Bhool Bhulaiyaa

first off, i'm white - straight up Wonder Bread. my experience with Hindi films and bollywood started on march 17th, 2006 when i met my husband - he's Hindu (... well, duh, lol).

up to now, my opinion of bollywood in general has been pretty much a couple of gems in a huge pile of... well, "not gems", particularly when dealing with the old films. not much by way of dancing technique, even (sorry, don't shoot me, just my white bread opinion) the vaunted hema malini, to me, does little more than jump around shaking her anatomy and flapping her arms about. a lot of the classic songs, i can't tell one from the next because they're all sung by lata mangeshkar. while she is a fantastic singer, i really wish songwriters would have taken the opportunity to showcase her voice instead of just having her do the same 6-note riff over and over. like i said, it's only imo.

what a fantastically terrific exception is Bhool Bhulaiyaa! it's got all the best parts of the old Indian classic movies: lavish, luxurious sets and costumes; huge crowds that pop up out of nowhere for various odd and assorted reasons; extraneous music numbers (no particular reason why, but we'll both just jump on a bicycle that popped up out of nowhere and weave madly through the countryside singing); great dance numbers featuring crowds of ppl that were nowhere to be seen before and probably won't be seen in the rest of the film.

special mention: the dance scene at the court of the evil king - i can't tell you how many times i've watched that just so i could wallow in the purity of line and the sheer crispness and clarity of expression. that duo is surely a world-class dancing pair because they are SO precise and they positively reek of expertise. the term "dancing gods" keeps coming to mind.

on the other hand, while it has all the wonderful OTT-ness of a classic bollywood film of the 50s and 60s, the music has been updated - the lyrics are typically incomprehensible romantic weirdness ("i am yours, only yours, you weave through my breath" - i mean, hunh!?) but the music is modern and fresh. the characters are also a wonderful blend of high camp, high drama, and modern minimalism. i really enjoyed the scene that's reminiscent of a joke featuring a guy talking on his cell phone while a girl behind him keeps answering back thinking he's talking to her. oh - except in BB, the guy's not wearing anything and the girl is in the shower stall while he's outside.

what i really like is that the movie doesn't actually EXPLAIN anything. oh, explanations are given on all sides but what's really fantastic is how it doesn't slight the old ways and put Modern Science up on a pedestal, nor does it reject the new ways in favour of ancient tradition. you make your own determination as to the truth - no matter which way you see it, it will be correct.

thriller, psychological drama, romantic thriller, horror, comedy, comic tragedy, chick flick, action film - no matter what your buzz, you'll find it in Bhool Bhulaiyaa!

Bhool Bhulaiyaa is a psychological horror comedy movie directed by Priyadarshan and stars an ensemble cast of Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Shiney Ahuja, Ameesha Patel, Paresh Rawal, Manoj Joshi, Rajpal Yadav, Asrani, Vikram Gokhale and Late Rasika Joshi with Tarina Patel, Vineeth and Jimit Trivedi.

I have watched this movie many times and had never got bored and might watch many more times, the movie was released in 2007 and I am watching again in 2021 and this movie still feels fresh. Great acting, gripping screenplay, mesmerizing music and above all the great humour in between the horror made this movie a perfect horror comedy movie.

This is a kind of movie that Bollywood seriously lack and it's the main reason that the movie has now attained the cult status. This movie is undoubtedly the landmark movie in Indian Cinema whenever we will talk about horror comedy movies.

Acting is strong in fact it's superb and it's the charm of Akshay Kumar who will make you enchanted with his Charismatic performance, remember he arrives after almost an hour of the start of the movie and as soon as he arrives on screen he hijacks the entire environment, I remember watching the movie in movie theater and the viewers literally applauded the entry of Akshay Kumar by whistling and clapping, this would not be a shocking scenario in a small city cinema hall but in a Multiplex in a major city was a shocker and exciting for me. Vidya Balan was just stupendous in her character and I think no one could've portrayed the character better than her. Rest all the characters be it Ameesha Patel, Shiney Ahuja, Paresh Rawal, Manoj Joshi, Asrani and Rajpal Yadav, they all are multi talented and had played their part perfectly.

