Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is all set to enchant the audience with its unique storyline comprising the star cast woven in the nostalgic song of Ami je Tomar by Shreya Ghosal. Overall, it’s a good, entertaining movie with a surprising climax at the end.

The movie is a light-hearted comedy with a few spoofy scenes, jump scares and bits of drama. The movie presents the biggest mystery: who is the real Manjulika—Is it Mallika (Vidya Balan) or Mandira (Madhuri Dixit)—which comes out at the climax of the movie.

The film starts with the iconic dance sequence of Ami je Tomar, after which we see Manjulika being burnt alive for some reason as royal punishment. The story unfolds, revealing how Rooh Baba (Kartik Aaryan), also known as Ruhaan, runs his business by deceiving people under the guise of dealing with ghosts. One day, he meets Meera (Tripti Dimri), who hails from the same royal family, and she blackmails him after knowing his truth. She offers him a lucrative business deal. So, he goes to Meera’s ancestral town, Rakht Ghaat, where the royal palace is haunted by the ghost of Manjulika, a royal dancer. The royal priest says that they think Ruhaan is the reincarnation of Prince Debendranath, the brother of Manjulika. Hence they think that only he can end Manjulika by opening the forbidden door of the palace on Durgashtami, where the ghost is captured. Initially, Meera proposes to him to open the door, as she thinks this is all superstition, and when the fear of ghosts will be gone, they can sell the palace in crores, giving a profit share to Ruhaan. But later it turns out, the ghost is really present, and how to end the evil forms the crux of the story.

Kartik tried his best in his role as Ruhaan, as well as the prince, who has a layer in the character. His chemistry with Tripti also looks good on screen, but their song-dance sequence can be felt as extra. Tripti seems to be there as an attraction for the youth and not much to do with the story.

Vidya and Madhuri, both are almost flawless in their characters but left underutilised.

The movie is slow, but the ultimate twist is presented well and outshines its predecessor only in the climax scene. Finally, the highlight of the movie is Sonu Nigam’s rendition of Mere Dholna.

The writer is a freelance contributor