Movie: Bhooth Bangla
Genre: Horror Comedy
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Tabu, Wamiqa Gabbi and Others
Director: Priyadarshan
Writer:
Produced By: Akshay Kumar, Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor
Music: Pritam
Background Score: Ronnie Raphael
Cinematography: Divakar Mani
Editing: M S Aiyappan Nair
Runtime: 174 Minutes (2hrs 54mins)
Story
Arjun (Akshay Kumar) lives in London with his sister Meera and their father Vasudev. As Meera’s wedding preparations begin, repeated venue changes due to the groom’s family’s superstitions create chaos.
Amidst this, Vasudev leaves for Sydney for a psychology conference. Soon after, a law firm informs Meera and Arjun that their grandfather, Dushyanth, someone they’ve never heard of, has passed away, leaving behind a palace for Arjun and Meera.
Unable to reach their father, Arjun decides to visit the palace, considering it as a potential wedding venue. However, what awaits him there is far from ordinary.
Who is Dushyanth? What secrets does the palace hold? And what unfolds when the family steps into it?
The rest of Bhoot Bangla explores this mystery filled with horror and unexpected chaos.
Artiste Performances
Akshay Kumar is at his strong zones of comedy and is a blast in Bhooth Bangla. His comic timing, his expressions and his mark exaggerated reactions absolutely work brining back his vintage comic act vibes. He is enjoying playing the role and audience will surely have a blast. He is awesome.
Wamiqa Gabbi gets a limited role and is adequate playing her part. Mithila Parkar also gets limited screen time and plays her part well. Both add the required glamour to the Screens and are beautiful.
Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav are a Laugh Riot. They bring the comic energy to the proceedings and are one of the highlights. The Late Asrani also adds to the humor as well.
Jissu Sengupta and Tabu are good in their roles but are limited to a very few scenes. Rajesh Sharma and Zakir Hussain make their presence felt. Rest of the cast are OK.
Technical Departments
Editing is decent but could have been better. With runtime almost close to 3 hours, a few scenes could have been trimmed here and there. Nonetheless, the comedy and horror keeps the drama going.
Music by Pritam is adequate to the tone and setting of the movie. While songs are decent, the background score does the magic for sure. It instantly pulls you into the world of Bhooth Bangla and keeps the momentum.
Camerwork is great, Production Values are rich and excellent. With a horror fantasy, the Production values are excellent to the scale.
Director Priyadarshan does a terrific job with horror and comedy. He taps into the strong zones of Akshay Kumar and brings back his vintage style comedy. With horror, he gives a Bhool Bhulaiya vibes in a good way and keeps it engaging. While he succeeds for most of the part without Engaging narration, entertaining comedy and eerie setting, the writing at times could be a little sharper. All said and done, Priyadarshan makes sure to give an entertaining horror comedy experience with a fantasy touch.
What Worked
Akshay Kumar's Performance and Comedy
Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav Duo
Plotline
Entertaining First Half
Eerie Moments in Second half
Background Score
Production Values
What Could've Worked Better
Weak writing at places
Falls flat at times
Under utilized characters
Analysis
Watching Akshay Kumar in his strong comedy zone is always a treat. And under the direction of Priyadarshan, who the combo delivered some classic comedy like Hera Pheri and Bhagam Bhag, its a blast.
The moment Bhooth Bangla was announced, Everyone waited to see and experience the combo's mark comic moments in a horror set up and this Bhool Bhulaiya Combo delivers just that.
My Final Thoughts
Bottom-line:
P.S. This is purely my personal take on the film.
I do not rate movies because I believe every film is made with effort, belief, and hard work by many people across departments. My intention is never to influence anyone’s experience before watching a film, but only to share what I felt as a movie lover. 😊
Review by a Movie Lover