In 2007, Priyadarshan directed Vidya Balan as the ghostly apparition Manjulika in Bhool Bhulaiyaa, with Aneez Bazmee taking over the reins of this comedy-horror franchise in 2022. Akshay Kumar was replaced by Kartik Aaryan, who played Ruhaan—a charlatan masquerading as a psychic, who communicates with and channels spirits. Tabu stepped into the dual roles of the trapped spirit, Manjulika, and her twin sister, Anjulika.
In part three, Bazmee reinvents the wheel, casting Vidya Balan and Madhuri Dixit as the (maybe) Manjulikas. However, the presence of these two seasoned actresses in one film does not amount to much. In fact, it’s a wasted opportunity. While you have two times the Manjulikas, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is half the fun. Even Kartik Aaryan comes across as fatigued, with his character Rooh Baba’s fake ghostbusting antics.
Writer Aakash Kaushik’s story travels 200 years. In the past, this thriving royal house in Bengal formed the backdrop to intense rivalry between the heirs for the throne. A dancing figure was burnt at the stake by an irrationally enraged father, but rose from the ashes to return as a malevolent spirit identified as Manjulika. The spirit was entrapped in a room and sealed off with all kinds of spells, strings and locks.
In the present day, the descendants of the same royal family seem richly dressed but are apparently impoverished and desperate to exorcise their palace of its spirited resident, so they can sell the estate for a handsome sum of money. Rooh Baba is enlisted for the job, and the promise of a substantial payout is all the incentive he needs. His motivation is bolstered by the king’s (played by Vijay Raaz) attractive single daughter Meera (Triptii Dimri).
With over 150 minutes of running time, the script is replete with twists:Who is Manjulika? How many Manjulikas are there? Is Ruhaan the reincarnation of Manjulika’s half-brother, the erstwhile prince Debendranath?
Balan plays restoration expert Mallika, and Dixit turns up as Mandira, a potential buyer for the palace. Neither character’s modus operandi really plays out. The dynamic between Dixit and Balan is an opportunity wasted, filled by the tiresome trio of Bade Pandit, Panditayeen and Chhota Pandit played by Sanjay Mishra, Ashwini Kalsekar and Rajpal Yadav respectively. Their humourless scenes add to an already long film that’s high on concept, low on mood, scares, gags and wit. Meta jokes like a send-up of Jawan and Aaryan’s own misfire Shehzada also fall flat.
You know a film is being built around a formula when romance happens in one moment, and in the next scene the hero and his leading lady have been transported from a dusty location—representative of Bengal—to stark, cold and serene Ladakh for a romantic song sequence. The climax is a tonal and thematic shift, attempting a little woke-ism and shifting attention away from the strong female leads, in whose orbit the ‘greenness’ of Aaryan and Dimri becomes all the more apparent.
‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ might be a case of being third time unlucky.
Udita Jhunjhunwala is a writer and critic. She posts on X @Udita J
