''Bhool Bhulaiyya'' () is a 2007 Indian

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

-language

Psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

Horror comedy Comedy horror (also called horror comedy) is a literary, television and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as having three types: "black comedy, parody and spoof." Comedy horror can a ...

film directed by

Priyadarshan Priyadarshan Soman Nair (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director and screenwriter. He has worked primarily in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam and Hindi cinema, Hindi cinema since 1982, directing over 90 films in multiple Indian languages, ...

from a screenplay by

Neeraj Vora Neeraj Vora (22 January 1963 14 December 2017) was an Indian film director, writer, actor and composer from Gujarat. He made a mark in Bollywood with his work as a writer for Ram Gopal Verma's film '' Rangeela'' (1995). His directorial debut ...

and produced by T Series. It is a remake of the 1993

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

-language film ''

Manichitrathazhu ''Manichitrathazhu'' () is a 1993 Indian Malayalam-language epic psychological horror Thriller film directed by Fazil, written by Madhu Muttam and produced by Swargachitra Appachan. The film stars Mohanlal, Shobana and Suresh Gopi. It also ...

'' written by

Madhu Muttam Madhu Muttom is an Indian screenwriter from Kerala. Life Madhu got his start with Fazil's ''Kakkothikkavile Appooppan Thaadikal'' (1986). His best known film as a screenwriter is ''Manichitrathazhu'' (1993) directed by Fazil, for which he a ...

and directed by Fazil, which is based on a 19th-century tragedy that happened at Madhu's

Alummoottil Alummoottil is an Indian aristocratic Ezhava family (Tharavad) in Karthikapally Thaluk of Alappuzha district in Kerala. The family was at its financial peak during the seventeenth to twentieth centuries. AP Udayabhanu's novel ''"Ente Kadha Il ...

tharavad Tharavad, also spelled as Tharavadu () (തറവാട്), is the Malayalam word for the ancestral home of aristocratic Nair families in Kerala, which usually served as the common residence for the matrilineal joint family under the Marum ...

(an old traditional mansion) in Muttom (near

Haripad Haripad is a municipality in ''Odanad, Onattukara'' region of Alappuzha District, Kerala, India located between Alappuzha and Kollam on the NH 66, National Highway 66. Haripad is bordered on the east by Pallippad, Veeyapuram and Karuvatta ...

) in central

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

. The film stars

Akshay Kumar Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career span ...

Vidya Balan Vidya Balan (pronounced ; born 1 January 1979) is an Indian actress. Known for pioneering a change in the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema with her roles in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including a National Fil ...

Shiney Ahuja Shiney Suraj Ahuja (born 15 May 1973) is an Indian former actor who worked in Bollywood. He won the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for '' Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'' in 2006 and then followed with several hit films like ''Gangster'', '' Woh La ...

, and

Ameesha Patel Ameesha Patel (; born 9 June 1975) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi and Telugu films. Patel is the recipient of several awards such as a Filmfare Award and a Zee Cine Award. Patel made her acting debut in 2000 with the romantic ...

, alongside

Paresh Rawal Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is an Indian actor, comedian, film producer and politician known for his works primarily in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. He has Paresh Rawal filmography, appeared in over 240 films and is the recipient of various L ...

Rajpal Yadav Rajpal Naurang Yadav (born 16 March 1971) is an Indian actor and comedian. His breakthrough came in Ram Gopal Varma's ''Jungle'' (2000) with a negative role. Although Yadav has gained widespread recognition for his slapstick comic performances ...

, Manoj Joshi,

Asrani Govardhan Asrani (born 1 January 1941), known popularly by mononym Asrani, is an Indian actor and director whose Bollywood career has spanned over five decades. He has acted in over 350 Hindi films. Asrani has played the lead roles, character ...

and

Vikram Gokhale Vikram Gokhale (14 November 1945 – 26 November 2022) was an Indian film, television and stage actor, noted for his roles in Marathi theatre, Hindi films and television. He was the son of the Veteran Marathi theatre and film actor, Chandrakan ...

