Ravi Chopra and Amitabh Bachchan are back with another “B”-titled flick after the hit film Baghban and the not-so-great Babul.
Once again, they stick to the theme of the parent-child relationship in Bhoothnath — they just add a ghost to the movie to make it a novel venture.
Not a bad idea, but the problem is that the spirit aka Bhoothnath is a bit too melodramatic and has too many sorrows to suit this fun-filled, kiddy-party film.
Banku (Aman Siddiqui), a 7-year-old, and his parents (Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla) move into a bungalow haunted by a ghost, Bhoothnath (Amitabh Bachchan), who doesn’t want anyone to occupy his former home.
But Banku wins Bhoothnath over with his childish and naughty behaviour and the two develop an emotional bond.
Banku and Bhoothnath have fun together at home and in school, with Bhoothnath playing the perfect friend, philosopher and guide to Banku.
All’s fine until Banku’s parents realise their son is interacting with a spirit and decide to find a solution to help the spirit attain salvation.
The film starts a bit creepily but immediately settles down to a kiddy flick.
Debutant director Vivek Sharma depicts the relationship between the child and the spirit extremely well, but just when you think it’s going to be a good watch, the second half turns into a prolonged emotional drama that bores you so much you really want Bhoothnath to attain salvation lest you start begging for yours.
Chopra, after having already made a couple of films driving home the point that you should love your parents, needs to start looking out for something new.
Good performances
Bachchan is very good as the spirit and his equation with Siddiqui is fantastic, which is easily the film’s high point.
Siddiqui is endearing but his character as a brat could have been explored further.
Chawla is a treat to watch and Khan is effective in his special appearance.
Rajpal Yadav, as a drunkard, raises some laughs but his character is not well-developed and sadly, disappears all of a sudden.
Satish Shah is funny as the school principal with a twang in his accent but that his scenes with Bachchan are a straight lift from Bruce Almighty can’t go unnoticed.
Priyanshu Chatterjee, as Bachchan’s son, does well in the few scenes given to him.
Vishal-Shekhar’s music is a big disappointment and the boring songs only add to the slow-moving second half.
Technically, however, the film is superior to most others, with full marks to the special effects.
Overall, it is not a bad film but not something that will excite you.
Your children might enjoy most of it while you try to concentrate on your popcorn, especially after Bhoothnath begins to get weepy.
— Abdulla Mahmood is a UAE-based freelance writer
