Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 movie review: Kartik Aaryan, Tabu film wears its flimsiness on its sleeve

Language: Hindi There’s a particular kind of film we see in Hindi cinema every now and then. It’s a film that a normal Indian family doesn’t even plan on watching before they leave their house. On a day off, the family simply lands up at their nearest multiplex, seeking refuge for the next few hours, after a bout of intense afternoon shopping and/or possibly a meal at a restaurant. Anything would do. The family doesn’t necessarily care what the film is about - provided it isn’t too explicit for the kids, doesn’t go around questioning or quashing long-held beliefs of the elderly, and manages to be just about enough cheeky to ‘entertain’ the men in the family. It doesn’t even matter if ten minutes have already passed since the film has begun, the family will still not only get the tickets to it, but also not spare any expense on the popcorn, nachos and soft drinks, to accompany them through the film’s run-time of nearly two and a half hours.  

The family enters the auditorium almost 20 minutes after the film has already begun, and raises a mini-storm as they enter with the help of their smartphone torches and their noisy litter, much to the annoyance of the ‘serious’ cinephiles who are too invested in Kartik Aaryan’s prominently pearly whites. As soon as they settle down, the lead actors break into song. It’s a loud song with colours oozing from each corner of the frame, the lyrics are easy with a catchphrase, so kids can sing along if they want. There’s a hook step too in case the audience isn’t feeling the music enough. The dialogue delivery is loud so that the audience can hear it over the chewing of their popcorn, the jokes sit comfortably between being safe and still accessible.

There’s a lot going on the screen – actors hamming, actors playing the fool, actors trying to spook. No one’s particularly interested in the whats or whys or the hows. For better or for worse, Anees Bazmee’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 exists confidently in this prized shaft of Hindi cinema.  

A ‘spiritual’ sequel to Priyadarshan’s 2007 film, which was in turn the third remake of the Malayalam film, Manichitrathazhu (1993), Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 has no connection to the earlier film. Barring a spirit called Manjulika (pronounced Monjulika because she’s from Bengal), Rajpal Yadav as Chhote Pandit, and a Pritam composition that is invoked so many times during the film for the sake of nostalgia… it might even put Interstellar’s Christopher Nolan (who used a Dylan Thomas poem half a dozen times) to shame. Shreya Ghoshal, who sang the original song appears to have also re-recorded a ‘slow version’, and given the actual dearth of Arijit Singh’s presence in film music, it’s a real surprise that they trust him with another version of Shreya Ghoshal’s song. You simply can’t take any chances with such films, no amount of repetition is enough.

Kiara Advani, who has made a career out of roles that need her to be desirable and expendable (usually in that order), is on assured footing in this one too. The plot doesn’t really matter, except that she leads a literal stranger (Aaryan, who she met half a day earlier) to her haunted haveli in Rajasthan. There’s an extended Thakur family fronted by Milind Gunaji’s familiar face – who spends the entirety of the film barking lines in a strained Marwari accent. Sanjay Mishra, in what seems like his umpteenth role as a greedy priest entrusted with the funny quip when things get too glib, turns in a thoroughly professional performance. Especially, when he leads a ‘revolution’ into the Thakur haveli by chanting “Apna Time Aayega”. It’s so silly that it’s amusing at the very least. Rajpal Yadav, who was frequently visible in the mid-2000s, reprises his role from the original film – a puny character, who gets beaten up/traumatised on screen for the amusement of his audience.   The makers compensate for Vidya Balan’s acting chops in the original with Tabu’s — Hindi cinema’s favourite actor to portray a not-so-ideal woman. In a screenplay where flashbacks and Kartik Aaryan’s teeth occupy a majority of the space, Tabu is left with limited space to excel. She tries her best, but Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 isn’t the kind of home that nurtures a Tabu performance. While the 2007 film used the vessel of a horror film to tell a (rather important) story about mental illness, the sequel regresses into actual bhoot-pret. It feels like a step back, especially three years after _Stree_ , a film that used the mould of a Bhool Bhulaiyaa for pointed commentary. In a throwaway moment, Rajpal Yadav delivers the cheekiest line - “should have gone to Bigg Boss instead, at least all this abuse would be worth the paycheck.” I sincerely hope Tabu got paid more than Kartik Aaryan. If not, then that’s the horror story of our times. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is playing in theatres. Rating: * 1/2

Tatsam Mukherjee has been working as a film journalist since 2016. He is based out of Delhi NCR. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.