- Bhooth Bangla is set in early 2000s and follows Arjun planning his sister's wedding in Mangalpur
- The film heavily references Bhool Bhulaiyaa but fails to match its smartness or appeal
- Bhooth Bangla's plot is overly reliant on forced humour and nostalgia
Minutes before the climax of Bhooth Bangla, Mithila Palkar's character asks Jisshu Sengupta, "Papa, ye kya ho raha hai?" He says, "Ye sab ek bura sapna hai."
Bhooth Bangla is that nightmare for diehard Bhool Bhulaiyaa fans.
A folktale goes that no one marries in Mangalpur because a monster called Vadhusur abducts newly-married brides before the wedding night. Bhooth Bangla, set in early 2000s, follows Akshay Kumar's Arjun who lives in London and owes several loan sharks a lot of money.
Jisshu Sengupta, 49, plays the father of Arjun, essayed by 58-year-old Akshay Kumar.
Anyway, Arjun plans his sister Meera (Mithila Palkar)'s wedding after inheriting a palace in their ancestral village Mangalpur, somewhere in northern India, we are told. Arjun takes the responsibility to get the house in order before everyone lands in the village for the wedding.
What follows is a total mess beyond repair. What pains most is how Bhool Bhulaiyaa nostalgia serves as an entry point for diminishing returns of forced humour and a plotless story.
The intermission point would come as a shock if one couldn't see the 'twist' within the first 20 minutes of the film.
The same set of the haunted grand haveli, the promotional song mirroring Hare Ram Hare Krishna, the star cast of Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Tabu, and the late Asrani, and the winning combination of Akshay Kumar and Priyadarshan screams Bhool Bhulaiyaa 'Again'.
A period setting, a love triangle, ashtami, song situations, even the frames, this film has the Bhool Bhulaiyaa blueprint but it is not half as smart as its spiritual successor. Bhooth Bangla is not even a patch on Bhool Bhulaiyaa that despite being 19 years old doesn't feel dated.
It's our nostalgia that keeps Bhool Bhulaiyaa alive in our collective memory. Bhooth Bangla also has remnants of other Priyadarshan films, including Hungama and Chup Chup Ke, as well as an out-of-camp horror comedy Stree, Hollywood supernatural film Sixth Sense, and a superhit Tamil film whose title if revealed will be a dead giveaway about a key plot point.
In one instance, Akshay Kumar incorrectly refers to Mangalpur as Gangapur.
The only saving grace in Bhooth Bangla is Asrani as palace caretaker Shambhu Babu, to whom the makers have dedicated the movie. His scenes still elicit laughs, few and far between though they were. He was the only character that showed real conviction. Sadly, we never find out what happened to him.
Fortunately, Rajpal Yadav avenges the iconic Bhool Bhulaiyaa slap. Tabu is wasted in the movie, Wamiqa Gabbi is just there, and Mithila Palkar is shrill.
It's also a shame that the film is titled Bhooth Bangla, just a different spelling from Mehmood's Bhoot Bungla, the iconic 1965 horror comedy.
Bhooth Bangla should serve as an example: if you wish to sell nostalgia, at least respect the audiences who have now grown up. Give them something to hold onto besides a dilapidated story structure that can't stand on its own, even on the foundation of nostalgia.
Also Read | Why Akshay Kumar's Bhooth Bangla Is A Constant Reminder Of Bhool Bhulaiyaa
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Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Asrani, Rajpal Yadav, Jissu Sengupta, Tabu, Wamiqa Gabbi, and Mithila Palkar.