Bhoot Police Movie Review: Let’s get this straight right at the beginning because the obvious parallels will be drawn sooner than later. Saif Ali Khan and Arjun Kapoor starrer horror-comedy Bhoot Police is not Stree. While the Rajkumar Rao starrer banked heavily on the novelty factor as indeed on the quirky narration, Bhoot Police is way too simple in terms of presentation and description. There isn’t much complexity and convolution, and the film rests firmly on the shoulders of Saif Ali Khan and Arjun Kapoor. And guess what! The movie works because it doesn’t take itself too seriously, neither do the protagonists. Their quirky chemistry or bromance if you call it that, that is, makes this endeavour a rather crisp and an entertaining watch. Bhoot Police: Yami Gautam Opens Up About Her Role in the Film, Says ‘It Allowed Me To Expand My Range as an Artist’.

Let’s not fool ourselves. There isn’t much new or exciting on offer here. We as cinemagoers know what we have signed up for when we watch Bhoot Police. We, as the collective, are fairly acquainted with the horror-comedy genre by now. This film most certainly doesn’t catch you unawares like Saif’s another screwball comedy Go Goa Gone had a few years back. Or it doesn’t even send you on a trip that is ridiculously crazy and utterly satisfying like Stree. But yes, Bhoot Police is both shamelessly slapstick and candidly simplistic. Saif and Arjun seem to know that they have nothing to lose with this one and they have performed exactly like that. And most certainly that rare honesty makes Bhoot Police a  crisp endeavour.

What’s it about?

There’s not much of a story that the directors set out to tell in Bhoot Police. Banking heavily on his 'ghostbusting' lineage inherited from his 'master' father, Vibhuti Baba (Saif Ali Khan) and Chiraunji Baba (Arjun Kapoor) are popular (read: notorious) taantriks.  While Vibhuti dupes believers for their money with the promise of ridding them of dark energy and evil supernatural elements,  (Chiraunji) is interested in studying the vidya and learning the Tantra for an honest way in which he could earn a  living. Maya (Yami Gautam) approaches the duo since there is a certain Kichkandi, the ultimate witch, in her tea estate. interestingly and coincidentally, Vibhuti and Chiraunji’s father Ullat Baba had helped the state in getting rid of the witch nearly three decades ago.  The ghostbuster jodi reach Silawar Tea Estate only to know that there are some mysterious elements at play and they must separate the fact from the fiction with the able support from Maya (Yami) and her sister (played by Jacqueline Fernandez).  Bhoot Police Star Saif Ali Khan Feels Horror Comedy Genre Is in Danger of Getting over Exposed.

Watch the Trailer:

Saif Ali Khan's easy screen presence and one-liners will surely crack you up. But beyond a point, he gets repetitive with the obvious lack of innovation to build his character consistently. Arjun Kapoor as Chiraunji, the innocent and righteous sibling, is striking. Yami as Maya, who is a determined daughter who has taken upon herself the seemingly impossible mission of saving her father’s legacy, the tea estate, from being lost to the said ghost, is impressive while Jacqueline Fernandez has largely been reduced to being a bimbette and is totally forgettable. We are introduced to the characters of Chedilal (Jaaved Jaaferi), Google Baba (Rajpal Yadav) and Hari Kumar (Amit Mistry)  but they don't quite propel the narrative except for Jaaved Jafferi's character who is totally caricaturish.

Yay!

-Saif Ali Khan knows how to shoot those absolute mad, crazy and utterly hilarious one-liners with ease and Arjun Kapoor compliments him very well by keeping his humor poker-faced, therefore effective!

-The supernatural elements don’t go into overdrive. There are two tracks running parallel to add to the drama and the hysteria, and the credit goes to the writers and the director for keeping the tale simple.

Nay!

-The story is too simple to the point that you can predict what’s going to happen next. Had the editing been tighter and the writing taut, this could have been a really interesting watch

-Saif Ali Khan is at ease while essaying his role so much so that he doesn’t innovate to play it in hatke way, which he could have made his character edgy and funnier. Sadly you get him as the actor you always knew from his previous outings.

Final Thoughts

On witnessing a sudden transformation in one of the leading characters, who is suddenly possessed by the ghost, Saif goes “Ye Femina Se Tehelka Kaise Ho Gayi Bey” this line is just a small glimpse of the bordering-on-irreverence dialogues of Bhoot Police that’s set out to exploit the unintentional comicality. It does have its much-required comic elements in place, but Bhoot Police gets dragged on to become predictable. You won’t regret watching this one on a lazy weekend evening though!

Rating:3.0

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 10, 2021 10:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).