| Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Anees Bazmee |
| Written by | Aakash Kaushik |
| Produced by | Bhushan Kumar Krishan Kumar Murad Khetani |
| Starring | Kartik Aaryan Vidya Balan Madhuri Dixit Triptii Dimri |
| Cinematography | Manu Anand |
| Edited by | Sanjay Sankla |
| Music by |
|
Production companies | T-Series Films Cine1 Studios |
| Distributed by | AA Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 158 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹150 crore[2] |
| Box office | est.₹423.85 crore[3] |
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (transl. Labyrinth 3) is a 2024 IndianHindi-languagecomedy horror film directed byAnees Bazmee, written by Aakash Kaushik, and produced byT-Series Films and Cine1 Studios.[4] It serves as the third installment of theeponymous franchise afterBhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) andBhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022). It starsKartik Aaryan,Vidya Balan,Madhuri Dixit andTriptii Dimri, and is set inKolkata.[5][6]
The film was officially announced in March 2023.Principal photography took place from March to September 2024 inMumbai,Kolkata,Orchha, andLeh, with cinematography by Manu Anand.Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 was theatrically released on 1 November 2024, coinciding withDiwali.[7] It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and grossed over ₹423.85 crore worldwide, emerging as thesecond highest-grossing Hindi film andsixth highest-grossing Indian film of 2024.[8]
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In 1824, a woman is shown dancingKathak in the Raktghat palace at night, only to be caught by the king and his bodyguards. The king orders that theKathak dancer be burnt alive, and the guards obey king orders. Sometime later, the spirit of the dancer returns to haunt the killers. The spirit killed both the man who burnt her and the king as well. The bodyguards are killed, with the king being set ablaze in his bed by the spirit.
200 years later, in 2024, Ruhaan, a conman pretending to be a ghostbuster under the pseudonym “Rooh Baba,” along with his accomplice Tillu, cheat people in Kolkata for a living. One day, they get a call from a person referring to himself as the “King” of Raktghat, who wants to oust the ghost of his niece “Meera,” said to be haunting his house. While Ruhaan attempts to exorcise Meera's spirit, he inadvertently admits that he is a fraud, which her uncle records on his phone. All of this turns out to be a hoax set up by Meera and her uncle to catch Ruhaan and bring him to their native place, Raktghat—an erstwhile princely state inWest Bengal. Meera promises to pay Ruhaan a sum of ₹1 crore if he helps them reclaim their palace, which is supposedly haunted by the spirit of Manjulika. With no option left, Ruhaan follows the duo to Raktghat, where he finds a broke royal family struggling to meet their daily needs. The royal family now lives in a small house outside the haunted palace.
Meera and the royal priest reveal to Ruhaan a prophecy: 200 years ago, Princess Manjulika killed her younger stepbrother Debendranath, who was chosen by their father, the king, to ascend the throne over her due to gender bias. As punishment, the king burned Manjulika alive. She returned as a spirit to haunt the royals, killing almost everyone with king, but was eventually captured. Her spirit was locked in her room by the royal priests and was never to be opened again. Ruhaan learns that he resembles Debendranath and is seen as the prophesied saviour. Everyone believe that Ruhaan is rebirth of Prince Debendranath. His return is celebrated by the villagers—except for three fake pundits.
Meera calls upon a restoration team so that the palace can be sold and Ruhaan's promised bounty can be paid. Eventually, Meera and Ruhaan fall in love. Mallika, from the restoration company, arrives at the palace. Meanwhile, three conmen posing as pundits are discovered hiding in the palace in the supposedly locked room of Manjulika. They had been trying to scare others away so they could live in the palace unnoticed, but they are caught by Ruhaan, Mallika and Meera.
Ruhaan and the others then discover another locked room, similar to Manjulika's. Believing that the palace is not truly haunted, Ruhaan opens it, unknowingly releasing a spirit. The royal priest reveals that there were actually two princesses—the elder Anjulika and the younger Manjulika. Both despised each other and wanted to ascend the throne. Somehow, Anjulika's presence was erased from the pages of history.
To everyone's surprise, a royal named Mandira arrives at the palace intending to purchase it from the family once restoration is complete. Mandira and Mallika are often at odds with each other, unbeknownst to the family and Ruhaan. Meanwhile, the spirit begins killing anyone who proposes to buy the palace's belongings. Ruhaan and Meera are haunted by illusions of Mandira and Mallika, both claiming to be Manjulika. The fake pundits and Ruhaan attempt to escape the palace, but the spirit prevents them from leaving.
OnDurgashtami, Mallika and Mandira attack each other, both identifying themselves as Manjulika. The royal priest concocts a magical oil that could stop the spirit. Ruhaan uses this oil to confront it. In a shocking turn of events, the spirit provokes the family, Mandira, Mallika, and Ruhaan, finally revealing that the spirit is not Manjulika but Prince Debendranath himself.
