Bhool Bhulaiyaa

Bhool Bhulaiyaa is a suspense thriller with a humour. It is not as tense as the great 1996 movie "Kaun" directed by Ram Gopal Varma. However, it does have it's moments and all characters played their role very well. A newly married couple Siddharth (Shiney Ahuja) and Avni (Vidya Balan) came back from America to live in Siddharth's inherited Palace, which is known to be haunted. There is a room on the third floor which was kept locked and tied with a holy string to keep the evil spirits from coming out. The news of the marriage left Radha (Amisha Patel) with a broken heart as she was in love with siddharth. Both Siddharth and Avni are educated and do not believe in ghosts. One day Avni's curiosity got the better of her and with the permission from her husband she opened the door. Since then, series of calamities and accidents have occurred. The locals blame the Avni for their misfortune, however, Siddharth thinks it Radha who has concocted these accidents to make Avni look bad and eventually be a threat to Avni's life. Siddharth thinks Radha is mentally ill and asks his friend Dr Aditya Shrivastav (Akshay Kumar) to investigate and help Radha. You will have to see the film for the rest and I'll tell you, it is very interesting. Akshay Kumar was a very mediocre actor during his early movies and has slowly blossomed into a great actor. He's very good to watch whether it be in a comedy role or a more serious role. This brings out the best of both these roles from Akshay. 7/10.

Before watching the movie I had read some reviews and I have never been so much disappointed with any movie before. The story started alright and had hoped that it would end with solving the mystery on a scientific basis. Avini and Sidharth both claim to have no faith in superstitious mambo jumbo but in the end they turn out to be as superstitious as any one else. I had become suspicious as soon as I say Aditya dressed up as s buffoon in Ramnami dress and claiming to have taken dip in Kumbha. In this day age when we need to popularize scientific attitude in children's, this movie takes us back 600 years. This kind of story should be banned if we expect India to take its place in the modern age.

The original Manichitrathazu was a thriller with some comedy. It's remake Bhool Bhulaiyaa, although a scene to scene copy of the original, but seems more like a comedy with with a psychological twist at the end. Probably because Priyadarshan is it's director. Except for the starting, everything is a plain copy of Manichitrathazu. In original, we never see Shobana's face in the scenes when she was at Nagavalli's room. But in Bhool Bhulaiya, the camera shows Vidya's face many times in the same scene. The suspense factor is not kept by Priyadarshan here. Also, the characters of Shridevi in manichitrathazu was so well written but here, the character of Radha has no role in it and even she had, Amisha patel killed it with his acting. Everyone's acting was from poor to okayish. Shiney Ahuja was the biggest dissapointment. He was little too loud every time. Rajpal Yadav and Paresh Rawal had no role in this, complete waste of talent. And why was Ameesha Patel even there? There was also an aspect at which this one was better than the original. It was that it doesn't contain the paranormal stuff at the starting like Manichitrathazu. Thus, the story makes more sense. But overall, it's an average flick.

At the outset let me set the stage here:: I have seen the impeccable Tamil version (it saved Rajnikanth's skin) and for obvious reasons comparisons are bound to be drawn. For starters Priyan has given his own touch to this remake. Having uttered the word remake, its utter confusion which Bible does he follow - Malayalam/ Kannada/ Tamil? Regardless it has its dose of merits and demerits. To make a movie belonging to a genre which is forte or churn out a suspense-*-horror? A pertinent Shakespearean question he must have faced. Ideally the movie sans comedy and promotions packaged in the similar form would have been a bulls-eye. All the OTT slap-stick antiques are forgotten once you see the credit rolls by. The lens-man needs to be applauded for his effort on capturing the palace and the city so beautifully. The set design deserves a special mention. You get transported into it immediately. Songs should have been done away entirely. The length of the movie – should have trimmed easily by 30 minutes to create an engaging sleek horror-*-suspense drama. Culprit: Screenplay, which is awfully slow and is noticeable at the pace the suspense unfolds and the actors mouth their lines (would it beat tortoise? I doubt). Having said that, the editor has pulled up his socks in the scenes when Akshay Kumar offers explanation to the Ramsay Brothers events. Result: Audience left in a state of utter confusion. Akshay Kumar:: Starts of as a buffoon. Enter Vikram Gokhale to mention his histrionics and he suddenly transforms to Doctor-doctor. Manoj Joshi:: Why is he barking in (n – 1) scenes? No family history of BP I guess. Shiny Ahuja:: Not one of the roles you would want to remember. Amisha Patel:: Her role is akin to the dartboard. Well, at least Akshay Kumar hits the bulls-eye in the end. (PJ! PJ! PJ!). Priyan you don't have to force-fit Paresh Rawal, Asrani and Rajpal Yadav in every movie of yours and constipate comedy out of them. Finally the weakest link:: The much applauded "to-watch-out" rising Parineeta star, Vidya Balan. Without saying much, just watch Shobana (which fetched a National award) or simply Jyotika. Bottomline: Bengali Manjulika, oops! BTW – can somebody provide the coordinates of this place in India which resembles Banaras, shudh-Hindi speaking people wear Rajasthani clothes, dance to balle-balle and.... and picture this – had Bengali courtesan around 100-years ago?

