Bhooth Bangla Review: Akshay Kumar's Dated Film Fails to Recapture Bhool Bhulaiyaa Magic
The Indian Express critic Shubhra Gupta delivers a scathing review of the 2026 horror-comedy Bhooth Bangla, directed by Priyadarshan and starring Akshay Kumar. The film, intended as a spiritual successor to the hit 2007 movie Bhool Bhulaiyaa, is criticized for being a dated and ungainly mess that relies heavily on outdated humor, including sexually obvious jokes and risible sequences. Despite reuniting the successful director-actor duo and featuring returning cast members like Rajpal Yadav and Paresh Rawal, the movie fails to generate genuine laughter or suspense. The plot, involving a haunted palace and family superstitions, is described as disjointed, with characters appearing randomly and poorly defined roles. Critics highlight the noticeable age gap between Akshay Kumar and his on-screen father, as well as cringey romantic subplots. While Tabu’s performance offers brief relief, the excessive use of poor CGI and tired tropes regarding women and superstition ultimately disappoints. The review concludes that the film makes audiences miss the iconic character Monjulika from the original, labeling the effort as too little, too late, with a low rating of 1.5 out of 5 stars.
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Bhooth Bangla Review: Akshay Kumar's Dated Film Fails to Recapture Bhool Bhulaiyaa Magic
The Indian Express critic Shubhra Gupta delivers a scathing review of the 2026 horror-comedy Bhooth Bangla, directed by Priyadarshan and starring Akshay Kumar. The film, intended as a spiritual successor to the hit 2007 movie Bhool Bhulaiyaa, is criticized for being a dated and ungainly mess that relies heavily on outdated humor, including sexually obvious jokes and risible sequences. Despite reuniting the successful director-actor duo and featuring returning cast members like Rajpal Yadav and Paresh Rawal, the movie fails to generate genuine laughter or suspense. The plot, involving a haunted palace and family superstitions, is described as disjointed, with characters appearing randomly and poorly defined roles. Critics highlight the noticeable age gap between Akshay Kumar and his on-screen father, as well as cringey romantic subplots. While Tabu’s performance offers brief relief, the excessive use of poor CGI and tired tropes regarding women and superstition ultimately disappoints. The review concludes that the film makes audiences miss the iconic character Monjulika from the original, labeling the effort as too little, too late, with a low rating of 1.5 out of 5 stars.
The Indian Express