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Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

Farhad Dalal Founder
By-
Farhad Dalal
Rating
2.5 Star popcorn reviewss

Introduction

The journey of this franchise has been an oddly descending one! The first Bhool Bhulaiyaa in 2007, for which you need to thank the visionary Malayalam Film Industry for previously making Manichitrathazhu in 1993, was a huge step ahead for the Hindi Film Industry because the horror-comedy did talk about mental health while using it as an important tool for horror. In fact, I distinctly remember telling the person at the ticket counter that this film is ahead of its time for the Hindi speaking audience, which to my surprise then was very well accepted. But how the tables have turned since! In 2022, when the Hindi Film Industry was in dire needs, an uncanny and unfamiliar spiritual sequel to Bhool Bhulaiyaa titled ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ saw a decent horror-comedy turn on its head due to an acting masterclass by Tabu, for which she barely got any credit. But one thing was clear that there was a conscious shift from the mental-health issue being discussed to it being a supernatural horror. Yet when it did come to the spiritual sequel of the spiritual sequel of the original, titled Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, its trailer just did exude any confidence in me. In fact, the further shift towards the comedy genre was rather alarming in a genre that demands the inclusivity of horror and comedy in equal measures. In a scene Kartik Aaryan exclaims ‘Yeh Kya Ho Raha’ (what is happening), and I couldn’t agree with him more, for most parts of the runtime of the film that decided to cherry pick certain elements of the franchise while spinning off another ‘Manjulika’ tale that feels like a cash-grab.

 

Story & Screenplay

Having no connection with the previous films of the franchise, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 follows the story of Rooh Baba (Kartik Aaryan), a scamming ghostbuster who is tasked with identifying and eliminating the spirit of Manjulika from the haunted mansion of Raktaghat (pronounced in the film as Roktoghot because we wish to make Bengalis a caricature while stereotyping their dialect, all in the name of comedy). In fact, this was one of the problems that I had with the film straight up. It was almost devoid of any remote sense of horror, a core ingredient in a horror-comedy while being not only devoid of humour as well thriving in its randomness throughout the film. And so, you are witness to multiple gags that seem like smaller sketches while being integrated in the narrative one after the other. There isn’t much coherence as far as the gags are concerned, almost all of them being mutually exclusive even while integrating a mindless romantic track in the midst of things that seemingly has no relevance to the overall screenplay. Yet, one of the things that atleast makes the film remotely watchable is its premise.

The flashback of Manjulika being killed 200 years ago, only for the central conflict to be of who exactly is Manjulika in her rebirth, is an interesting premise whose connecting thread acts as a relief for the otherwise flat narrative. There are two candidates to the throne and the writing wishes to offer enough hints at regular junctures in the drama to keep the viewers guessing. But this thread is almost frequently stalles by some mindless comedy that doesn’t exactly land. The issue here is treating even the gags as sketches – wishing to infuse the pop-cultural references in the drama that don’t exactly fit into this world (yes, I did chuckle in a couple of scenes). This, as opposed to creating humour from the existing conflicts which was so well done in the first Bhool Bhulaiyaa. The narrative is further stalled by some mindless romantic numbers that appear out of nowhere like characters in Singham Again, something that only added crucial minutes to its enormous screentime.

The proceedings work decently well when the focus remains on the mystery element of the drama. But oddly, the writing is content in dropping one gag after another while letting its ‘horror’ elements out of sight, something that felt elementary and written by a 5 year old. Not only is the horror not scary, but there isn’t even an effort made to enhance it with its writing despite the technical aspects of the drama working in its favour (and nicely done). This was particularly a shame for the franchise that is otherwise known to provide several moments of shock. Like for instance, remember the scene of Vidya Balan lifting a bed in Bhool Bhulaiyaa and how it sent a chill down your spine? Its replication here was laughable while contributing nothing towards its horror elements.

I would like to bring up the final act that resurrects the drama to an extent. Like the previous two films, the final act here is shocking and I will give it to the writers for making the last 30 minutes work. Without getting into its spoilers, it does touch upon such an important issue that stirs up the emotional quotient of the drama here. But, I also had an issue with it. The grand revelation needed to come up sooner which would have allowed the viewers to soak into the depth of the issue better as opposed to just serving up a superficial account of the issue. This is particularly because the drama just meanders aimlessly in the second hour with incorporating mindless gags like a spoof on Jawan (and hope we don’t get to witness another fiasco as seen in Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video), whereas the same time could have been utilized to focus on the flashback that was essentially the core that nearly saves a flat narrative. The screenplay here is flat mostly with a grand payoff that was too little too late for me.

Dialogues, Music & Direction

The dialogues comprise of one-liners that try too hard to make you laugh but are largely unsuccessful. The pop-references are interesting but some of them are out of place in the narrative. The music is definitely good although the songs further stall the momentum of the drama. The BGM works in certain parts while trying hard to create an atmosphere of fear. The cinematography comprises of frames that actually work well in the narrative while atleast doing its bit to create the atmospherics of a horror while seldom being backed by its writing. The production design and VFX deserves credit for using a blissful colour-coordination of black and blue hues with the sudden integration of red to depict the evil spirit. The editing though is all over the place and is never steady with the narrative that makes the whole drama fragmented while transgressing from one gag to another. Director Aneez Bazmee does a decent job but his direction was definitely lower than his previous Bhool Bhulaiyaa outing. The direction doesn’t quite enhance the humour in the drama that felt forced, while being absolutely flat with the horror elements in the drama. The direction is just about average here while only scoring well with the final act and its setup.

Performances

The performances are decent and nothing drastically out of the box here. Talented actors like Vijay Raaz and Rajesh Sharma try hard and are briefly successful in extracting humour in the proceedings. The trio of Ashwini Kalsekar, Rajpal Yadav and Sanjay Mishra are more irritating than funny, and they never really feel an integral part of the narrative. I feel sad for Triptii Dimri who does a good job as Kriti but her character is largely inconsequential in the overall scheme of things. The sad reality is that Kiara Advani may have been replaced with Bhabhi 2 because of the latter’s popularity after Animal. Madhuri Dixit is woefully wasted in the film wherein she has so little to do. Her character is terribly underwritten and the only high that I can point out is essentially her performance in the dance face-off. Vidya Balan is oddly over the top but still impresses in a few scenes, although she remains largely forgettable. I am proud of Kartik Aaryan because here is a person fighting out as an outsider while taking on the biggies of Bollywood on the Diwali weekend. But performance wise you can see the effort in his comedy throughout the film barring the final 30 minutes wherein he comes to life and brings ample of emotions on display. Yes, some of his gags land over the course of the drama but his real acting prowess is tapped very late in the film.

Conclusion

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is a mid horror-comedy with an intelligence of a peanut that is marginally saved by its splendid final act. Yet, the payoff is a little too late in the drama that is most flat with its narration. That said, it is still better than Singham Again. That said again, does it say much about the film in the first place? Available in a theatre near you.

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