Screenplay of the movie deserves special applaud and mention as the screenplay is knitted so perfectly that it doesn't gives a small hint till the end of the movie as who is Manjulika and comes as a shocker for almost all the viewers. The director and screenplay writer were successfully in feeding the mind of viewers with many guesses until the revelation in the climax. Climax of the movie is just great and gives a perfect and happy ending to the movie.

Music and background music were mesmerizing, the background score of the movie has been great in creating the mysterious atmosphere. The songs of the movie were also great with 'Hare Krishna Hare Ram' was a chart buster and is still famous.

There might be few Horror comedies before Bhool Bhulaiyaa and there were several good horror comedy movies which came after Bhool Bhulaiyaa such as Go Goa Gone and Stree which are good horror comedies but the status or level attained by Bhool Bhulaiyaa might not be surpassed by another movie easily. A surely must watch flick.

Got a wasted day..?? This movie's gotta everything to make it all right. Well cooked story, nice and gripping presentation, power-packed performances.. and a humor different than the conventional slapstick humor that we get in movies these days (well, at least it was presented differently).

Priyadarshan is really a come-back in this one. Though I liked this fella always, but his movies had been following a routine kinda trail and all his experiments like Bhagam Bhaag have been failing miserably. But this movie was really a welcome break from his side.

Akshay Kumar, as he has already proved several time, has got a great comic timing. He brings twists to the movie's plot as well as inside your belly as you go laughing all the way. Vidhya Balan looks very sweet except for once, but I'll talk no further to ruin your suspense if you haven't seen the movie yet. Paresh Rawal & Rajpal Yadav are once again a treat to watch.

Go see this movie. Its an ultimate stress buster. Go with the guys, and you will have even more fun. :-)

I vote, "Highly Recommended".

I have not watched the Malayalam original but I don't think I need to. If ever u need to to be proud of an Indian film in front of an American, this is what u'll need. A very intelligent mix of drama, suspense, thrill and comedy with traces of romance thrown in between.... Right from the start, the movie never sags. All the characters r well chosen & the storyline is taut. The plot is of a couple returning to the husband's native place and a haunting they encounter there. Although the plot has been explored before, the performances by actors here are commendable. The couple seems an actual couple, the father looks like a father, everything rings true and credible. Its hard to believe they r acting. The suspense unfolds gradually and is very ably switched with other elements but the interest is never let down. The crazy doctor looks like he can do nothing! But looks can be deceptive. A very well-chosen protagonist! Different, in fact from the conventional ones...Twists n turns at d right times and finally, a fitting climax....short enough to hold attention throughout. A masterpiece of effort! A bigger budget n a little better dialog delivery esp. from Akshay cud hv made d movie flawless...In the scene where Akshay explains his discovery, he seems to be struggling for words...just a bit, though!!! All in all a gr8 movie....Rating 9/10

Despite the fact that the movie was promoted as a comedy, the film is a physcological thriller with a few comic situations. Priyadarshan does a good job as a director. In comparison with his previous films, he takes a leap as a director by making a movie with a genre of its own.

In my opinion, Bhool Bhulaiyaa is way better than the original movie, Manichithrathazhu. Probably because of the technicians have improved since then.

Akshay Kumar does his usual comic act, and he's funny here as well. Shiny Ahuja hams, but is good in parts. The last 45 minutes belong to none other than, Vidya Balan. Throughout the movie she doesn't have much to do but the steals the show with her superb performance towards the climax. Ameesha Patel looks ethereal and is effective in a small yet important role. The supporting cast are first-rate, especially Paresh Rawal, Rasika Joshi and Manoj Joshi.

The songs are good; Labon Ko is easy on the ears.

All in all, Bhool Bhulaiyaa is a well-executed movie, though lengthy in parts! Time-pass!