. The

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

and

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

were composed by

Ranjit Barot Ranjit Barot is an Indian film score composer, music director and arranger, drummer, and singer based in Mumbai, India. He is a long-time associate of A. R. Rahman. John McLaughlin has described him as one of the "leading edges" in drumming. ...

and

Pritam Pritam Chakraborty (born 14 June 1971), also popularly known mononymously as Pritam, is a National Award winning Indian composer, instrumentalist, music producer and singer. Graduating from FTII in Sound Engineering, he worked as an ad jin ...

respectively, with lyrics written by

Sameer Samir (also spelled Sameer) is a male name found commonly in South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia. In Arabic, Samir () means "holy", "jovial", "loyal", or "charming". In Albanian, it literally means "so good" but loosely "exquisite", ...

and

Sayeed Quadri Sayeed Quadri is an Indian lyricist and poet known for his work in Hindi cinema. He gained recognition with his debut in the film ''Jism'' (2003) and is best known for his soulful and poetic lyrics in popular films like ''Murder'', ''Gangster'' ...

. The film was shot under the working title of ''

Chandramukhi ''Chandramukhi'' () is a 2005 Indian Tamil-language psychological comedy horror film written and directed by P. Vasu. It is a remake of Vasu's Kannada film '' Apthamitra'' (2004) which itself was based on the Malayalam film '' Manichitrathaz ...

'' in

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

, mainly at the Chomu Palace (a

haveli A ''haveli'' is a traditional townhouse, mansion, or manor house, in the Indian subcontinent, usually one with historical and architectural significance, and located in a town or city. The word ''haveli'' is derived from Arabic ''hawali'', me ...

) and also the City Palace, while the song "Allah Hafiz" was shot at

Hampi Hampi or Hampe (), also referred to as the Group of Monuments at Hampi, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the town of Hampi in Vijayanagara district, east-central Karnataka, India. Hampi predates the Vijayanagara Empire; it is menti ...

. Madhu, the writer of the Malayalam film, has been credited as the sole writer for the remakes after he filed a copyright suit against Fazil when the latter started being listed as the writer of the original script in the remakes. Produced on a budget of ₹32 crore, ''Bhool Bhulaiyaa'' earned 82.84 crore, thus becoming the eighth-highest grossing Hindi film of 2007. It received mixed reviews from critics. However, the film has attained a

cult status A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, book ...

, with praise towards Kumar's psychiatrist character, Balan's portrayal of Avni and Manjulika, and its music. The film spawned a

standalone sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

titled '' Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2'' (2022) with a new principal cast. The third film in the series, ''

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 ''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 a ...

'', with Vidya playing an alternate version of her character, released on

Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...

2024.

Plot

Badrinarayan "Badri" Chaturvedi heads a former royal family of

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

whose ancestral palace is believed to be haunted by the ghost of Manjulika, an

Odissi ''Odissi'' (''ଓଡ଼ିଶୀ'') also referred to as ''Orissi'' in old literature, oldest surviving classical dance of India, is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the Hindu temple, temples of Odisha – an eastern ...

dancer from

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

. Siddharth, son of Badri's elder brother, Kedar, and the current successor of the royal dynasty, and his

archeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeol ...

wife Avni return to the palace from the United States after a whirlwind romance. Their marriage breaks the heart of Siddharth's childhood friend and Badri's adopted daughter, Radha, who was and is in love with him. Avni develops an interest in the legend of Manjulika. Decades ago, the Chaturvedis' ancestor,

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

Vibhuti Narayan, was infatuated with Manjulika, who was a dancer in his court from Bengal. However, she loved Shashidhar, who was her co-dancer. Angry and frustrated, the king publicly beheaded Shashidhar on the night of Durgashtami and imprisoned Manjulika in order to forcefully marry her. A heartbroken Manjulika swore vengeance towards any successor of the royal family before hanging herself. The king mysteriously died, and powerful sorcerers and high priests were summoned to seal away Manjulika's spirit on the third floor of the palace. Avni gets a duplicate key from Batukshankar's daughter, Nandini, and opens the door on the third floor, thereby breaking the confinement of Manjulika's spirit. As a result, unnatural events start taking place thereafter, including an apparition of a woman that frightens everyone in the palace. Suspicion falls on Radha, who is somehow always at the scene of every incident. Siddharth suspects Radha has become mentally unstable after her heartbreak. He brings his friend, psychiatrist Aditya Shrivastava, to treat her. Aditya's unconventional ways lead the household to think he is a fool. An attempt to kill Siddharth by poisoning his tea is foiled by Aditya. One night, Aditya hears the sound of a

