‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ review: Sequel fails to match spirit of original hit

THE first two Bhool Bhulaiyaa films found success with the story of a haunted palace and trying to figure out who the real evil spirit is.

The recently released third instalment tries to recycle a similar story trope, with a brand new array of madcap characters. This time around, fake ghostbuster Ruhaan is blackmailed into going to a haunted palace because he looks like an ancient ancestor. He is tasked with getting rid of an evil spirit haunting the palatial property, but unexpectedly finds love. When two mysterious women also arrive at the palace, things get further complicated, and what follows is the unravelling of a centuries-old mystery.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 attempts to twist an existing story in a new direction and turns it into a tangled mess, with too many elements crammed into a colourful supernatural-comedy tapestry. The jumbled story is peppered with songs, comedy and spooky moments, but the music is average, the humour forced and there are not-so-scary scenes. It seems to be a lazy attempt at cashing in on a successful franchise by recycling old elements, including songs that have been heard before, and results in a sub-standard copy of better films.

While the cast, led by Kartik Aaryan and Triptii Dimri, deliver solid performances, they struggle to inject life into this decidedly dead horror comedy. Director Anees Bazmee wastes the golden opportunity of having cinema icons Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan in his film. The popular leading ladies deserved much more than what this movie had to offer them. Those who don’t mind plot-holes, coincidences and story elements that have been seen before may enjoy this movie. There is also an interesting climax, but that isn’t enough to save a film which could have been so much better, had there been more originality and stronger writing.