Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (2024): Movie Review
Director: Anees Bazmee
Starring: Kartik Aaryan, Tripti Dimri, Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit, Vijay Raaz, Sanjay Mishra and Rajpal Yadav
Genre: Horror-Comedy
Language: Hindi
Streaming On: Not yet released
Plot:
The story revolves around the spirit of Manjulika Bhool Bhuliyaa and Rooh Baba. Where Rooh Baba is called to a remote palace haunted by an ancient spirit. Unlike in “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2,” where Rooh Baba stumbled upon his ghost-busting abilities, he’s now a seasoned, albeit quirky, supernatural expert. The palace is infamous for strange occurrences, and Rooh Baba’s task is to unravel the mystery while ensuring no harm befalls the inhabitants. This time, there’s a twist: the legendary spirit of Manjulika is back, hinted to be even more powerful this time, haunts the palace, and she has a personal vendetta to settle.
The narrative tries to keep the audience on their toes, with suspenseful moments and humorous breaks. The pacing is not balanced, the horror elements don’t feel scary at all and the comedy is strategically overpowering with the outdated comedy punch lines.
Characters & Performances
- Kartik Aaryan as Rooh Baba: Kartik continues to bring a charming, humorous flair to his character, effortlessly switching between funny and serious as he navigates his role as a ghostbuster. His comedic timing remains as usual as in other movies, and he manages to portray Rooh Baba, giving him fine justification as per Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2.
- Tripti Dimri: Playing a character with her role well between being Rooh Baba’s partner in mystery-solving and a character with personal stakes in the story. During her screen time, she only fulfilled glamour in the movie. She doesn’t have much to do with the story.
- Vidya Balan and Madhuri Dixit: Vidya Balan has returned to the franchise as Manjulika and Madhuri Dixit comes with a significant but unexpected role, both bring gravitas to the film, adding intensity to the horror scenes and lend emotional depth. Their chemistry in the iconic song “Mere Dholna” is worth the screen presence.
- Supporting Cast: The supporting characters include Vijay Raaz, Sanjay Mishra, Rajpal Yadav, and others a mix of quirky relatives and locals, each adding their unique comedic which didn’t work due to poor writing, but their performance giving the film its ensemble charm. Rajpal Yadav, as always, tries to shine with his humor, and other familiar faces bring nostalgia.
Direction & Cinematography:
Anees Bazmee uses the haunted setting effectively, capturing the grandeur and beauty of the palace. The cinematography leverages dim lighting, intricate details, and wide shots of the palace, creating an unsettling atmosphere. Bazmee maintains a balance between horror and comedy, ensuring that neither takes away from the other. He incorporates the franchise’s signature suspense, with plot twists that keep audiences engaged till the end.
Writing & Screenplay:
The screenplay strikes a balance between horror, mystery, and comedy, though at times the story takes predictable turns. The writers have not made efforts to avoid repetitiveness, adding new elements to the haunted narrative. They just try to make things funny which may work in 2005 but feels outdated in this time. References to Manjulika do not work as it was in the first franchise. The dialogues, especially for Rooh Baba, are forgettable.
Overall Impression:
“Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3” is a blend of horror and comedy which didn’t work to appeal to fans of the franchise while providing good suspense in the climax. While the climax may feel unpredictable at this time, the overall middle part of the movie feels skippable. Kartik’s performance, and the supporting cast’s performance, can be a reason to watch this movie but the writing didn’t allow them to give their best. Fans of “Bhool Bhulaiyaa” with not feel satisfied with this part but if you liked “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2” then you may give this part a shot. The film gave good suspense in the climax but while movie might not worth staying in the room for this long.
The audience that can laugh at simple jokes with outdated humor may check out this movie, but the fans of Bhool Bhulailyaa (2007) will be disappointed this time.