Set against the eerie backdrop of a centuries-old haunted mansion, The Bhootnii blends humor with horror in a tacky and spooky narrative. At the heart of the story is a lingering spirit named Mohabbat, (Mouni Roy) whose soul remains trapped due to an unfulfilled tale of love. Mouni, as the ghost, portrays a haunting mix of vulnerability and resilience.
Sanjay Dutt plays a quirky and spiritual baba who wants to help Mohabbat find peace. As he tries to free her soul, he faces many funny and frightening moments inside the mansion. The movie has plenty of scary scenes, which fail to scare you or make you laugh a lot. His journey through the haunted house is filled with hilarious encounters and eerie twists, making the film neither a rollercoaster of comedy nor a scary potboiler.
Bollywood’s obsession with following the same staid formula knows no bounds. When one period drama does well, there’s a sudden influx in the genre. Whether it’s churning out back-to-back biopics or giving action lovers an adrenaline rush, the industry is infamous for lacking original ideas. Currently, its latest fixation seems to be horror-comedies. After the success of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Stree 2, etc many more are still in the pipeline. The latest to arrive in cinema halls is The Bhootni — and it’s everything but scary or funny.
The story follows three friends — Shantanu (Sunny Singh) , Sahil, and Naseer. When Shantanu gets dumped by his girlfriend, heartbroken, he does believe it or not, what any sensible man wouldn’t — beseech a huge virgin tree at Saint Vincent College of Arts and Culture, which seems to be inspired a lot by colleges in Karan Johar’s Student of the Year 1 as well as 2, to help him find the girl of his dreams.
Sanju Baba as the ghostbuster in The Bhootnii is at his worst in the film as he does not at all seem to fit in the role and is questionable, at best. To top it all, Baba is armed with salt guns, iron rods, and believe it or not even a bazooka. Mouni Roy as the Bhootni just delivers what’s expected of her, but it’s not much different from her salacious Naagin days. Unfortunately, though she ought to get claps for having dared to accept an insipid role like this, she fails to strike a chord with the audience. Palak Tiwari fares better among the rest in a role that really does not require her to emote at all.
All said and done, with a running time of 130 minutes, The Bhootnii is neither scary nor funny, to say the least!
– Review by Jyothi Venkatesh
The Bhootnii Cast:
Sanjay Dutt as Baba
Mouni Roy as Mohabbat
Sunny Singh as Shantanu
Palak Tiwari as Ananya
Nickunj Lotia (BeYouNick) as Sahil
Aasif Khan
The Bhootnii Credits:
Production companies – Soham Rockstar Entertainment, Three Dimension Motion Pictures
Written & Directed by Sidhaant Sachdev
Screenplay – Vankush Arora, Sidhaant Sachdev
Produced by Deepak Mukut, Hunar Mukut, Sanjay Dutt, Maanayata Dutt
Cinematography – Santhosh Thundiyil
Edited by Bunty Nagi
Songs – Iconyk, UpsideDown, Shabbir Ahmed, Mukund Suryawanshi, Shashi
Background Score – Amar Mohile
Platform of Release – Theatres
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