Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Review

Stepping into the haunted corridors of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 feels like revisiting an old, spooky carnival. The kind that promises thrills but struggles to deliver. Anees Bazmee's latest venture might just have you questioning yourself, "Did I sign up for a horror-comedy, or is this an unintended farce?"

In this third installment, Bazmee brings back the franchise's iconic elements - the sprawling haveli with its ominous locked rooms, the eerie echoes of Ami Je Tomar, and of course, a royal family riddled with secrets. Only this time, instead of leaning into the charm of the unknown, he serves up a ghost story that's as subtle as a thunderstorm in a library.

In 1824, Manjulika, the daughter of the wealthy king of Raktaghat, is wrongfully burned alive. Seeking revenge, her spirit returns to haunt her enemies and reclaim her throne. To stop her, the royal family and priests trap her spirit in a room within the palace. Since then, people have believed that the palace is haunted.

In the present day, Roohan (Kartik Aaryan) scams people by pretending to be a ghost hunter. He embarks on a new adventure when Meera (Triptii Dimri), a descendant of the royal family who doesn't believe in the palace's haunting (though other family members do, choosing to live in a cowshed instead as they can't afford a better accommodation), insists he accompany her to Raktaghat. Roohan is to perform an exorcism to dispel the ghost and alter public perception, so that the palace can be sold and the impoverished royal family members can have decent lives. However, not everything goes according to plan.

Roohan is a crafty ghostbuster who, alongside his jittery sidekick Tillu (Arun Kushwah), cons his way into the hearts - and fears - of anyone with ghostly anxieties. The setup is ripe for laughs, but as the plot meanders into supernatural chaos, it feels more like we're watching a spectacle of too many cooks. The first half has some funny comedy gigs that don't add to the plot but keep the audiences engaged. The plot however goes fully off the rails in the second half. We meet new characters like the mysterious Manjulika (Vidya Balan), who first terrorized audiences in the 2007 remake, and her counterpart Anjulika (Madhuri Dixit). These iconic actors clash a couple of times, but the scenes lack the bite they deserve, and it feels more like watching two warriors dance around each other than battle. We're teased with glimmers of the legendary Vidya - who in the original shook audiences as the possessed royal dancer - but here her haunting presence feels diluted.

The palace is a Gothic spectacle, full of crumbling grandeur, but despite all the CGI crows and flickering candles, the real fear is lost in translation. At best, it tiptoes into Ramsay horror territory, complete with screechy background scores and jarring jumpscares that belong to an earlier decade.

Bazmee attempts to stir the pot with Bengali stereotypes, roping in exaggerated accents, ghostly apparitions and the occasional lowbrow humour, yet it all feels like a patchwork quilt that's barely holding together. The ghostly grandeur collapses into a cacophony of unnecessary sub-plots, poor comedic timing and a flurry of confusing narrative choices. The whole affair resembles a child's first attempt at telling a ghost story.

However, the film does have a few redeeming souls. Kartik Aaryan, ever the charmer, carries the film as Roohan with his knack for deadpan humour and boyish enthusiasm, which injects some much-needed life into the sagging plot. His charisma shines, especially in lighter scenes, even if he's saddled with the unenviable task of both scaring off ghosts and wooing Meera.

Vidya Balan and Madhuri Dixit get surprisingly low screentime, belying the promos. Arun Kushwah as Tillu adds a sprinkle of comedy, fainting at every scare - but unfortunately, his moments are brief. And Vijay Raaz's Maharaja is a gem; his despair over choosing the palace's ghost over poverty is a darkly funny highlight that lingers.

Tripti Dimri, meanwhile, is primarily a decorative addition, playing second fiddle and dressing up the screen with a series of elaborate costumes rather than character depth. The film's attempt at romance feels more like padding than plot, and the songs - forgettable, except for the haunting strains of Ami Je Tomar - do little to elevate the mood.

Where Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 stumbles hardest is in its lack of focus. Bazmee's horror-comedy cocktail lacks the crisp humour and organic scares that made the first two films engaging. Instead, we're handed a mix of scares and jokes that seem to play a game of hide and seek incoherently. As the film tries to put together a climax, you onl feels how forced and disjointed the whole endeavour is.

If you're on the lookout for a horror-comedy, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 might be more of a haunt-and-skip than a must-watch. Best wait for it to land on OTT, where you can indulge in its scares - or the lack thereof - from the safety of your couch.