Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 review: Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan shine in splendid climax, but only after 2 agonising hours

The last 30 minutes of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 seem to be written and directed entirely by someone else. How else do you explain the sudden shift in tone and quality? For two solid hours, the horror-comedy meanders its way through with a gag here and a jump scare there, making Kartik Aaryan sleepwalk and the other veteran actors ham.

Then, the climax turns the tables, giving Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan room to show why they are what they are, and even Kartik has some room to perform finally. The film, which had largely depended on stale humour till then, suddenly makes brave and bold choices, raising issues, making sense, and even tugging at your heart. The payoff is good but lord, does it take forever to get to it.

What is Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 about?

Roohan aka Rooh Baba (Kartik) is a charlatan, a ghostbuster who cons people in Kolkata. He is contacted by the princess of Raktaghat, Meera (Triptii Dimri), who wants him to do this ghostbusting act at her kingdom because her father, Raja Saab (Vijay Raaz), is convinced the palace is haunted by Manjulika, a 200-year-old witch. Roohan learns that he bears a striking resemblance to a late prince of the kingdom, and everyone assumes he is the reincarnation. He decides to get rid of Manjulika for the royals. But the only trouble is who is Manjulika. The candidates are two mysterious women – Mallika (Vidya Balan), who comes to the palace to restore it, and Mandira (Madhuri Dixit), a royal who wants to buy the property. Both have a weird fixation with the palace and the throne, bringing with them some unusual happenings.

How it fares

Kartik Aaryan shoulders the first half of the film, but alas, director Anees Bazmee reduces him to an Akshay Kumar clone for the most part. The actor’s physicality, comedy, and delivery are all reminiscent of the star who started this franchise. Kartik tries his best to coast through, but he acts within himself. Triptii Dimri is also presented in the film as a replaceable female face, which is quite sad for an actor of her calibre. As the film plays out through a series of gags, annoying songs that interrupt the narrative, and some predictable jump scares, you see talents like Vijay Raaz, Sanjay Mishra, Ashwini Kalsekar, and Rajpal Yadav being wasted totally.

To say the first half is sluggish is an understatement. It tests your patience. The story goes nowhere, and the premise that is set is negated in the second half. Triptii Dimri gets a grand total of one scene where she shows why she is considered among the most promising actresses of her generation. And she knocks it out of the park in that scene. But before and after that, she is sadly reduced to a prop. I mean, once you get Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan to overact, just how can you expect Kartik Aaryan to save a film?

That rescue act comes in the form of an unexpected climax. Just when you have lost faith in the film, the tables are turned. Director Bazmee introduces a layer and a plot twist you do not see coming. It is brave, it is bold, but it is so delayed that you hardly care by now. There is no denying that the climax is good. In the two scenes that he gets, Kartik Aaryan emotes through his eyes and shows he is capable of putting up a performance too. In those 20 minutes, he transforms into the Kartik from Chandu Champion. But sadly, the director does not trust him fully. He uses VFX and camera trickery to present him, which only masks his performance.

Vidya Balan is another shining light in the film. No offence to Kartik, but Vidya owns Bhool Bhulaiyaa, the franchise. And in this part, she shows just why. She is effortless, natural, and has a commanding screen presence. Even in scenes with someone as striking as Madhuri Dixit, she shines the brightest. Madhuri gets limited screentime but holds her own in it. When she and Vidya are not going over the top in their Manjulika act, it is fun to watch their jugalbandi.

Final thoughts

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is often compared to Stree 2 in that both are horror comedies from a franchise. But while Stree 2 is organically linked to the first part, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is just a spiritual successor. We aren’t told if this Roohan is the same as part 2. If yes, then what happened to Kiara Advani’s character? These questions are never answered. The film simply tries to sell a brand through nostalgia, using a new(er) rendition of Ami Je Tomar and Vidya Balan. But it falls flat because the film is structured like a gag reel with a twist at the end. Yes, the twist is good, but did we have to suffer for two hours for it? Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 packs a powerful message, but one that deserved a better film.