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''Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3'' () is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language comedy horror film directed by Anees Bazmee, written by Aakash Kaushik, and produced by T-Series Films and Cine1 Studios. It serves as the third installment of the eponymous franchise after ''Bhool Bhulaiyaa'' (2007) and ''Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2'' (2022). It stars Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri, and is set in Kolkata.

The film was officially announced in March 2023. Principal photography took place from March to September 2024 in Mumbai, Kolkata, Orchha, and Leh, with cinematography by Manu Anand. ''Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3'' was theatrically released on 1 November 2024, coinciding with Diwali. It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and grossed over ₹371–423.85 crore worldwide, emerging as the second highest-grossing Hindi film and sixth highest-grossing Indian film of 2024.

Plot

In 1824, Prince Debendranath, who loved Kathak dance, is betrayed by his sisters Manjulika and Anjulika, who conspire to kill him for the throne. When the truth is revealed, the king, ashamed of Debendranath's interests, has him burned alive. Debendranath’s spirit kills the king and is eventually sealed behind a mystical barrier in the palace. In 2024, Ruhaan, a conman pretending to be a ghostbuster called "Rooh Baba", is brought to the haunted Raktghat palace by Meera and her uncle. The royal family believes the spirit of Manjulika is behind the hauntings, forcing them to live in exile.

Ruhaan learns he resembles Debendranath and is seen as the prophesied savior. As the palace is restored and strange possessions begin, Ruhaan discovers that the actual ghost is Debendranath, not Manjulika. He had been possessing the sisters’ modern reincarnations, Mallika and Mandira, to seek revenge. It’s revealed the story of Manjulika being a murderer was a cover-up—Debendranath was the real victim. When confronted at the site of his death, Debendranath’s spirit is finally soothed by the apologies of Mallika and Mandira, allowing him to attain peace after 200 years.

In a mid-credit scene, Mandira reveals she is actually ACP Rathore, a police officer Ruhaan was trying to avoid, causing him to faint as everyone laughs.

Cast

Production

Casting

Kartik Aaryan was cast as an alternate version of his role from ''Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2''. On 12 February 2024, it was announced that Vidya Balan, who played Manjulika in the original ''Bhool Bhulaiyaa'' (2007), would play an alternate version of her character, by sharing a video of Instagram. On 21 February 2024, it was announced that Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri would be joining the project. Rajpal Yadav, known for his role as Chhota Pandit in the previous films, will also return to reprise his role. The cast also features Vijay Raaz, Rajesh Sharma, Manish Wadhwa, Sanjay Mishra, and Ashwini Kalsekar.

Filming

On 9 March 2024, in Mumbai, the cast and crew of ''Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3'' gathered for an inaugural muhurat puja ceremony to mark the beginning of principal photography. Producer Bhushan Kumar clapped the muhurat shot for Kartik Aaryan. Vidya Balan, Triptii Dimri, Rajesh Sharma, and co-producer Shiv Chanana were also present at the ceremony. A glimpse video of this ceremony was shared by T-Series on 11 March 2024, titled "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Begins", The video also featured Aaryan shooting the first shot of the movie, which was a train sequence, filmed by DOP Manu Anand.

During shooting, director Anees Bazmee faced significant challenges as he fractured his leg on the last day of the film recce. Against doctor's suggestions to get a steel plate and rest for 3 months, he opted for minor surgery that allowed him to honor his commitment to the film. He came to the film set in a wheelchair and continued with his work. The film's production involved extensive planning and coordination, with key members Bhushan Kumar, Bazmee, and Aaryan actively engaged in discussions and preparations.

Filming began in Mumbai, with the first schedule wrapping up on 27 March 2024. During this schedule, the entry sequence of Aaryan was also shot. A massive set was erected in Film City, Mumbai, specifically for the song, which involved over a thousand background dancers with choreography done by Ganesh Acharya. After a short break, Bazmee, still recovering from his injury, scouted for locations in Kolkata for the next schedule. The cast and crew landed in Kolkata on 8 April 2024, to commence the second schedule. In this schedule, Aaryan rode a bullet on Howrah Bridge, with Prantika Das and with Arun Kushwah at Victoria Memorial. The shooting then progressed to Mallick Ghat flower market, where a small set with skeletons was put up. Following this, Bazmee filmed scenes at the Park Street Graveyard and Nonapukur Tram Depot, and finally concluded the shoot at Laha Bari in Central Kolkata. Prior to this, key shots were filmed at an elaborate Bengali village set setup by the production team in Mumbai. The song 'Mere Dholna' has been filmed as jugalbandi between Madhuri and Vidya and has been choreographed by Chinni Prakash.

