It’s disheartening to see this from Priyadarshan—the mastermind behind comic capers like Hera Pheri, Hungama, and Bhool Bhulaiyaa. Watching a veteran like Paresh Rawal reduced to repeating a crude gag about his “rear being on fire” is genuinely pathetic, especially when the film Bhooth Bangla takes the joke literally. It’s a total waste of a powerhouse cast, leaving talents like Akshay Kumar, Rajpal Yadav, and Asrani with absolutely nothing to work with.
Though Bhoot Bangla starts with a light touch, the narrative takes an agonizingly long time to find its footing, ultimately failing to deliver on its promise. The much-anticipated comedy between Akshay Kumar and Rajpal Yadav feels surprisingly out of sync, lacking the sharp timing that once made them a legendary duo.
The story introduces us to Arjun Acharya (Akshay Kumar), a man in his late 30s struggling to keep his head above water in London. His fortunes seemingly flip when he inherits a multi-billion-rupee ancestral haveli in the town of Mangalpur. But the gold-plated windfall comes with a grim caveat: the mansion is allegedly haunted by Vadhusur, a demonic entity with a penchant for abducting newlywed brides.
Driven by financial desperation and skepticism, Arjun ignores the dire warnings of the caretaker, Shantaram (the late Asrani, in one of his final roles), and insists on hosting his sister Meera’s destination wedding within the dilapidated walls. Paresh Rawal plays Jagdish Kewalramani, a wedding planner more interested in skimming Arjun’s cash than organizing a ceremony.
Entering the fray is Rajpal Yadav as Sunder, a local electrician. The improvisational banter between Kumar and Yadav lacks its historic spark. Most appaling is a recurring gag where Sunder’s mundane electrical work is visually misinterpreted by Arjun as the behavior of a “sex maniac”—a joke that feels tonally deaf and painfully stretched.
The script is riddled with flaws, ranging from logic-defying anachronisms—like characters using a local phone booth to make STD calls—to a complete lack of original ideas. Instead of fresh scares or jokes, the film feels like a derivative mashup, with striking similarities to Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Purana Mandir, Veerana, and even the Stree franchise. The core plot of a newlywed bride being kidnapped and murdered is a direct lift from the 1979 classic Jaani Dushman.
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect is the criminal underutilization of its cast. A powerhouse actress like Tabu is given no room to showcase her talent, while veterans Paresh Rawal and Asrani are wasted on uninspired street humor. Even the supporting roles, including Akshay’s father and the various Gurujis, feel like poor misfits, further cementing the film as a missed opportunity.
Thamma – movie review
Bhooth Bangla is neither chilling enough to be a horror film nor sharp enough to be a comedy. It leans heavily on cliches borrowed from Purana Mandir and Jaani Dushman, yet fails to modernize them. Even the inclusion of powerhouse talent like Tabu is a missed opportunity, as she is given little to do beyond occupying the frame all through it’s time run of 164 minutes.
Despite being marketed as a horror-comedy, the film Bhooth Bangla struggles to commit to either genre—it’s neither truly frightening nor genuinely funny, leaving the audience feeling cheated – with the tagline ought to have been – Dhoorth Bangla (the Hindi word Dhoorth means deceitful).
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Cast of Bhooth Bangla
Akshay Kumar as Arjun Acharya / Madhav
Paresh Rawal as Jagdish Kewalramani (wedding planner)
Late Asrani ji as Shantaram (Bangla caretaker)
Rajpal Yadav as Sunder (Electrician)
Bhavna Pani as Ragini (cook and household chores)
Tabu as Yashoda
Wamiqa Gabbi as Priya / Riya
Manoj Joshi as Govind Maharaj
Jisshu Sengupta as Dr Vasudev Acharya (Arjun’s father)
Mithila Palkar as Meera (Arjun’s sister)
Rajesh Sharma as Dushund Acharya, Arjun’s grandfather
Zakir Hussain as Vashishtha Guruji
Credits of Bhooth Bangla:
Production companies – Balaji Motion Pictures, Cape of Good Films
Produced by Akshay Kumar, Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor
Directed by Priyadarshan
Screenplay – Priyadarshan, Rohan Shankar, Abilash Nair
Dialogues – Rohan Shankar
Story – Aakash Kaushik
Cinematography – Divakar Mani
Edited by M. S. Aiyappan Nair
Songs – Pritam
BGM Score – Ronnie Raphael