The Pedagogue of comedy has yet come again with a psychological thriller.One of the 2 main movies releasing in the week, this one is a clear winner. Set on the scenario of an NRI (Shiny)returning to India after some years along with Vidya Balan, they encounter some strange notions that villagers follow in their hometown. Shiny , determined to find the true reason of the extra normal activities, he calls in his friend , akshay kumar, who deals with such paranormal activities. To add to this mystic they are presented with a caution to enter in a particular room which has remained closed for ever so long and sole cause of the activities. Priyan has by far given true justice to the script , and perfected the art of 'Thriller film making'. It isn't the kind of comedy that you normally expect from Priyan, but the overall well presented, but the comedy scenes do see to be too verbose. This film is a true treat for the philanderers of the Akshay-Priyan-Paresh combo.

I have not watched the Malayalam original but I don't think I need to. If ever u need to to be proud of an Indian film in front of an American, this is what u'll need. A very intelligent mix of drama, suspense, thrill and comedy with traces of romance thrown in between.... Right from the start, the movie never sags. All the characters r well chosen & the storyline is taut. The plot is of a couple returning to the husband's native place and a haunting they encounter there. Although the plot has been explored before, the performances by actors here are commendable. The couple seems an actual couple, the father looks like a father, everything rings true and credible. Its hard to believe they r acting. The suspense unfolds gradually and is very ably switched with other elements but the interest is never let down. The crazy doctor looks like he can do nothing! But looks can be deceptive. A very well-chosen protagonist! Different, in fact from the conventional ones...Twists n turns at d right times and finally, a fitting climax....short enough to hold attention throughout. A masterpiece of effort! A bigger budget n a little better dialog delivery esp. from Akshay cud hv made d movie flawless...In the scene where Akshay explains his discovery, he seems to be struggling for words...just a bit, though!!! All in all a gr8 movie....Rating 9/10

"Bhool Bhulaiyaa" is a movie that pleasantly surprised me. I wasn't aware of the fact that this is a remake. I live in the Netherlands and only can get copies of Hindi movies. So without having any knowledge about the story I could watch this movie with fresh eyes and just loved it. The trailer is very misleading and letting people believe that it is a comedy. And I was glad that it wasn't. It is a real good suspense movie. Not in the sense that it was thrilling every minute. But you just feel that something is up. The comedy and horror elements are there to put you off course. I love the fact that they play around with superstition,religion and science. It is quite a remarkable psychological thriller. Be honest. There aren't many Indian movies like this compared to Hollywood movies. Not one minute I got bored with this movie. And let me tell you that is saying something. I have seen a lot of (American,Korean,Japanese,British,Dutch and Hong Kong)movies this year and with most of them I was very disappointed. And now you have "Om Shanti Om, "Johny Gaddar" and "Bhool Bhulaiyaa that did quite the opposite. For me this movie rocked big time. And there should be much more movies like this one.

Got a wasted day..?? This movie's gotta everything to make it all right. Well cooked story, nice and gripping presentation, power-packed performances.. and a humor different than the conventional slapstick humor that we get in movies these days (well, at least it was presented differently). Priyadarshan is really a come-back in this one. Though I liked this fella always, but his movies had been following a routine kinda trail and all his experiments like Bhagam Bhaag have been failing miserably. But this movie was really a welcome break from his side. Akshay Kumar, as he has already proved several time, has got a great comic timing. He brings twists to the movie's plot as well as inside your belly as you go laughing all the way. Vidhya Balan looks very sweet except for once, but I'll talk no further to ruin your suspense if you haven't seen the movie yet. Paresh Rawal & Rajpal Yadav are once again a treat to watch. Go see this movie. Its an ultimate stress buster. Go with the guys, and you will have even more fun. :-) I vote, "Highly Recommended".

Bhool Bhulaiya gives us what it does not promise. The trailers pronounced the flick to be a comic caper, prompting parents of infants to throng the theaters with their little ones in tow. What the film turns out to be is some different dish altogether. It is what the fine print said all along, a psychological thriller. Just that the fine print should have been the meat and the comic reliefs the periphery. However, to judge the film in isolation from the trailered promise, it is not a bad production at all. The first half is dedicated as a build up for the second half with the director attempting to keep the audiences involved and entertained with slapstick comedy which more often than not falls flat. There is the usual bathroom humor and situational confusions which may elicit a tickle from the infants spoken about above but are given a pass by the adult members of the audience. Have no illusions about it, the film is whole and sole about the second half. The entry of Akshay Kumar brings in a new life into the sagging build up and one realises that for all his faults and shortcomings, the guy really does have screen presence. The audience practically stirs out of it's slumber the moment Dr Aditya (Akshay Kumar) starts to unload himself on the movie. Even the humor starts being, well, humorous. The suspense builds up with twists and unpredictable turns and though you may have a strong opinion on the eventual guilty party, the motive is well hidden throughout. Overall BB is a reasonably well woven tale about a stereotyped village with it's share of village belles and bumbling idiots, a family of earstwhile royals, superstitions and supernaturals, the way we know it. Recommend a watch. And yeah, do leave your kids behind lest they scream and rant at the horror scenes and spoil the show for those around.