Bhooth Bangla Review: Hits a few comic notes, but Akshay Kumar’s chaos comedy feels out of tune

There's something endearing about Priyadarshan swinging for the fences with Bhooth Bangla — a film that wears its Bhool Bhulaiyaa heart firmly on its sleeve, occasionally trips over its own kurta, and still manages to keep you somewhat entertained through sheer force of nostalgia. Whether that's quite enough is where things get a bit wobbly.

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.

Let's give credit where it's due: Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) was genuinely ahead of its time. Using psychiatry rather than outright possession as the fulcrum of a horror-comedy was a quietly brilliant move — one that still holds up and will continue to do so. Bhooth Bangla, by contrast, doesn't bring anything particularly groundbreaking to the haunted mansion. There's comedy, there's chaos, and there are callbacks that produce a warm flicker of recognition — but a flicker is not quite a flame.

The late Asrani sahab is an absolute delight to watch — genuinely one of those screen presences that makes you sit up a little straighter whenever he appears. That was lovely.

What isn't lovely is what the film does with Rajpal Yadav — one of Hindi cinema's most beloved comedians, reduced here to being the punching bag (sometimes quite literally) of the main lead. A comedy of errors needs a butt of the joke, fair enough, but this tips well past charming into repetitive. The manhandling gets old, fast.

Mr Priyadarshan, just one innocent query – was there a 'minimal age gap' clause in the casting contract? Because Jisshu Sengupta does not look like Akshay's father. However, his college roommate? Definitely!

The soundtrack, much like the rest of the film, tries hard but doesn't quite stick the landing. Most of it goes in one ear and politely excuses itself out the other — pleasant enough in the moment, forgettable by the time you've reached the car park.

The one shining exception is a beautifully composed classical number ‘O Ri O Sanwiraya’ that kicks off the second half — genuinely lovely, the kind of song that makes you sit up and think, ‘oh, there it is.’ And then the film carries on and you spend the rest of it wondering why it couldn't bring that same energy to everything else.

Another odd stretch comes with Akshay Kumar’s character suddenly gaining the ability to see ghosts. It’s an interesting idea on paper, but the way it plays out raises a few questions. There are scenes where he’s casually talking to a ghost in a busy market or right outside a temple—and not a single person around him reacts. Nobody nudges their friend. Not one curious passerby leans in to ask, "bhai, kisko bol rahe ho?" — which, in India, is frankly the most unrealistic thing in the entire film. You can suspend disbelief for ghosts. You cannot suspend disbelief for an Indian crowd collectively minding its own business.

That said, the film does look good. Shot across locations like Jaipur, Mumbai, Kochi and even London, Bhooth Bangla makes full use of its settings. The palace sequences in Rajasthan, especially, add a nice visual richness, and there’s a certain old-world charm to the sprawling havelis and temple backdrops. Parts of the film were even shot at places like Chomu Palace and large sets in Ramoji Film City, which do lend scale to the story.

There's something quietly poetic about returning to the same grand halls — even if the film itself doesn't quite conjure the same magic those walls once held. Whatever you might feel about the speed or writing, the film is never hard on the eyes.

Bhooth Bangla feels like a throwback to a kind of comedy that once worked brilliantly for Priyadarshan, Akshay Kumar, and the audience —full of confusion, chaos, and characters shouting over each other. However, this one feels more like a greatest hits compilation played at slightly the wrong tempo.

You recognise the tunes, you tap your foot, you even smile — but somewhere in the back of your mind, you're humming the original. Here's hoping that if there's another outing, the haunted mansion has a few more surprises up its sleeve and a slightly shorter climax.

Or at the very least, someone in the crowd finally asks Akshay who he's talking to.

(All opinions are the author's own.)