After completing the Kolkata schedule, the team resumed filming on the same Bengali set in Mumbai, with a segment involving Kartik Aaryan, Sanjay Mishra, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, and Ashwini Kalsekar, wrapping up the week-long schedule on 13 May 2024. A significant dance sequence featuring lead actors was also filmed on 21 May 2024. On 29 May 2024; Balan, Dixit, Manish Wadhwa, Sharma, Raaz, Rose Sardana and others shot a sequence on the film's set in Mumbai, with Balan and Dixit twinning in black sarees.

Bazmee had shot Aaryan's scenes in advance, in May 2024, and continued filming without him for some days in early June. In early June 2024, the team took a break from shooting, allowing Aaryan to focus on promotional commitments for his film '' Chandu Champion'', which was released on 14 June 2024. The next schedule was kicked off on 1 July 2024, in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh with Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri, Rajpal Yadav, and others. Key scenes were shot at various historic landmarks such as Orchha Fort, Ram Raja Mandir, where some dramatic scenes were filmed, and Jahangir Mahal, where Aaryan filmed a romantic song and some romantic scenes with Dimri. The schedule included filming intense sequences at Kanchana Ghat on the Betwa River.

A part of the climax sequence with all the principal actors together, was also shot there, with Aaryan and other leads performing some action sequences. After shooting a portion of the climax in Orchha, the team returned to Mumbai to shoot the remaining scenes of the climax sequence with the entire cast. Principal photography was seemingly wrapped with final scenes being shot on 31 July and 1 August 2024. Additionally in September 2024, a romantic track featuring Aaryan and Dimri was shot in Leh, Ladakh. It was revealed that 2 different climax scene were filmed to keep the suspense around the ending of the film.

Soundtrack

The background score of the film is composed by Sandeep Shirodkar, whereas the soundtrack is composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Amaal Mallik, Sachet–Parampara, Lijo George–DJ Chetas and Aditya Rikhari. The lyrics are written by Sameer Anjaan, Rashmi Virag, Aditya Rikhari, Dhrruv Yogi, Som and Pitbull. The "Title Track" and "Ami Je Tomar" song originally composed by Pritam were recreated once again after Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2.

The first single titled "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (Title Track)" was released on 16 October 2024. The second single titled "Jaana Samjho Na" was released on 22 October 2024, a reprised version of singer Aditya Rikhari's 2022 single "Samjho Na". The album was released on 23 October 2024 across all music streaming platforms.

Release

Theatrical

''Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3'' was theatrically released on 1 November 2024, on the occasion of Diwali. The film was theatrically released in Bangladesh on the same day as its worldwide release and thus became the second Hindi film to be released in the country. The worldwide theatrical distribution rights were acquired by AA Films. Distributor Anil Thadani had secured rights of single screens for the film. The release clashed with the film ''Singham Again''.

The film has been banned in Saudi Arabia due to mentions of homosexuality which is banned in the country.

Home media

The digital streaming rights of the film were acquired by Netflix for ₹135 core. The film began streaming on the platform from 27 December 2024.

Reception

Box office

''Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3'' was a Super Hit and earned 36.60 crore on opening day and a weekend total nett of 110.20 crore in India. As of 1 December 2024, the film has grossed ₹334.67 crore in India and ₹89.18 crore internationally. It concluded its run with worldwide gross estimated to be ₹371–423.85 crore worldwide.

Critical response

''Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3'' received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics.

''Bollywood Hungama'' rated the film 4.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, "''Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3'' is a well-made horror comedy which works due to its performances, taut script, creative execution and above all, an unpredictable climax." Sukanya Verma of ''Rediff.com'' rated the film 3/5 stars and opined "A gleefully hammy Madhuri and Vidya's volley of death stares and evil laughs engage in a ruthless glamorous tug of war in ''Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3''". Renuka Vyavahare of ''The Times of India'' rated 3.5/5 stars and wrote "The movie is unabashedly entertaining, cheesy, and wild, with moments that will have you laughing out loud."