In a flashback, the married Prince Debendranath is shown as effeminate, fond of Kathak dancing in the palace hall while the other royals slept. Anjulika and Manjulika discover this secret and pretend to sympathize. The sisters conspire together—while Anjulika sings for Debendranath as he dances Kathak, Manjulika informs the king and his ministers. Debendranath is thus shamed and berrated in front of everyone, and the king orders his bodyguards to burn him alive. The king also punishes Anjulika by erasing her presence from history, while making Manjulika appear killer of Prince Debendranath. Both sisters are expelled from the kingdom. Sometime later, Prince Debendranath's spirit returned and killed the king and his bodyguards but is eventually captured by the royal priests and kept locked in the secret room. Manjulika's room was merely a decoy, a cover-up of who the real ghost truly is to protect the king's honour.
Now, Debendranath's spirit possesses and switches both Mallika and Mandira, attacking Ruhaan and the royals, deceiving them into believing that either of them could be the true Manjulika who must be burnt alive in a similar fashion that the prince died. It is revealed that Ruhaan is not rebirth of Prince Debendranath but Mandira and Mallika are actually the rebirths of Anjulika and Manjulika. The royal priest captures the spirit and urges the sisters to destroy it. However, Mandira and Mallika beg for clemency, which the spirit finally accepts. Debendranath's soul attains peace after 200 years.
In amid-credit scene, Mandira reveals that she is actuallyACP Rathore, a police officer whom Ruhaan had been trying to avoid, causing him to faint as everyone bursts into laughter.
Kartik Aaryan was cast as an alternate version of his role fromBhool Bhulaiyaa 2. On 12 February 2024, it was announced that Vidya Balan, who played Manjulika in the originalBhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), would play an alternate version of her character, by sharing a video ofInstagram.[10] On 21 February 2024, it was announced thatMadhuri Dixit andTriptii 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 featuresVijay Raaz,Rajesh Sharma,Manish Wadhwa,Sanjay Mishra, andAshwini Kalsekar.[11][12]
On 9 March 2024, inMumbai, the cast and crew ofBhool Bhulaiyaa 3 gathered for an inauguralmuhurat puja ceremony to mark the beginning ofprincipal photography. ProducerBhushan Kumar clapped themuhurat shot for Kartik Aaryan. Vidya Balan, Triptii Dimri, Rajesh Sharma, and co-producer Shiv Chanana were also present at the ceremony.[13][14] A glimpse video of this ceremony was shared byT-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 byDOP Manu Anand.[15]
During shooting, directorAnees Bazmee faced significant challenges as he fractured his leg on the last day of thefilm 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 thefilm set in a wheelchair and continued with his work.[16][17] The film'sproduction involved extensive planning and coordination, with key members Bhushan Kumar, Bazmee, and Aaryan actively engaged in discussions and preparations.[18]
Filming began inMumbai, with the first schedule wrapping up on 27 March 2024.[19] During this schedule, the entry sequence of Aaryan was also shot. A massive set was erected inFilm City, Mumbai, specifically for the song, which involved over a thousandbackground dancers with choreography done byGanesh Acharya.[20][21] After a short break, Bazmee, still recovering from his injury, scouted for locations in Kolkata for the next schedule.[22] The cast and crew landed inKolkata on 8 April 2024, to commence the second schedule.[23] In this schedule, Aaryan rode abullet onHowrah Bridge,[24] with Prantika Das and with Arun Kushwah atVictoria Memorial.[25][26] The shooting then progressed to Mallick Ghat flower market, where a small set with skeletons was put up.[27] Following this, Bazmee filmed scenes at thePark Street Graveyard andNonapukur Tram Depot, and finally concluded the shoot atLaha Bari inCentral Kolkata.[28] Prior to this, key shots were filmed at an elaborateBengali village set setup by theproduction team in Mumbai.[29][30] The song 'Mere Dholna' has been filmed asjugalbandi between Madhuri and Vidya and has been choreographed byChinni Prakash.[31]
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.[32] 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 blacksarees.[33]
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 filmChandu Champion, which was released on 14 June 2024. The next schedule was kicked off on 1 July 2024, inOrchha,Madhya Pradesh[34][35] with Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri, Rajpal Yadav, and others.[36] Key scenes were shot at varioushistoric landmarks such asOrchha Fort,Ram Raja Mandir, where some dramatic scenes were filmed, andJahangir Mahal, where Aaryan filmed a romantic song and some romantic scenes with Dimri. The schedule included filming intense sequences at Kanchana Ghat on theBetwa River.[37]
A part of theclimax sequence with all the principal actors together, was also shot there, with Aaryan and other leads performing some action sequences.[38] 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.[39] Principal photography was seemingly wrapped with final scenes being shot on 31 July and 1 August 2024.[40][41] Additionally in September 2024, a romantic track featuring Aaryan and Dimri was shot inLeh,Ladakh.[42] It was revealed that 2 differentclimax scene were filmed to keep the suspense around the ending of the film.[43]
| Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |||||
| Released | 23 October 2024 | ||||
| Recorded | 2023–2024 | ||||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | ||||
| Length | 24:06 | ||||
| Language | Hindi | ||||
| Label | T-Series | ||||
| Producer | Bhushan Kumar | ||||
| |||||
Thebackground score of the film is composed bySandeep Shirodkar[44], whereas thesoundtrack is composed byTanishk Bagchi,Amaal Mallik,Sachet–Parampara, Lijo George–DJ Chetas and Aditya Rikhari[45]. The lyrics are written bySameer Anjaan,Rashmi Virag, Aditya Rikhari, Dhrruv Yogi, Som andPitbull[46]. The "Title Track" and "Ami Je Tomar" song originally composed byPritam were recreated once again afterBhool Bhulaiyaa 2.[47][48]
The first single titled "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 – Title Track" was released on 16 October 2024.[49] 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.[50][51]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 –Title Track" | Dhruv Yogi,Sameer,Pitbull | Tanishk Bagchi,Pritam | Pitbull,Diljit Dosanjh,Neeraj Shridhar | 3:50 |
| 2. | "Jaana Samjho Na" | Aditya Rikhari | Lijo George-DJ Chetas, Aditya Rikhari | Aditya Rikhari,Tulsi Kumar | 3:32 |
| 3. | "Ami Je Tomar 3.0" | Sameer | Amaal Mallik, Pritam | Shreya Ghoshal | 5:15 |
| 4. | "Beiraada" | Rashmi Virag | Sachet–Parampara | Sachet Tandon, Parampara Tandon | 3:19 |
| 5. | "Hukkush Phukkush" | Som | Tanishk Bagchi | Sonu Nigam | 3:44 |
| 6. | "Mere Dholna 3.0" (Sonu Nigam Version) | Sameer | Amaal Mallik, Pritam | Sonu Nigam | 4:26 |
| Total length: | 24:06 | ||||
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 was theatrically released on 1 November 2024, on the occasion ofDiwali. The film was theatrically released inBangladesh on the same day as its worldwide release and thus became the second Hindi film to be released in the country.[52] The worldwide theatricaldistribution rights were acquired byAA Films. Distributor Anil Thadani had secured rights of single screens for the film.[53] The release clashed with the filmSingham Again.[54][55]
The film has been banned inSaudi Arabia due to mentions ofhomosexuality which is banned in the country.[56]
Thedigital streaming rights of the film were acquired byNetflix for ₹135 crore.[57][58][2] The film began streaming on the platform from 27 December 2024.[59]
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 was aBlockbuster and earned₹36.60 crore on opening day and a weekend total nett of₹110.20 crore inIndia. 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 ₹423.85 crore worldwide.[8]
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics.[60][61][62] On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 43% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10.[63]
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."[64]Sukanya Verma ofRediff.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 inBhool Bhulaiyaa 3".[65] Renuka Vyavahare ofThe 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."[66]
Vinamra Mathur ofFirstpost 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 ofDevdas with her thunderous aura and nimble moves. And for those stepping in with zero expectations, may not be exactly doing a Bhool!".[67] Anuj Kumar ofThe Hindu saysBhool 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.[68]
Shubhra Gupta ofThe Indian Express rated the film 1.5/5 stars and wrote "Kartik Aaryan'sBhool Bhulaiyaa 3 suffers from the same things thatBhool Bhulaiyaa 2 did: stereotypes instead of characters, forced humour which refuses to land, and tasteless lines bordering on the risible."[69]Saibal Chatterjee ofNDTV 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 whatBhool Bhulaiyaa 2 yielded."[70] Udita Jhunjhunwala ofMint 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".[71] Abhimanyu Mathur ofHindustan 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."[72]
Neha Sen ofDeccan 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."[73] Nishad Thaivalappil ofNews18 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."[74] Tanmayi Savadi ofTimes 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."[75]
Ritika Handoo ofZee 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."[76] Nandini Ramnath ofScroll.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."[77] Amit Bhatia ofABP 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."[78]
Aakriti Agarwala ofThe 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."[79]
Directed by Anees Bazmee and produced by Bhushan Kumar's T-Series Films and Cine1 Studios, the film boasts a star-studded cast and an engaging storyline, earning both critical acclaim and commercial success.
The Kartik Aaryan-starrer is going strong at the box office, minting over ₹150 crore despite the mixed critical response.
With mixed reviews but steady audience interest, the horror-comedy is positioned well for a strong second weekend, making it likely to reach the ₹200 crore milestone soon.
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