Anees Bazmee’s ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ is a standalone sequel to Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), featuring Kartik Aaryan, Tabu, Kiara Advani, Sanjay Mishra and Rajpal Yadav in key characters. Set 15 years after the first film, unusual happenings in the Thakur manor lead people to believe that apparently Manjulika’s ghost has returned. Ruhan (Kartik Aaryan) steps in to deal with the mystery, but unintentionally aggravates the problems.
The residents of Thakur Manor/Haveli have finally controlled/captured ‘Manjulika’ with the help of a tantric and locked her in a room within the Haveli itself. After doing so, they have decided to abandon the Haveli to never return. On the other hand, Ruhabo/Thakur’s daughter Reet (Kiara Advani) is returning home and is told on the phone call that Thakur has decided to get her married. While she faces disturbance during the call, she hears something unexpected and decides not to return home. In the meanwhile, she happens to meet Ruhan, a rich wanderer. Well, obviously he falls for her and convinces her to skip the bus, visit the local music festival and take a bus later in the evening. It so happens that when they reach the bus stand, they are spooked to know that the earlier bus met and accident killing everyone onboard!
Since Reet does not want to return home, she plans that she and Ruhan hide in their abandoned Haveli, where she has spent her childhood, assuming no one would visit the haunted haveli. No sooner do they step into the labyrinth haveli Rajpal Yadav who plays Chhote Pandit spots that the haveli doors are open and the haveli is lit again. He immediately informs the Thakur who are taken aback and visit the haveli. What follows is a series of hilarious episodes with a hint of horror. Ruhan is unaware of the past and Reet does not believe in the ‘Manjulika’ tale.
The narrative takes a turn, a mixed bag of horror and comic sequences and dialogues that unravel the past and what is in store for Ruhan and the Thakur family. Whether or not Manjulika’s ghost/spirit exists? If yes, how does Ruhan get involved in the spooky situation and can he come out of it. Does Ruhan help find the truth about Manjulika and what happens to the family forms the rest of the narrative.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is pure entertainment. Do not look for logics or reasons, just play along the goings on and enjoy the show. Kartik Aaryan is entertaining and suits the character. At times he does show hints of Akshay Kumar in his screen presence and performance. Kiara Advani is mostly shown in hiding and does not get enough scope to perform.
After a very long time, Rajpal Yadav gets a meaty role and does what he does best, make you laugh. Scenes with Rajpal along with Sanjay Mishra are hilarious and brings the typical Priyadarshan/Bazmee genre of humour. The duo helps in bringing to fore the required thrill and humour to the plot. In the recent times Sanjay Mishra has become a key and reliable artist to entertain with ‘his’ style of humour.
Tabu makes her presence felt. Her character has various shades and layers. A matured and experienced actor Tabu does it well.
The rest of the cast fit the bill and suit their characters to the desired effect.
Overall, if you don’t keep too much of expectations, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 might just surprise you with refreshing entertainment.
Movie: Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2
Director: Anees Bazmee
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Tabu, Kiara Advani, Rajpal Yadav, Amar Upadhyay, Sanjay Mishra, Milind Gunaji, Karmveer Choudhary, Rajesh Sharma, Siddhant Ghegadmal.
Run time: 143 Minutes
