Bhool Bhulaiyaa
**1/2
Dir: Priyadarshan
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Amisha Patel, Shiney Ahuja, Paresh Rawal

WHAT’S IT ABOUT: Priyadarshan’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa was promoted on the strength of its humour but it’s more of a psychological thriller with suspense, tense moments, and blood and gore. Siddharth (Shiney Ahuja) and his wife Avni (Vidya Balan) return from America and despite repeated pleas and warnings from their family, they move into their haunted khandaani haveli. Trouble begins when Avni walks into the forbidden areas of the house. Strange and unexplained incidents follow. Siddharth invites his psychiatrist friend Aditya (Akshay Kumar) to help him solve the crisis. Aditya begins his investigation and as the film progresses, discovers there’s more to the mystery than meets the eye.

WHAT’S HOT: BB is a remake of the 1993 Malayalam hit Manichitrathazhu. Surprisingly, the subject still seems fresh. Priyan, who’s adept at the comic genre, handles the suspense and thrills with ease. BB is full of scary and edge-of-the-seat moments. Right from the first frame, Priyan builds the suspense effectively until the last 20 minutes, with a clever screenplay that keeps you guessing. S Thiru’s cinematography effectively captures the eerie mood. Priyan embellishes it with funny sequences. The scenes between Paresh Rawal and Asrani are hilarious; also watch out for the bathroom scene with Akshay and Rasika Joshi. Among the performances, Paresh Rawal is in great form after a long time. Asrani steals the show whenever he’s on screen. Amisha Patel is very impressive despite an inconsequential role; she’s looking better than ever. Vidya Balan gives her best performance after Parineeta. She does full justice to the complex part. But the film’s lifeline is Akshay Kumar, who single-handedly carries the film forward. He makes even the most listless scene come alive.

WHAT’S NOT: Priyan should’ve added more twists in this tale. Just a few alterations and additions would’ve elevated the film immensely. The finger of suspicion is focused around one character for most of the time and that doesn’t work. Akshay’s investigation doesn’t have any novelty — it’s too elementary. Priyan should’ve upped the suspense factor. Besides, the mystery is unravelled almost 20 minutes before the film actually ends. From there on, the tempo drops considerably until it picks up again in the last five minutes. That intermediary portion definitely needed some trimming. Shiney Ahuja is a letdown. He looks uncomfortable and goes over the top with his raving and ranting act.

WHAT TO DO: If you enjoy ghost stories with a backdrop of comedy, walk your way through this bhool bhulaiyaa.

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