Bhool Bhulaiyaa, a remake of the Malayalam film “Manichitrathazhu“, was released in 2007. The original film was praised for its unique treatment of psychiatric aberration in a conservative community and the ultimate adoption of a modern perspective. Bhool Bhulaiyaa became an instant classic as well. Priyadarshan remained faithful to the original film while incorporating all commercial components.
After a long wait, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 was announced, albeit without the original cast and crew. According to the makers, this is a new story and has no connection with the first part. It’s merely a spiritual sequel. It is directed by Anees Bazmee and stars Kartik Aryan, Kiara Advani, and Tabu.
The film immediately establishes that it is headed in the opposite direction of Bhool Bhulaiyaa. Although this sequel has the same body and structure as the first, it lacks the soul. Perhaps we should consider this as a standalone film and stop comparing. But we can’t help because it was the makers’ idea to name it Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2.
Some jokes are hilarious and some of the horror parts are effective as well. However, when viewed as a whole, nothing in this film works. This mess is the result of poor and sloppy writing. It can sometimes feel like you’re watching Insta reels. The story revolves around the big joint family of Kiara Advani. But we’re not sure who’s whose father, who’s whose son, who’s whose sister and who’s whose uncle. We believe the writer has no idea who the characters are or what their relationships are. Kartik Aryan attempts to persuade you, but his acting can’t save the film if the screenplay isn’t up to par. The first instalment had a terrific music album, however the songs in this instalment are really mediocre. They rely entirely on the theme song from the first film. Kiara Advani plays a dumb girl whose sole role is to carry the plot ahead in the absence of a writer with a brain.
First good thing about the film is, there are some technically perfect horror elements and jump scare scenes in the movie. The second good thing is listening to Neeraj Sridhar’s voice after so long. The film has certain nostalgic aspects that work in its favour.
While the first film attempted to modernise the debate about some of the society’s dogmatic ideas, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 attempts to be as regressive as possible. In the film, there is a song with the lyrics “hum nashe mein to nahi…”. We are eagerly anticipating the makers’ response. If this is Bollywood’s gamble to resurrect the industry, only God can help them.
