4 takeaways from Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, which you should not compare with Bhool Bhulaiyaa

What if you come across a horror comedy flick that has no horror and no comedy? 

Anees Bazmee's Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, will give you a similar experience. I was one of the many ardent Bhool Bhulaiyaa fans who waited impatiently for this one. Does the sequel match up to the charm of the original though? That question has a not-so-tough answer. In short: no.

But then, to be fair to Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Kartik Aaryan himself had asked viewers to not compare his film with the Akshay Kumar-Vidya Balan original. Can you not compare, though? Given that Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 tries riding on the shoulders of the original, and cashes in on the reputation of the franchise.

The new one is a Bhool Bhulaiyaa which gets lost in its own absurdity. The film, by no means, comes close to the original.

There are several reasons, but here are the 4 glaring ones.

1. SCRIPT IS THE BIGGEST DRAWBACK

The story starts at a haveli in Bhawanigarh, Rajasthan, where a priest has trapped a spirit in a room. The spirit is set on attacking the members of the family. 

In Himachal Pradesh, Rohan Randhawa (played by Kartik Aaryan) meets Reet Rathore (Kiara Advani), who is travelling to Bhawanigarh for her wedding. In between, the two stop to attend a music festival. The bus that they were supposed to be travelling in, falls into a ditch and all passengers die.

Meanwhile, Reet overhears on phone that her cousin Trisha, in Bhawanigarh, is elated at her death. Reet continues playing dead so that her cousin gets married to her husband-to-be, Sagar (Sparsh Walia). Reet and Rohan then reach Bhawanigarh and hide at the haveli where the spirit is trapped. 

The film moves at a slow pace, with Rohan accidentally becoming Roohani Baba and Reet hiding in the same place as him. 

2. WHERE'S THE HORROR?

The first Bhool Bhulaiyaa not only amused us with comical theatrics of Akshay Kumar and Rajpal Yadav, but also scared us with the ghost of Monjulika (played by an inimitable Vidya Balan). The sequel, however, does neither. Writer Aakash Kaushik and Anees Bazmee try hard to scare viewers, but it doesn’t work. 

In the first part, Vidya Balan as Monjulika did a stunning job. In the sequel, the work of scaring people goes to Tabu, who plays the ghost. Even though Tabu gives it her best shot, comparisons with Vidya Balan will inevitably creep in. It seems like in the 15 years in between Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, even the ghost of Monjulika has lost her sheen. 

3. KARTIK GIVES IT HIS BEST

Kartik Aaryan tries hard to step in the shoes of Akshay Kumar, but comparing him with a veteran actor like Akshay would actually be unfair. Kartik Aaryan plays a guy who accidentally lands up in the haveli and is drawn into this maze, at times finding himself entangled by what's happening around him.

Comparing Kartik with the performance of Akshay would be unjustified because the latter comes with a few years of experience, unlike the decades that Akshay had at the time he did Bhool Bhulaiyaa. One thing that stands out in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is the climax sequence where Kartik performs to Aami Je Tomar, sung by Tushar Joshi. 

Overall, Kartik’s performance is satisfactory but a weak story keeps him from truly shining.

4. TABU COMPLETELY OVERSHADOWS EVERYONE ELSE

The character of Kiara Advani loses its zeal in the middle of the story as the focus shifts to Kartik and Tabu. Her character hardly gets any screen time and she ends up playing a supporting character. In fact, if there is once character that towers over every character in the movie, it is Tabu. The veteran actor shows her experience in the two characters she plays in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. Tabu ,if not scary, is attractive, convincing; and when she speaks, she makes you listen.

Even if you compare Ameesha Patel's performance with Kiara, both do justice to their roles. But just like Vidya stole the limelight the last time, Tabu does it this time.

Overall, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is a decent comedy if not a horror comedy. If you watch it as the sequel of Bhool Bhulaiyaa, with a baggage of expectations, you will end up being disappointed. If you see it with a new perspective, you will enjoy it. For the box office, the choice seems to be the latter.