ghungroo A ghungroo (, ), also known as ghunghroo or ghunghru or ghungur (in Assamese and Bengali) or ghungura (in Odia) or Chilanka or Salangai or Gejje (in Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada respectively), is one of many small metallic bells strung together ...

and a voice singing in

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

coming from Manjulika's room. Posing as King Vibhuti Narayan, he converses with Manjulika, who vows revenge on the next Durgashtami. During the engagement of Nandini to poet Sharad Pradhan, Avni accuses Sharad of sexually harassing her. Sharad vehemently denies this, and Aditya explains to an angry Siddharth that he is telling the truth. In reality, Avni has dissociative identity disorder and associates herself with Manjulika. Aditya had become suspicious after Avni's behavior and visited her hometown to gather information about her. She associates Siddharth with the evil King Vibhuti Narayan and believes Sharad to be Shashidhar, for he resides in the house Shashidhar used to live in. Badri brings renowned exorcist Yagyaprakash Bharti. To everyone's surprise, Aditya was Yagyaprakash's disciple a long time ago. Aditya intends to cure Avni using an unconventional method of psychiatry. Siddharth believes Aditya after witnessing Avni transition to Manjulika. Aditya explains that DID is a lifelong condition, but Avni might be cured if they satisfy Manjulika's purpose for existing: killing King Vibhuti Narayan. On Durgashtami, everyone witnesses Avni assume Manjulika's identity, dressed as her and dancing to Manjulika and Shashidhar's song. Yagyaprakash makes Manjulika promise to leave if she kills the King. She envisions Siddharth as the King, and Yagyaprakash and Aditya trick her into thinking she is killing him when in fact she is slaying a dummy. Avni is cured after the orchestrated "murder", believing Manjulika has taken her revenge. The family, now pleased with Aditya, thank him for his help. Aditya, who has come to like Radha, tells her that he will send his parents if she is interested in marrying him.

Cast

as Dr. Aditya "Adi" Shrivastav *

dual roles A dual role (also known as a double role) refers to one actor playing two roles in a single production. Dual roles (or a larger number of roles for an actor) may be deliberately written into a script, or may instead be a choice made during produc ...

as Avni S. Chaturvedi and Manjulika ** Navika Kotia as Child Avni *

as Siddharth Chaturvedi and

Raja Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. T ...

Vibhuti Narayan *

as Radha Chaturvedi *

as Batukshankar Upadhyay * Manoj Joshi as Badrinarayan "Badri" Chaturvedi *

as Chhote Pandit *

as Murari *

Acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a religious teacher in Hinduism and Buddhism and a spiritual guide to Hindus and Buddhists. The designation has different meanings i ...

Yagyaprakash Bharti *

Rasika Joshi Rasika Joshi (12 September 1972 – 7 July 2011) was a Marathi cinema, Marathi and Hindi film actress. A Marathi theatre and Indian television actress, she was known for ''Maharashtrians, Maharashtrian'' roleplays in Bollywood films. Career She ...

as Janki Batukshankar Upadhyay (née Chaturvedi) *

Tarina Patel Tarina Patel is a South African actress, film producer, model and television host, born in Cape Town and raised in Durban. She appeared in Akshay Kumar's, Horror-comedy - Bhool Bhulaiyaa. She has been on the South African version of The Real Ho ...

as Nandini Sharad Prahlad (née Upadhyay) *

Vineeth Vineeth Radhakrishnan (born 23 August 1969) is an Indian actor, Bharatanatyam dancer, voice artist and choreographer who primarily works in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu language films. He has also appeared in a few Hindi and Kannada films. He h ...

