Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Movie Review Rating:

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

Director: Anees Bazmee

What’s Good: The zany goings-on, and the hilarious lines well-supported by visuals

What’s Bad: Some needless and bad songs

Loo Break: Only if you are scared!

Watch or Not?: Of course! This Bhool Bhulaiyaa is a-‘maze’-ing in many ways!

Language: Hindi

Available On: Theatrical release

Runtime: 158 minutes

User Rating:

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), thereby lies a legend that ended in tragedy, 200 years old, and Rooh Baba a.k.a. Ruhaan is the incarnation of a 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 happening reveals another room in the palace that is sealed too. And 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 Review: 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 howlarious 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 Review: 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.