‘Bhool Bhulaiya 3’ movie review: Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan are underused in this horror comedy

Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan in ‘Bhul Bhulaya 3’

During the festive season, director Anees Bazmee asks moviegoers to bring popcorn and he will give a comic twist. This Diwali, the director has lit a green cracker that leaves a purple patch in the air but to be progressive, he fails to keep his traditional comedy pot on the boil and uses powerhouse performers like Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan to shine. screen

The third installment of the popular franchise that sparked interest in big-budget horror comedies in Bollywood seems to have been hastily put together to cash in on the success of the second installment. The second installment was released right after the pandemic when the entertainment terrain dried up. But the third came out after a stretch Street 2 Where the jokes don’t dry up until the end credits.

At 158 ​​minutes, the maze of pleasure here is stretched beyond its potential, and the destructive elements, characteristic of a horror comedy, don’t gel organically with the story. A film that shamelessly stereotypes Bengalis and their culture for easy laughs, suddenly tries to include in the climax, turning the whole exercise into a hypocritical charade.

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There are some promising moments as Bazmi tells us the poor More deadly than ghosts. The film pays homage to the spirit of the Ramsay Brothers by casting their screen ghosts and using the signature tunes of the G Horror Show but a few well-executed skits don’t make for a good screenplay. Several potential plot points could have raised the bar but writer Akash Kaushik seems more interested in addressing teenagers of all ages before adding a message towards the end.

Karthik Aryan is again the lifeline of the franchise. Evoking the spirit of Akshay Kumar, he brings his natural flair to the family comedy as the charming charlatan Ruhan. Once again tasked with controlling the spirit of a vengeful manjulika for a price, the ghostbusters fall into a palace intrigue where we encounter a past filled with patriarchy, false pride and unfulfilled desires. Manjulika had a brother who looked like Ruhan and a sister Anjulika who fought for the throne. When Ruhan sets out to clear the web of the past, he gets caught up in funny and scary situations that demand some serious editing. It is left to the supporting cast led by Vijay Raj and Sanjay Mishra to fill in the gaps that have a shelf life of wet fireworks.

The second installment was lit up by a very spirited performance by Tabu as Bhoot. Here Bajmi brings Madhuri and Vidya to step into the witch’s backwards-facing shoes. Both bring their rhetoric to the haunting parts but not enough to do justice to their huge presence in the storyline with Karthik at the center of the narrative. It’s rare to see Madhuri in shades of gray and she shows in one scene that she can portray the hysterical side of a deeply flawed and arrogant person but the film doesn’t test her enough. Vidya, who was part of the crackling original directed by Priyadarshan, reprises her role. The character has lost some flab but the franchise has run out of gas.

Tripti Dimri is once again playing second fiddle to the hero for the mundane songs and promotional material. With little depth to the character, it seems the makers want her different types of blouses to do the talking. In both Diwali releases, Bollywood has produced a lot of star power but it is the quality of the writing that will keep their shine intact.

Bhul Bulaiya 3 is currently playing in theatres.