Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Review

 

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is a 2024 Indian Hindi horror comedy film directed by Anees Bazmee, written by Aakash Kaushik and produced by T-Series Films and Cine1 Studios. It serves as the third installment in the series of the same name after Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007). and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022). It stars Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri and is set in Kolkata, West Bengal.

Entering the haunted labyrinth for the third time, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 follows a similar template to its predecessors. Rooh Baba (Kartik Aaryan), a fake ghostbuster, is commissioned by the hapless royal family of Rakhta Ghat to help exorcise the ghost of Manjulika, who is wreaking havoc at the palace doors in retaliation for trying to sell an heirloom. .

The royal family and villagers believe that Rooh Baba is the reincarnation (and double) of Rajkumar Debendranath, the prince and owner of the palace two centuries ago. They are also convinced that it is only Rooh Baba who can open the door where Manjulika remains trapped by the pandits and get rid of the (supposedly) evil supernatural being. But will he be able to defeat Manjulika? Also, who is the real Manjulika in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3? Is it Vidya Balan, the beloved OG Manjulika, or Madhuri Dixit, the new welcome addition to the horror-comedy franchise? Scroll down to find out…

As Rooh Baba and the royal family - including Ruhaan's love interest Randhawa Meera (Triptii Dimri) - try to find out Manjulika's true identity, they come across two prime suspects. One is Mallika (Vidya Balan), a heritage restorer, and the other is Mandira (Madhuri Dixit), a rich royal princess who wants to buy a palace for an exorbitant amount.

Stranger things happen when Mallika and Mandira collide - with mysterious women exhibiting haunting qualities. While Rooh Baba suspects Mandira of being Manjulika, Meera believes that Mallika is an evil spirit. To get to the heart of the matter, on the night of Durgashtmi, Rooh Baba and the royal family gather around the spot where Manjulika was burnt alive 200 years ago.

As the comedy of errors between Mallika and Mandira who is Manjulika continues, the quick wit of Rooh Baba comes into play and successfully rids both of them of Manjulika's ghost. It turned out that neither of them was Manjulika. Instead, Manjulika is revealed to be none other than Rajkumar Debendranath (also played by Kartik Aaryan), who possessed both Mallika and Mandira to burn them alive and felt the same pain as him.

Mallika and Mandira are actually reincarnations of Manjulika and Anjulika, Debendranath's ambitious sisters. The bickering siblings could not stand it when Debendranath claimed the throne they believed was theirs. When they discover that Debendranath is a cross-dresser and loves to dance like his sisters, Mallika and Mandira plan their revenge.

They convince Debendranath to get dressed and get out, but their fathers quickly show him off. The enraged king punishes his son by burning him, while imprisoning his daughters for their transgressions and banishing them from the throne. Heartbroken, Debendranath vows revenge on his sisters as he is burned alive and finally gets a chance for revenge when Rooh Baba breaks the seal of Bhairava Kavacha from the room in which he was imprisoned.

Rooh Baba realizes that it is not him but actually Mallika and Mandira (Manjulika and Anjulika) who can defeat Debendranath and asks the two sisters to burn his spirit. However, Duo accepts his wrongdoing towards his little brother and changes his mind. They ask for the forgiveness of Debendranath, who desired only to attain moksha (peace) and finally attains it after two centuries.

Vidya Balan (who hasn't missed a step in 17 years) and Madhuri Dixit push Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 through and through with their veteran acts, while Kartik Aaryan is comfortable in his Rooh Baba avatar and Akshay Kumar's mannerisms ooze (again). Like Kiara Advani in BB2, Triptii Dimri is a wasted potential in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 with an underdeveloped character and two easily avoidable love songs. And what comes as the biggest travesty is the absurd cinematography behind Vidya Balan and Madhuri Dixit's otherwise incredible dance in Ami Je Tomar 3.0.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 has its lesser dose of laughs and scares but in the end it doesn't warrant Bhool Bhulaiyaa 4…