Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

<p>In 1824, Prince Debendranath, who loved , 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. was cast as an alternate version of his role from . On 12 February 2024, it was announced that Vidya Balan, who played Manjulika in the original (2007), would play an alternate version of her character, by sharing a video of Instagram. On 21 February 2024, it was announced that and would be joining the project. , known for his role as Chhota Pandit in the previous films, will also return to reprise his role. The cast also features , , , , and . On 9 March 2024, in , the cast and crew of gathered for an inaugural ceremony to mark the beginning of . Producer clapped the 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 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 Manu Anand. During shooting, director faced significant challenges as he fractured his leg on the last day of the . 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 in a wheelchair and continued with his work. The film’s involved extensive planning and coordination, with key members Bhushan Kumar, Bazmee, and Aaryan actively engaged in discussions and preparations. Filming began in , 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 , specifically for the song, which involved over a thousand with choreography done by . 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 on 8 April 2024, to commence the second schedule. In this schedule, Aaryan rode a on , with Prantika Das and with Arun Kushwah at . 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 and , and finally concluded the shoot at in . Prior to this, key shots were filmed at an elaborate village set setup by the in Mumbai. The song ‘Mere Dholna’ has been filmed as between Madhuri and Vidya and has been choreographed by . 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, , Sharma, Raaz, and others shot a sequence on the film’s set in Mumbai, with Balan and Dixit twinning in black . 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 , which was released on 14 June 2024. The next schedule was kicked off on 1 July 2024, in , with Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit, Triptii Dimri, Rajpal Yadav, and others. Key scenes were shot at various such as , , where some dramatic scenes were filmed, and , where Aaryan filmed a romantic song and some romantic scenes with Dimri. The schedule included filming intense sequences at Kanchana Ghat on the . A part of the 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 , . It was revealed that 2 different were filmed to keep the suspense around the ending of the film. The of the film is composed by , whereas the is composed by , , , Lijo George–DJ Chetas and Aditya Rikhari. The lyrics are written by , , Aditya Rikhari, Dhrruv Yogi, Som and . The “Title Track” and “Ami Je Tomar” song originally composed by were recreated once again after . 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. was theatrically released on 1 November 2024, on the occasion of . The film was theatrically released in on the same day as its worldwide release and thus became the second Hindi film to be released in the country. The worldwide theatrical were acquired by . Distributor Anil Thadani had secured rights of single screens for the film. The release clashed with the film . The film has been banned in due to mentions of which is banned in the country. The rights of the film were acquired by for ₹135 core. The film began streaming on the platform from 27 December 2024. 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 ₹423.85 crore worldwide. received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. On the website , 43% of 14 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10. rated the film 4.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, ” is a well-made horror comedy which works due to its performances, taut script, creative execution and above all, an unpredictable climax.” of 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 “. Renuka Vyavahare of 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 rated the film 3/5 stars and wrote ” 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 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 says 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. of rated the film 1.5/5 stars and wrote “Kartik Aaryan’s suffers from the same things that did: stereotypes instead of characters, forced humour which refuses to land, and tasteless lines bordering on the risible.” of 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 yielded.” Udita Jhunjhunwala of 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 rated the film 2.5 stars and wrote, ” 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.”</p>