REVIEW: Bhool Bhulaiyaa is a con job

REVIEW: Bhool Bhulaiyaa is a con job

What’s it about:

This week’s new release Bhool Bhulaiyaa is being touted as a ’comic supernatural thriller’ (if there is such a genre!). The Tamil and Malayalam versions of the film starred Rajinikant and Mohanlal respectively and won both critical and commercial acclaim. But since Bollywood has different sensibilities, Priyadarshan’s biggest challenge is to tweak his story for the multiplex audience.

Set in Northern India, the story revolves around an NRI couple Siddharth (Shiney Ahuja who looked awkward from scene one) and Avni (Vidya Balan) who move into their lavish ancestral home which is apparently haunted. But the two decide to risk it nonetheless. A series of spooky events follow.

But one day someone actually tries to kill Avni. Now, Siddharth who doesn’t believe in spirits, feels his foster cousin (Ameesha Patel) is trying to irritate the family for sheer fun. Enter Dr Aditya Shrivastav (Akshay Kumar), a psychiatrist, who decides to solve the mystery once and for all.

A combination of astrology and hypnotism reveals certain dark secrets about the palace. As he finds out, there is a spirit (who talks in Bengali) after all who wants a revenge by killing the current owner of the palace. Now, who gets possessed by the spirit and whether Siddharth escapes the wrath of the spirit forms the remaining storyline.

What we like:

Akshay Kumar is a true star. His mere presence on the screen makes this otherwise dull film worth watching. With a right balance of restraint and eccentricity, Akshay rises above his sketchy role.

The sub-plot involving Asrani, Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav also works well. Again, no credit to the director, for these actors are capable of doing much more.

What we didn’t like

The 160-minute long film moves at a snail’s pace. This is rare for a Priyadarshan film because even his mediocre efforts like Bhagam Bhag and Dhol were consistently lively. The director however, draws inspiration from his own Hulchul and Malaamal Weekly for his supporting characters. And believe it or not, he brazenly copies a joke from Sajid Khan’s Heyy Babyy.

None of the actors are presented well. Shiney Ahuja makes a complete fool of himself, trying to match the enthusiasm of Akshay and Rawal. This is a reality check for the actor who has won much praise for his serious roles in Woh Lamhe and Metro. Vidya Balan and Ameesha Patel have nothing special to deliver and just seem to flow with the tide.

Pritam’s hit soundtrack remains unexploited with uninspiring choreography. It also comes as a disappointment to find the popular music video, currently on air, has no relevance to the film.

Now comes the final blow. Akshay Kumar makes his entry just before the interval! Looking back, we find the Malayalam version following a similar pattern while the Tamil version opens with Rajinikant and then goes back on a rewind mode. Wish the director had followed the latter.

We recommend:

Watch it if you are willing to give the director another chance.

Rating: 2/5 (only for Akshay’s sincerity)

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