Bhool Bhulaiyaa (Movie Review)

A friend recommended, "if you are afraid of ghosts, watch this movie and you won't be afraid of ghosts anymore." The first part of the story jumps straight into illustrating how a scary experience can be lost in translation as it is fed with exaggerations based on a person's believe and feelings when retelling the story. This gives the movie a comedic tone.

The story centers around an old manor believed to be haunted by the ghost of Manjulika, a beautiful dancer for the king who used to rule there many years ago. The king was jealous of Manjulika's relationship with his own royal poet and had executed him right in front of her. 

The family who currently owns the manor are descendants of the king. From the beginning, the family was torn between those who believe in the haunting and those who don't (naturally they are the Western-educated ones who believe in the truth, recently returned from America). This led to the unlocking of the third and highest level of the manor, which, for the the believers, unleashed the spirit of Manjulika and for the non-believers, revealed hidden treasures.

Akshay Kumar played an outgoing psychology doctor with with an outrageous personality. The best parts of the story are about him analyzing and unveiling the haunting. The story ends with an 'exorcism' which I think is unique and goes hand in hand with the message of the film. There's another character to watch in this movie, but I think revealing that person will take away the twist of the story.

Part 2 is coming July 2020 albeit a stand alone story with a different cast. Fans are hoping Akshay Kumar and the other character to return for this one, but it is highly unlikely.