Movie Review : Bhool Bhulaiyya - CC / BCC

Bhool Bhulaiyya, the latest flick from the Priyan-Akshay-Pritam combo is a treat for the eyes in terms of the visuals and the thrills. Priyan, after a long time, has taken a frame to frame remake of the Malayalam Hit "Manichitrathaazhu" and he desrves a pat on his back for doing justice to the original script. The original released way back in 1993 and had won several national awards and thus when something is to be written about the remaked version, comparisons are natural. Except for one character (totally unwanted) and the whole palace atmosphere, the rest which includes the screenplay, dialogues and the characters remains the same.

Siddharth (Shiney Ahuja) and Avni (Vidya Balan) are newly weds and is on a vacation to their native. Going by his wifes wishes, Siddharth decides to stay at their ancestral palace inspite of resistance from his near relatives as the palace is perceived to be haunted. The couple then starts realising their folly and plans to bring their phychiatrist friend Dr.Aditya(Akshay Kumar) to treat one of the suspected inmates(Amisha Patel). But Dr.Aditya finds a whole new story to the choas happening in the palace and approaches the problems in a different way which finally leads to a slightly dragging climax to an otherwise fast paced movie.

Though Priyan had taken a frame to frame remake, the movie however loses the total thriller effect which the original had. The movie drags in the second half and could have been a little more crispier. Songs pop in at the perfect situations and doesnt make us think to leave the hall for a break. They are also picturised so well to be even missed. Pritam has done a commendable work on the songs, especially on the one that appears at the climax.

Akshay as the psycho-psychatriast is good but definitely not at his best. He has good timing for comic, but somewhere or the other becomes artificial. Shiney Ahuja as the helpless husband is also good but his character loses its value after the entry of Akshays character. Amisha has very little to do, but she looks old and tired. Manoj Joshi, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav(no over the top performance, thank god!), Vikram Gokhale, Rasika Joshi, Vineet all does justice to their role. Asrani is totally wasted. Vidya Balan, the backbone of this movie, has given a power packed performance in the movie and has utilised her talents in the best possible way. South Indian Actress Shobhana had won her first national award for portraying this role in the original and in no way is Vidya Balan trying to imitate her. One shouldnt compare the acting capabalities of both these actresses here, as Vidya is too early in her career to portray such a complex character. She is definitely one of the finest actresses we have in our country now.

Leaving alone the dragging second half, there is no reason why this movie shouldnt fare well at the box office. The collections should look good as it has released on a festival day and the movie really does justice for spending your weekend or your festival in a theatre. Iss Bhool Bhulaiyya ko dekhna matth bhoolna !!!