during Navaratri and a big day in Bengal) and, unknown to him, unleashes the spirit of Manjulika. But a chance reveals another room in the palace that is sealed too. Manjulika must now face another spirit, her sister Anjulika (Madhuri Dixit Nene), while Ruhaan, the royal clan, and villagers must confront two evils, not one.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Movie: Script Analysis

The script (Akash Kaushik) does have its weak, stretched moments (especially featuring the OTT trio of Sanjay Mishra, Ashwani Kalsekar, and Rajpal Yadav), but by and large commands a lot of screwball fun. It is a no-holds-barred, unapologetically whacky, loopy laughathon well-blended with the horror element, and follows that glorious BB tradition of mixing in comedic punches, spooks, drama, emotions, and everything else in paisa-vasool manoranjan into an engaging ‘food processor’ and coming up with a sumptuous thali of entertainment.

Aakash Kaushik’s use of Sandesen aate hain from Border, the reference to Shehzada, the hysterics by Anjulika at a tycoon buyer’s demise, the Rolls-Royce affair, and the concept of a king looking after his bodyguard are prime examples of also the director’s concept of hilarious yet clean entertainment. And the ‘crow biryani’ episode too does not nauseate in the smart way it is incorporated. The subtle message in the end on family relationships also elevates the film.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Movie: Star Performance

To say that Kartik Aaryan is the high point of this film is to state the very obvious. In any mood, mode, and scene, he is tremendous. While Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan lend their seasoned charismatic expertise to their characters, the rest of the cast too does well. I will give special marks to Vijay Raaz yet again for his underplayed humour, and to Arun Kushwah as Tillu and Kanchan Mullick as the bodyguard. Triptii Dimri shows more skin than range but is strong in her facial expressions.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Movie: Direction, Music

In a confection like this, the chicken-first-or-egg concept looms tall as the director is also a smart and successful writer himself. So it is anyone’s guess whether the script came first or the director’s execution, for probably they met midway for mutual inspiration.]

Suffice it to add that Anees does not curb the lavishness of his big movies like No Entry or Welcome in the scale, as the sets and camerawork, along with the VFX are magnificent. And his flair for extracting not just great performances but the full hilarity element from potentially routine situations remains undiluted. One thing is for sure—Anees knows when to stop, and how to keep his scenes edited to be engaging, and so the editor does not have much to do.

The duet dance, Ami je tomar, is simply awesome in the production design (late Rajat Poddar), cinematography (Manu Anand), choreography (Chinni Prakash), and re-created music (Amaal Mallik) with Shreya Ghoshal sounding much more seasoned than in the original. Sandeep Shirodkar’s background score works well.

The music thus rests almost entirely on Ami je tomar, created by Pritam 17 years ago! His Hare Ram hare Ram is misused with incongruous modernization. The background score by Sandeep Shirodkar, however, impresses,

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Movie: Conclusion

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 has an array of exceptionally gifted comic actors who provide the male lead all the support that he needs when the film begins to flag. Vijay Raaz is terrific as always, and so is the inimitable Sanjay Mishra. Not far behind the two are Rajesh Sharma, Rajpal Yadav, and Ashwini Kalsekar.

Kartik Aaryan has got the hang of the weird and disorienting house of mirrors that is Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. His star turn is a repeat act that promises a box-office outcome that could be on par with what Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 yielded.