Vinamra Mathur of ''Firstpost'' rated the film 3/5 stars and wrote "''Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3'' could be savored taste; for those wanting to see romance have Aaryan and Dimri, for those waiting to see the OG Manjulika have Balan at their service, for anyone enamored by Dixit, she brings back the memories of ''Devdas'' with her thunderous aura and nimble moves. And for those stepping in with zero expectations, may not be exactly doing a Bhool!". Anuj Kumar of ''The Hindu'' says ''Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3'' is a drab horror comedy where talented actors like Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan have been underutilized. He further says "Kartik Aaryan is the lifeline who keeps the film alive with his situational humour but director Anees Bazmee has faltered between sticking to stereotypes and taking a progressive step." He continues that stereotyping of Bengalis and their culture has been done for easy laughs but the film is ultimately a hypocritical charade.

Shubhra Gupta of ''The Indian Express'' rated the film 1.5/5 stars and wrote "Kartik Aaryan's ''Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3'' suffers from the same things that ''Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2'' did: stereotypes instead of characters, forced humour which refuses to land, and tasteless lines bordering on the risible." Saibal Chatterjee of ''NDTV'' rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and said "Kartik Aaryan's star turn is a repeat act that promises a box-office outcome that could be on par with what ''Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2'' yielded." Udita Jhunjhunwala of ''Mint'' opined "The dynamic between Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan is an opportunity wasted in the long film, which is high on concept but low on mood". Abhimanyu Mathur of ''Hindustan Times'' writes "A brave climax attempts to elevate this otherwise middling horror comedy. The film simply tries to sell a brand through nostalgia, using a new(er) rendition of Ami Je Tomar and Vidya Balan."

Neha Sen of ''Deccan Herald'' rated the film 3 stars out of 5 and highlighted "The film retains some traditional horror elements while still trying to be comedic. It ends up delivering neither with much grace nor gusto. A few jumpscares scattered around and a handful of laughs are not enough to salvage the broken Bangla and thoroughly under-researched presentation of the Bengali culture and festivities." Nishad Thaivalappil of ''News18'' rated 2/5 stars and opined "The film features unexplained flashbacks and the mediocre jokes and predictable jump scares make it a rather dull watch." Tanmayi Savadi of ''Times Now'' rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "The film resorts to cliché jokes and dramatics. The scares are effective but never bone-chilling. It is enigmatic, mysterious and deceptive."

Ritika Handoo of ''Zee News'' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and highlighted "What deserves a special mention here is the twist-filled climax. The writers have done their homework well to keep the crescendo high for the end." Nandini Ramnath of ''Scroll.in'' writes "Imagination is largely in short supply in the threequel. Except for a twist about Manjulika's identity that works well, the film has little that we haven't seen before in the previous movie." Amit Bhatia of ''ABP Live'' rated the film 3/5 stars and said "Vidya Balan and Madhuri Dixit breathe energy into the narrative, and while the comedy isn't as punchy as hoped, the story's twists and moral message manage to engage. With a blend of humour, nostalgia, and spooky twists, it's an entertaining ride that ultimately delivers a memorable experience."

Aakriti Agarwala of '' The Statesman'' rated the film 2.5 stars and wrote, "''Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3'' is a through-and-through climax-driven film that didn't know what to do with the first two hours. Dominated by dull comic punches and references, unnecessary and forced song sequences, and complete mutilation of the Bengali language and dialect, the film fails to keep the audiences at the edge of their seats. It was only in the last 30 minutes that the stars had the chance to shine."

Accolades

Notes

References

External links

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{{Portal bar, India, Film, Bollywood

2024 films
2024 comedy horror films
2024 LGBTQ-related films
2020s Hindi-language films
Indian horror films
Indian LGBTQ-related films
Indian sequel films
Indian comedy horror films
T-Series (company) films
Films directed by Anees Bazmee
Films featuring songs by Pritam
Films scored by Sandeep Shirodkar
Films set in Kolkata
Films shot in Mumbai
Films shot in Madhya Pradesh
Films shot in Kolkata
Films shot in Ladakh