On Akshay Kumar's 57th birthday, the superstar dropped a major surprise for fans by revealing the title and the first look poster of his upcoming horror-comedy, Bhooth Bangla. Interestingly, this comes right after the blockbuster success of Amar Kaushik's Stree 2, where Akshay Kumar had a scene-stealing cameo. What's special about Bhooth Bangla is that he is reunited with director Priyadarshan for the horror-comedy, that's co-produced by Ektaa R Kapoor. It doesn't need to be said that Priyadarshan is one of the few directors who have made the best use of Akshay Kumar's comic timing on screen. ‘Bhooth Bangla’: Akshay Kumar Reunites With Priyadarshan After 14 Years for New Horror-Comedy; Film To Arrive in 2025.

Bhooth Bangla marks the seventh collaboration between Akshay Kumar and the Malayalam filmmaker, who, in the past, has given us iconic movies like Hera Pheri, Garam Masala and Bhool Bhulaiyaa. In fact, the 2007 movie Bhool Bhulaiyaa is also the first horror-comedy that Akshay Kumar and Priyadarshan have each done in Bollywood, and it was also their collab's biggest money-maker at the domestic box office (INR 49.10 crore in 2007 wasn't that bad).

So it makes sense that their reunion after 14 years would come by in the same genre, apart from the fact that horror-comedies are now the new favourite flavour of the audience after the super-successes of Munjya and Stree 2. ‘Stree 2’ Ending and Post-Credit Scenes Explained: Decoding How Akshay Kumar-Varun Dhawan’s Cameos Set Up ‘Stree 3’ and ‘Vampires of Vijay Nagar’ in Maddock Supernatural Universe.

Below, we list all the movies directed by Priyadarshan that starred Akshay Kumar in the lead and how they fared at the box office.

1. Hera Pheri - Profitable

2. Garam Masala - Hit

3. Bhagam Bhag - Hit

4. Bhool Bhulaiyaa - Hit

5. De Dana Dan - Average

6. Khatta Meetha - Average

As you can see from the above, the combo of Akshay Kumar and Priyadarshan didn't have a pure flop per se. Even Khatta Meetha - the movie that people consider a box office 'disappointment' - was considered an average performer since it had earned INR 38.66 crore out of a reported INR 23 crore budget. Perhaps it was the underwhelming response to Khatta Meetha, even from the fans and critics then, which might be a reason why Priyadarshan and Akshay Kumar haven't worked with each other since 2010.

The 'Bhooth Bangla' Announcement

 

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While Akshay Kumar has been delivering hits from that period (till he was cursed with a slew of flops post-2021), Priyadarshan has been struggling to either deliver a good film or a hit at the box office in Bollywood. Post Bhool Bhulaiyaa, the director has been seeing an underwhelming box office form in Hindi Cinema. Even if we consider De Dana Dan and Khatta Meetha as not 'flops', Priyadarshan had seen box office failures in Mere Baap Pehle Aap, Billu, Bumm Bumm Bole, Aakrosh, Tezz, Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal and Rangrezz.

Priyadarshan's last theatrical release in Bollywood was Rangrezz in 2013. Eight years later, he made Hungama 2, a remake of his own film Minnaram, which was a direct OTT release. The comedy, starring Meezan and Pranitha Subhash, received highly negative reviews. Hungama 2 Movie Review: Dear Mohanlal Fans, Stay Away From This Outdated Minnaram Remake!

Here's hoping that Bhooth Bangla will change the box office fates for both its lead star and its director for good. Watch out for our website as we cover more updates on Bhooth Bangla as and when they start rolling.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 09, 2024 12:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).