Bhooth Bangla Cast/Actors: Akshay Kumar, Wamiqa Gabbi, Tabu, Rajpal Yadav, Asrani, Paresh Rawal, Manoj Joshi, Jisshu Sengupta, Bhavna Pani, Mithila Palkar, Zakir Hussain & Others
Bhooth Bangla Director: Priyadarshan
Bhooth Bangla Production House: Balaji Motion Pictures & Cape of Good Films
Bhooth Bangla Movie Release Date: 16th April, 2026
Bhooth Bangla Movie Available On: Theatrical Release (likely to be released on Netflix OTT Platform)
Bhooth Bangla Released/Available In Languages: Hindi
Bhooth Bangla Movie Runtime: 2h 45m
Bhooth Bangla Movie Review:
There is something called expiry date and Priyadarshan’s latest film is a fine example of it.
With three co-writers on board – Aakash Kaushik, Abhilash Nair, Rohan Shankar – director Priyadarshan attempts to retrieve ownership of the Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchise. But to float a film which has a similar sounding title and to pack it with the same elements of a deserted haveli, a locked room with a horrifying secret plus a closely resembling cast that includes Tabu and Rajpal Yadav, is not sufficient to re-create the engaging comedy-horror of the Bhool Bhulaiyaa series.
There are two areas where Priyadarshan’s work does not take off the way it was expected to.
One will always be the screenplay. After elaborately detailing that Arjun Acharya (Akshay Kumar), his sister Meera (Mithila Palkar) and their dad Dr Vasudev Acharya (Jisshu Sengupta) are climbing walls to find a venue that’s acceptable to Meera’s superstitious in-laws, there’s a weak story that brings them, one by one, to a place called Mangalpur.
Priyadarshan was once known for chaotic comedy and he tries hard by bringing in Asrani as caretaker-manager Shantaram, Paresh Rawal as wedding planner Jagdish Kewalramani and Rajpal Yadav as Jagdish’s nephew.
But after a few chuckles, it starts to fall flat.
It may be amusing when Arjun who has moved into his dusty ancestral haveli in Mangalpur to spruce it up for his sister’s wedding, misunderstands Sunder, thinks he’s ogling the hired help Ragini (Bhavna Pani) and whacks him hard. But to repeat the same gag countless times and to have Arjun constantly pick on Sunder and beat him up, cannot set off laughter on a loop.
If the comedy doesn’t tickle the funny bone all the way, there’s hope that maybe the horror mystery will be intriguing. But here too, Priyadarshan and team mess it up with flashbacks within flashbacks, Shantaram narrating a long story on why the marriage cannot happen in the haveli and Dr Acharya launching into one of his own back stories.
At the crux is the demonic Vadusur who emerges like a comic character coming out of hibernation.
The complicated past that’s unravelled leaves questions unanswered and for a 2026 film, the premise and ambience have an outdatedness that’s tough to appreciate.
Add to it a weak jab at stirring romance into the plot with the appearance of Priya (Wamiqa Gabbi) and it ends up as flat as the comedy.
The result is a hotchpotch.
Last year, Kajol’s film Maa had attempted something similarly outlandish. Bhooth Bangla is several notches more convoluted and more of a drag.
Apart from a screenplay without a sparkle, Priyadarshan’s second flaw this time is that he just doesn’t get the tone right. Akshay Kumar is several decibels louder than required and you have to blame the director for not getting the best out of his cast.
Ah, yes, Tabu is around too. But ask no questions what she’s doing in a long flashback. Laughably, Tabu and Akshay do a dance that’s so amateurishly picturised (on a double doing most of the moves) that it’s nowhere like Vidya Balan’s ‘Mere dolna’ in the original Bhool Bhulaiyaa.
Bhooth Bangla – Watch Or Not?: A tired attempt to revive and re-create the world of Bhool Bhulaiyaa is not this week’s recommended watch.
Bhooth Bangla Movie Review Score Rating: 2 out of 5 (i.e. 2/5)
Bhooth Bangla Official Trailer:
Credits: Balaji Motion Pictures
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source https://lehren.com/bhooth-bangla-movie-review-more-ghastly-than-ghostly/
