BHOOTH BANGLA is a fair entertainer that works for its humour, performances and Priyadarshan-style chaos
Bhooth Bangla Review {3.5/5} & Review Rating
Star Cast: Akshay Kumar, Wamiqa Gabbi, Mithila Palkar, Rajpal Yadav, Tabu, Paresh Rawal
Director: Priyadarshan
Bhooth Bangla Movie Review Synopsis:
BHOOTH BANGLA is the story of madness in a haunted house.
Arjun Acharya (Akshay Kumar) lives in London with his sister, Meera (Mithila Palkar), and his father, Dr Vasudev Acharya (Jisshu Sengupta). Meera is set to marry Rahul (Perin Malde), and the family is looking for a destination in India for the wedding. At this point, Arjun and Meera are informed that their grandfather, Dushund Acharya (Rajesh Sharma), has passed away in the town of Mangalpur in India. The siblings are shocked, as they had no idea their grandfather had been alive all these years. And that's not all. They are also told that they are now the heirs to their grandfather's palatial residence in Mangalpur. Arjun is overjoyed and immediately flies to Mangalpur. He realizes that the residence is in a dilapidated condition but can be spruced up and turned into an ideal wedding venue for Meera and Rahul. Arjun is assisted by Shantaram (Asrani), the manager of the property. He informs Arjun that Mangalpur is possessed by a demonic ghost named Vadhusur. He also advises him against the wedding idea, as Vadhusur is known to snatch away brides. As a result, no marriage has taken place in the town for years. However, Arjun makes it clear that he doesn't believe the story and goes ahead with the plan. He hires wedding planner Jagdish Kewalramani (Paresh Rawal), who arrives in Mangalpur with his team and begins preparations. Soon, strange things start occurring in the haveli. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Bhooth Bangla Movie Story Review:
Akash Kaushik's story has tremendous potential.
Priyadarshan, Abilash Nair and Rohan Shankar's screenplay has its share of plusses. However, the writing could have been sharper, especially in the second half. Rohan Shankar's dialogues impress, especially the funny ones. A few one-liners will bring the house down.
Priyadarshan's direction is decent.
The biggest plus point is that he ensures the humour lands correctly. He's back in form and the way he has executed humour will make viewers nostalgic, reminding them of his earlier gems like HERA PHERI [2000], HUNGAMA [2003], HULCHUL [2004], etc. Hence, expect a lot of physical comedy, characters screaming at each other, misunderstandings leading to maddening humour, etc. The intermission point comes as a bolt from the blue and is quite unexpected. Visually, the film is quite splendid and will be a treat to witness on the big screen.
On the flipside, while Priyadarshan handles the humour in the first half like a pro, he falters in the post-interval portions when the horror takes centerstage.
The backstory fails to entice and gives a déjà vu of BHOOL BHULAIYAA [2007]. The climax is quite lengthy and despite the best effort, it doesn't grip viewers. A few characters shockingly disappear in the second half. Even the ones that enter the narrative post-interval don't get justified screen time.
Bhooth Bangla Movie Review Performances:
Akshay Kumar is simply superb and he enhances several scenes.
There is no match to his comic timing and he also does very well in the serious scenes. Rajpal Yadav comes next and he dominates several key sequences in the first half. His tu-tu main-main with Akshay is arguably the best part of the film. Paresh Rawal is lovely and nicely contributes to the chaos. The late Asrani is too good and his funny scenes in the first half are memorable. Bhavna Pani (Ragini) leaves a huge mark. Jisshu Sengupta, Rajesh Sharma, Manoj Joshi (Govind Maharaj) and Zakir Hussain (Vashishtha Guruji) do well. Speaking of the actresses, Mithila Palkar has the best role and is dependable. Tabu is quite arresting; however, she is hardly there. Wamiqa Gabbi puts her best foot forward, but her track seems forced and doesn't contribute to the narrative.
Bhooth Bangla movie music and other technical aspects
Pritam's music is okay.
Only one song is catchy - 'Ram Ji Aake Bhala Karenge'. 'O Sundari' and 'Tu Hi Disda' are okay, while 'O Re O Saawariya' works because of the visuals. Ronnie Raphael's background score is functional.
Divakar Mani's cinematography is top-notch.
Sabu Cyril's production design is first-rate, while V Sai Babu, Dhanya Balakrishnan, Veera Kapur Ee and Rimple & Harpreet's costumes are glamorous. WRC Studio LLP's VFX is impressive. Stunt Selva and Ravi Thyagarajan's action is entertaining but also gory in some scenes. Aiyappan Nair M S's editing could have been slicker.
Bhooth Bangla Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, BHOOTH BANGLA is a fair entertainer that works best for its humour, performances and old-school Priyadarshan-style chaos.
While the first half is highly enjoyable and packed with laughs, the second half loses some steam due to an underwhelming backstory and an overlong climax. At the box office, the solo release along with a clean window for two weeks, can lead to an impressive box office lifetime, especially if it clicks with the audience.
