‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ Movie Review: Kartik Aaryan’s Mildy Intriguing Horror-Comedy is Haunted By Knotty Writing, Outdated Humour and CGI Spooks! (LatestLY Exclusive)

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Movie Review: Horror-comedies with franchise appeal are the latest craze for cinema-goers, and after the blockbuster success of Stree 2, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 now seeks its Diwali triumph. If you enjoyed the last film and are a dedicated fan of Kartik Aaryan’s efforts to compensate for Akshay Kumar’s absence, BB3 might entertain you. However, if you found BB2 cringe-worthy and felt it did a disservice to a fine actress like Tabu, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 follows a similar path—except this time, it has two accomplished actresses to serve cringe while challenging other sensibilities along the way. Before ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ vs ‘Singham Again’ Clash, Ranking Box Office Collections of All ‘Third’ Movies of Bollywood Franchises From Lowest to Highest.

Like its predecessor, the story centres on Ruhan, aka Rooh Baba (Kartik Aaryan), a conman who, with the help of his sidekick Tillu (Arun Kushwah), dupes wealthy people with staged exorcisms. When Meera (Triptii Dimri) and her uncle (Rajesh Sharma) expose his fraud, they blackmail him into accompanying them to Rakthaghat, where their decaying palace is haunted by the vengeful spirit of Manjulika.

Watch the Trailer of 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3':

At the palace, Rooh Baba discovers an unexpected link to the royal family and starts encountering bizarre phenomena. But what he doesn’t realise is that he’s dealing with not just one angry spirit, but two.

‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ Movie Review - More Intriguing Than BB2

In fairness to Anees Bazmee’s latest attempt at mixing horror and humour, I’d say that, compared to Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, the main storyline here holds a touch more intrigue. The BB2 plot of identical twins was borrowed from a Thai film, and once the twist was revealed, the mystery felt flat. In BB3, the makers work harder to keep the suspense going until the climax, even if the mystery itself becomes increasingly convoluted.

There’s a lot going on in this one. Supposedly, there are duplicate ghosts, reincarnations, piercing glares, frequent callbacks to previous films (though, thankfully, this one’s not directly tied to any of them), and even a romance arc to give Triptii Dimri something to do, besides a mild mystery that ultimately goes nowhere. Anees Bazmee and cinematographer Manu Anand have given BB3 a vibrant look that suits the big screen, but style alone isn’t enough.

‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ Movie Review - Knotty and Overstrected Screenplay

The script twists itself into so many knots that it sometimes loses track of its own setups. Some spoilers ahead… For instance, it’s hinted before the first half ends that there could be two spirits haunting the palace, yet for some reason, everyone is singularly fixated on identifying Manjulika. With Vidya Balan and Madhuri Dixit’s characters as the top suspects, the audience is kept guessing who the real Manjulika is, despite a clear mention that one spirit has a different name. And why does this spirit cling to the name ‘Manjulika’? Does it sense the franchise appeal? Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 Movie Review: A Kartik Aaryan Show Trapped in a Spooky Comedy That's Neither Amuses Nor Scares! 

Sure, the climactic twist—a CGI-heavy reveal—may surprise some, though not necessarily in a good way, and it raises its own issues with political incorrectness (even if, in their minds, the makers think they are doing justice to a community's presentation). However, political incorrectness isn’t limited to the climax.

‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ Movie Review - Outdated Humour With Rare Good Gags

BB3 manages to annoy both northern and southern Indian audiences alike. The franchise’s persistent use of exaggerated Bengali accents—primarily to create comedic effect—wears thin quickly, especially since these accents often vanish in normal scenes. And perhaps because the setting is West Bengal, the film seems to go overboard with the red hues. But annoying the Bengalis apparently wasn’t enough; Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 even parodies Malayalis in one utterly unfunny scene. I don't think anyone has done injustice to the onscreen representation of Malayalis in Bollywood as much as Suresh Menon.

Occasionally, the film manages a sprinkling of genuine humour. The scene where Rooh Baba meets the impoverished royal family, headed by Vijay Raaz’s amusing Maharaja (Kartik Aaryan also delivers a self-deprecating joke referencing one of his biggest flops), works well. The cheque scene is funny, as is a small gag about ‘DID’. Beyond these moments, however, much of the comedy feels forced and grows tiresome—especially with the antics of the trio played by Sanjay Mishra, Ashwini Kalsekar, and Rajpal Yadav, which seem to drag on, adding unnecessary minutes to the runtime (as do two needless romantic songs). And while Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video makes a stab at spoofing Stree 2, Jawan becomes an annoying punchline for a gag in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.

The spooky elements feel better in comparison, even if they rely mostly on cheap jump scares, or having its ghost enact James Wan's Malignant, or keep on having repetitive scenes of nightmare sequences.

‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ Movie Review - Kartik Aaryan's Winsome Confidence

Performance-wise, Kartik Aaryan's exuberance shines again, even though his comedic style is beginning to mirror his predecessor’s a bit too closely. His strong screen presence and confidence help carry many scenes, despite bringing little new to his repertoire. Triptii Dimri, meanwhile, is just about okay in a role that has enough presence but lacks depth, with her largely serving as a PYT (Pretty Young Triptii).

When the trailer debuted, many questioned the inclusion of Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan in the film. BB3 doesn’t exactly prove them wrong, forcing both to rely on exaggerated expressions in some scenes. Yet their mere presence lifts the film in some moments. Just seeing these two iconic actresses dance to the "Aami Je Tomar 3.0" number is enough to forgive some of the film’s flaws. And therein lies the secret of this franchise: it somehow manages to enlist female acting legends to rescue it from mediocrity. So, who’s up for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 4? Shabana Azmi?

PS: We are now three movies into this franchise, and yet the only songs that remain stuck in our minds are the ones reworked from the original Bhool Bhulaiyaa. I wonder what it says about the state of Bollywood music these days...

‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 offers a colourful spectacle and occasional laughs and creeps but ultimately falls victim to its own excess. By overcomplicating the story with unnecessary twists and recycling predictable gags, it squanders its horror-comedy potential, leaning too heavily on Kartik Aaryan’s charm and the goodwill of its female leads to carry the burdened weight to its farcical finishing point.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 01, 2024 12:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).