Bhooth Bangla

The biggest sin a filmmaker can commit is to not make audiences care. Not for the characters, not for the events unfolding. Bhooth Bangla, the Priyadarshan-helmed horror comedy, is fully committed to this cause from the get-go. That it distances itself from the audiences with a genre much loved of late makes it all the more unbelievable. At the core of this misfire is the plotline, which revolves around Vadhasur, a bat-faced monster whose modus operandi is similar to that of Sanjeev Kumar in the cult film Jaani Dushman: abduct and kill new brides in Mangalpur. Vadhasur’s kill count ensures that no wedding takes place there, and the odd one that does goes horribly wrong.

There exists, in the grand almanac of cinematic possibilities, a rare and delectable alchemy—the seamless fusion of horror and comedy—that, when handled with finesse, leaves audiences deliciously unsettled and helplessly amused in equal measure. Hindi cinema has, on occasion, achieved this precarious balance with admirable flair, as seen in Stree and Bhool Bhulaiyaa, both of which continue to loom large as exemplars of the genre. Which is precisely why one approaches Bhooth Bangla—helmed by the once reliably inventive Priyadarshan—with a certain anticipatory glee. Alas, what unfolds is less a haunted house and more a haunted opportunity.

At one point around its midpoint, Bhooth Bangla drops a romantic song without any context. People walk out as if their bladders would burst if they stayed a minute longer. I could almost feel my eardrums burst from a song so grating, paired with a couple that shares negative screen chemistry. Yet that is not why I felt bad for the half of the crowd that did not return. Ironically, that is exactly where the film becomes a wee bit tolerable. Do not expect much, but the least the Priyadarshan film manages in its second half is to stop being annoying.

Priyadarshan’s Bhooth Bangla opens with a disclaimer stating that it doesn’t promote superstition - a sensible inclusion on paper. But over its nearly three-hour runtime, the film seems to do the exact opposite. From chants that supposedly ward off demons (and, when played in reverse, conveniently summon them - more on that backmasking later) to bizarre attempts at linking quantum physics with the aatma (soul), the narrative is packed with so much mumbo-jumbo it could fill a tanker crossing the Hormuz.

At 174 minutes, Priyadarshan’s Bhooth Bangla arrives weighed down by both its runtime and its ambitions. The film, with a screenplay by Priyadarshan, Rohan Shankar and Abilash Nair and story by Aakash Kaushik, attempts to revive the director’s signature blend of slapstick comedy and supernatural intrigue. What it delivers instead is a sprawling, uneven narrative that depends heavily on nostalgia while offering little that feels fresh.

When a film’s promo touts itself as ‘the OG of horror-comedy’, you can’t help but go back in time to ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’ (2007). The psychological treatise indeed was truly funny as well as scary. Coming from the same director, Priyadarshan, and headlined by the same superstar, Akshay Kumar, you expect an encore at the very least. A bagful of laughs and an ample dose of chills is a fair enough demand as many horror.coms, including two spiritual sequels of ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’, have had a blast at the box office and delighted fans of the genre. Alas, while ‘Bhooth Bangla’, which, as the name suggests, takes us to a haunted house, nay palace, delivers partially on the humour front, it nowhere succeeds in sending a shiver down our spine. If jokes make us laugh, Akshay Kumar addressing a decade younger Jisshu Sengupta (Dr Vasudev Acharya) as Papa is rather comic.

मंगल पुर रेलवे स्टेशन पर ट्रेन के इंतज़ार में बैठे चार युवकों को एक बाबा कहानी सुना रहा है कि कुछ साल पहले यहां शादियां नहीं हुआ करती थीं क्योंकि वधूसुर नामक राक्षस वधुओं को उठा लेता था। फ्लैश बैक में कहानी दिखने लगती है जिसमें लंदन में रहने वाला (अक्षय कुमार) अपने दादा की वसीयत से मिले महल में मंगलपुर आया है ताकि अपनी बहन की शादी यहां कर सके। इसके लिए वेडिंग प्लानर (परेश रावल), उसके सहयोगी, महल का मैनेजर (असरानी), नौकर-चाकर भी यहां हैं। एक राक्षस भी है, उससे भिड़ने के लिए गुरु जी और उनका चेला है। हीरो की बहन आती है, उसके ससुराल वाले, ज्योतिषी, और भी कई सारे लोग। एक हीरोइन भी बीच-बीच में आती-जाती रहती है। ज़ाहिर है कि इस भीड़भाड़ में कॉमेडी, डर, रोमांच, रोमांस जैसे रस निकलते-बहते रहते हैं।