Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 movie review: The Kartik Aaryan starrer is a wholesome dose of entertainment but it is Tabu who steals the show

Ever since the onset of the trailer of Kartik Aaryan 's Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 , there were many hesitations amongst the fans of the horror-comedy genre about whether the movie will be able to retain the essence of the original cult 2007 movie. Well, the original stands irreplaceable but the sequel definitely shatters the fear that the fans had. The Anees Bazmee directorial will never leave a dull moment for you and it's inevitably Tabu who is the crowning star of this one.

The plot revolves around Ruhan Randhawa (Kartik Aaryan) who is infatuated with Reet ( Kiara Advani ). His attraction toward her and urge to help her from a crisis leads him to her village in Rajasthan wherein her ancestral home is haunted by the spirit of a menacing witch Monjolika. The only other person in the household who understands the gravity of the horrifying situation is Reet's sister-in-law Anju (Tabu). It is how Ruhan helps this perplexed household from the evil spirit's grapple and also adheres to his 'role' as Rooh Baba for the superstitious villagers forms the main crux of the story.

The main USP of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 which immediately starts encapsulating us from the beginning is the effortless humor and the chain of events that leads up to it. Some sub-plots seem to be far-fetched and exaggerated but not once do the humor and dialogues seem to cringe and forceful. Anees Bazmee has tried to curate the balance between the horror and the comedy in this one intricately. The protagonist's tryst with the evil spirit and the superstitious villagers who consider him to be a miracle Tantrik accelerates the plot considerably well and the story does not waste time too much on an unnecessary subplot or a mindless love story.

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The writing by Aakash Kaushik and Farhad Samji plays on a street smart humor and spontaneity. Some sequences like Ruhan turning 'Rooh Baba' for the villagers by discovering a hidden treasure of a family or him making a fool of Reet's family by taking advantage of their naivety make way for some fun moments. The dialogue references to Bigg Boss and the impact of Monjolika on Bade Pandit ( Sanjay Mishra ), Chote Pandit ( Rajpal Yadav ) and Panditayin ( Ashwini Kalsekar) are simply hilarious to behold. However, the film falters with the spooky quotient which still sends shivers down one's spine in the original movie. The lack of jumpscares makes the horror aspect go haywire in some scenes and the the subplots of Kiara Advani's character concocting a lie from her family or the duo of Chote-Bade Pandit trying to expose Ruhan appear too bizzare in some scenes.

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Talking about the performances, Kartik Aaryan delves deep into his forte which is a seamless comic timing. The man is simply hilarious and spotless in his comedic scenes especially when he's into his Rooh Baba avatar or his scenes with the kiddo Potlu (that child is simply adorable). It'll be obviously be futile to compare him with Akshay Kumar 's class act in the original film but Kartik tries his level best to be a perfect guiding anchor to the movie. However, he could've been more impactful in the scenes where his character appears to be possessed. Kiara Advani does not have an adequate room to shine apart from being the chirpy love interest of the protagonist and a seemingly possessed sequence where she fails to deliver the same exuberance as Vidya Balan in the original movie

However, if Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 has a star, it is undeniably Tabu. She is simply a visual delight in the movie and aces every aspect of her character to the core. Some of the show-stealing acts are delivered by the actress in this film which proves why she's such a legend in her true blue glory. Rajpal Yadav being the only cast member from the original film brings with him wholesome entertainment and nostalgia. He along with Sanjay Mishra and Ashwini Kalsekar have some laugh riot-worthy moments in this one.

The cinematography by Manu Anand captures the horror sequences and the locales of Rajasthan convincingly. Talking about the soundtracks, the makers did it well by retaining Neeraj Sridhar 's vocals for the title track and Shreya Ghoshal's rendition of 'Aami Je Tomar ' which gives us all a rush of nostalgia from the original film. Arijit Singh 's vocals for the male version of 'Aami Je Tomar' is pleasant to the ears but Shreya's will remain undisputed. The other songs like 'De Taali', and 'Hum Nashe' are quite forgettable. The background score also appears to be overly jarring in some sequences.

Lastly, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 does manage to retain the essence of the original one due to its entertainment quotient. Not to forget, there might be a minuscule chance of the movie breaking the string of Bollywood movies failing to strike magic at the box office. We give the movie 3.5 stars.