as Professor Sharad Prahlad and Shashidhar *

Kaveri Jha Kaveri Jha is an Indian model, film actress and flight attendant. She works in Hindi and Telugu language films. Early life Jha was born in Bihar. Her family had to move frequently as her father is an Indian government employee. She went on to ...

as Girja Upadhyay *

Jimit Trivedi Jimit Trivedi is an Indian actor, who has performed in Hindi and Gujarati cinema, television and theatre. Career Jimit Trivedi debuted in Bollywood films in 2007 with '' Bhool Bhulaiya'', starring Akshay Kumar. His debut in Gujarati films was ...

as Chandu Chaturvedi *

Baby Farida Farida Dadi, also known as Farida Devi or Baby Farida, is an Indian actress in Hindi-language films and television serials. Career She started her career as a child actor in films in the 60s and was the most sought-after child actress. She ma ...

as Avni's Grandmother * Ashmita as Manjulika's double

Music

Score

The

was composed and produced by

Songs

The songs featured in the film composed by

, were released in July 2007. The title song "Bhool Bhulaiyaa", commonly known as " Hare Ram Hare Ram, Hare Krishna Hare Ram", was sung by

Neeraj Shridhar Neeraj Shridhar is an Indian film playback singer, composer and singer-songwriter who was the lead vocalist of Indian pop and rock group Bombay Vikings. Bombay Vikings became popular with remix hits like "Kya Soorat Hai", "Woh Chali" and "Cho ...

, who also did the remake for the sequel. The track reportedly samples

JtL JTL (제이티엘) were a South Korean dance music group, consisting of the former H.O.T. members who left SM Entertainment – Jang Woo-hyuk, Tony Ahn and Lee Jae-won (singer), Lee Jae-won. The group was named after the initials of the members' ...

's "My Lecon". "Labon Ko", another popular song from the album, was sung by KK. According to the Indian trade website

Box Office India Box Office India is an Indian film website dedicated to tracking, reporting, and analyzing the financial performance of films released in the Hindi entertainment industry. Established in 2003, Box Office India has become a prominent source of ...

, with around 12,00,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the year's eighth highest-selling.

Release

The film was released worldwide on 12 October 2007. The DVD of the film was released by Eros Home Media.

Box office

''Bhool Bhulaiyaa'' was declared a hit at the box office by ''

'', netting in India. It was the 6th highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2007. It grossed ₹3,88,00,000 on its first day, while it grossed ₹23,50,00,000 in the first week. The total overseas gross was $3,910,000. The lifetime overseas breakup was $1,380,000 in the UK, $1,130,000 in North America, $820,000 in the UAE, $151,000 in Australia and $429,000 in other markets. The film collected worldwide.

Critical reception

Awards

Sequels

'' Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2'', a

spiritual sequel A spiritual successor (sometimes called a spiritual sequel) is a product or fictional work that is similar to, or directly inspired by, another previous product or work, but (unlike a traditional prequel or sequel) does not explicitly continue th ...

directed by

Anees Bazmee Anees Bazmee is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works in Hindi cinema. He is best known directing for ''No Entry'' (2005), ''Welcome (2007 film), Welcome'' (2007) and ''Singh is Kinng'' (2008), '' Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2'' (20 ...

and starring

Kartik Aaryan Kartik Aaryan (; born 22 November 1990) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. While pursuing a degree in engineering, he made his acting debut with Luv Ranjan's buddy film ''Pyaar Ka Punchnama'' (2011). He went on to star in ...

, Tabu and

Kiara Advani Alia Advani (born 31 July 1991), known professionally as Kiara Advani (), is an Indian actress who works in Hindi and Telugu films. Advani is a recipient of several accolades including an IIFA Award and two Zee Cine Awards, alongside nominati ...

released in 2022. The third installment, also by Bazmee, released in 2024 with Kartik Aaryan reprising his role as Rooh Baba from the sequel and saw the return of Vidya Balan as Manjulika, along with

Madhuri Dixit Madhuri Dixit Nene (Maiden and married names, née Dixit, ; born 15 May 1967) is an Indian actress and television personality. She has appeared in Madhuri Dixit filmography, over 70 Hindi films. Praised by critics for her performances and danc ...