Comedy and horror can go hand in hand in Indian cinema has been proven once again by the super engaging and entertaining sequel of Bhool Bhulaiyaa, in its 3rd edition. A true entertainer and a fun to watch with the family, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 keeps you hooked to the seat throughout the film. The film doesn’t drag for a moment at any point in time and keeps presenting many surprise elements as it progresses.
Anees Bazmee directed Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 brings back Vidya Balan from its first prequel who makes her strong presence felt through the film as Manjulika. Kartik Aaryan as Rooh Baba and his lady love Tripti Dimri as Meera, a royal lineage, both enjoy an excellent screen chemistry.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, this time will give you a taste of Bengal from the attire to dance, and dialogues to diction. Ami Je Tomar… a powerful classical performance of Vidya Balan with Madhuri Dixit in the film will make you hold your breath stronger, and as good as Hukkush Phukkush by Kartik, Tripti and the rest of the gang.
Rooh Baba (Kartik Aaryan) is back to his conning tricks but he himself is now tricked and trapped into the mysterious world of Manjulika when Meera (Tripti Dimri) convinces him to pose as an incarnation of a prince dating back to 200 years. Descendents of the erstwhile King are living in abject poverty as their palace is haunted with the ghost of Manjulika, who is locked into one of the rooms in the palace.
New layers keep revealing, where Bade Pandit (Sanjay Mishra), Chote Pandit (Rajpal Yadav) and Panditayeen (Ashwini Kalsekar) secretly occupy the palace while fooling the villagers, so their business goes on. Entry of Rooh Baba ends their folly and opens up new layers in the film leading to discovery of another room in the basement where Manjulika’s ghost is supposedly locked. While all this seems to be leading to a linear ending, the climax has something radically different in store.
Kartik Aaryan has delivered a great performance with many moments of spontaneity blended with terrific acting and perfect expressions that makes Tripti smile and are sure to bring joy on your faces too. There are many jokes, and they fit very well in their context, which will surely make the audience rejoice. And then many twists and turns really keep you hooked, such as Vidya Balan as the first Manjulika, who is joined by Madhuri Dixit as a second Manjulika mid-way keeps the audience engaged till the end.
A slightly emotional end that also completely flips the climax and opens up another layer that is completely different from the narrative set through the film is surely going to be exciting for the viewers. Vidya is extremely graceful, and her powerful expressions often doesn’t require her to say anything.
The story is well-knotted with comical jokes and moments of scares interwoven to give you good surprises and shocks. Horror is not the extreme kind and spine-chilling but light, spontaneous, and in the moment.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is a must watch film with the family this Diwali weekend.
Praveen Nagda is Festival Director of KidzCINEMA and CultureCinema Film Festivals.
Stars: 4 out of 5.
Released on Friday, 1st November 2024.