Bhooth Bangla

On the flipside, while Priyadarshan handles the humour in the first half like a pro, he falters in the post-interval portions when the horror takes centerstage. The backstory fails to entice and gives a déjà vu of BHOOL BHULAIYAA [2007]. The climax is quite lengthy and despite the best effort, it doesn't grip viewers. A few characters shockingly disappear in the second half. Even the ones that enter the narrative post-interval don't get justified screen time.

So naturally, Bhooth Bangla should have been a scream (the good kind), but what you get is a film that tries very hard to be loud, spooky, and funny and ends up being none of the above. And the worst part? The disappointment kicks in early... and stays. The story unfolds in the fictional village of Mangalpur, beginning with a folklore-like narration about a cursed village plagued by the kidnapping of newlywed brides by a beast, reminiscent of the 1979 film, Jaani Dushman. Although initially intriguing, the storytelling quickly becomes overbearing. The narrative then shifts to London, where logic is set aside. Jisshu Sengupta, at 49, plays father to Akshay Kumar, aged 58, a casting choice that unintentionally elicits more amusement than the script itself.

For an overwhelming “comedy-director” reputation, atleast in Hindi cinema, Priyadarshan builds up the dread better. Some scenes with Vadhusur jump-scaring as soon as the lights go out are done with the deftness of a competent horror filmmaker but they soon become repetitive and thus lose inventiveness. The laughs, however, are laboured with too much reliance on physical comedy than situational humour. Akshay slaps, kicks and loses his shit in a desperate attempt to evoke some giggles. The writing thins out soon and the film becomes a garbled mess borrowing ideas from everywhere be it Lights Out (2016) or Stree 2 (2024).