– Princy Jain
Lead Cast: Kiara Advani, Kartik Aryan, Tabu, Rajpal Yadav & Sanjay Mishra
Director: Anees Bajmee
VFX – Red Chillies Entertainment
Story –
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 starts with Reet Rathore (Kiara Advani) and Ruhan Wadhwa (Kartik Aryan) meeting at a hill station and developing an instant connection. Reet doesn’t believe in ghosts, or for that matter not even in the popular story of Manjulika. Hence, she has no qualms in bringing Ruhan, to hide away from her family, in their palatial but haunted and abandoned manor in Rajasthan. One lie leads to another… and Ruhaan is forced to whip his charm to make the family believe that Reet, who is now dead, wanted her family to stay together in this particular house. The tumultuous family agrees immediately, with a caution that the third floor of the mansion should not be accessed because of the fear of Manjulika, who is holed up there for the last 18 years. Eventually, the quick-witted Ruhan is forced to become ‘Rooh Baba’, to interact with all the village ghosts to solve family feuds and find hidden treasures. Soon, he is faced with the most popular ghost of the village – Manjulika. What happens next in the story, makes for an interesting watch.
This is the much-awaited release for Kartik Aryan, and he has performed well. His farcical comic timing works for the punches given to him. It is surreal but true, that he actually sounds like Akshay Kumar, and even walks like AK. There’s an uncanny resemblance between the two. Kiara Advani is well aware of her charm and she has used it pretty well in the scenes required. Tabu plays an important role and does a great job. Clearly, Tabu should be seen more often, in more variety of roles. Rajpal Yadav is efficient in his second outing as Chota Pandit. So is Sanjay Misra as Bada Pandit.
Does the film work?
Well in some parts – yes! And in some parts ‘no’! Horror and comedy are the two most difficult genres to deal with. And Director Anees Bazmee, who is a veteran of the latter particularly, manages to hold viewers’ attention. The film does create an aura of a horror film and manages to make you laugh too. But the scary bit could have been scarier and the comedy punches could have been more comic. A special mention for the special effects by Red Chillies Entertainment. For a horror film, a seamless VFX can be the most potent tool, and it works well here. The background score and music are excellent. It really helps to sail through the entire length of the screenplay, which is longer than it should have been. In my opinion, the film could have been crispier and shorter. It does drag in certain sequences. However, the film is definitely a popcorn cruncher & a crowd-pleaser.
Star Rating 3/5