As the first trailer of Bhooth Bangla dropped, many viewers said they were taken back to the world of Bhool Bhulaiyaa. Probably it was the combination of actors and the director, or maybe the same shooting location, but many said they could ‘feel the OG vibes’ in the trailer. Pretty soon, rumours and news reports claimed that the vibes matched because Bhooth Bangla was originally meant to be a sequel to Bhool Bhulaiyaa. HT spoke to director Priyadarshan to set the record straight.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa, the 2007 hit, was directed by Priyadarshan and starred Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Shiny Ahuja, Paresh Rawal, Ameesha Patel, and Rajpal Yadav, among others. The film, a remake of the Malayalam cult hit Manichitrathazhu, is regarded as one of the first horror comedies of Hindi cinema.
Bhooth Bangla and Bhool Bhulaiyaa not connected
Bhooth Bangla marks Priyadarshan’s return to Hindi cinema and features much of the same star cast as Bhool Bhulaiyaa, as well as the same haveli as the shoot location. But contrary to reports, Priyadarshan says it is an original story. “That is not right. It’s all false news,” the veteran filmmaker says, addressing reports of the connection between the two films.
The director maintains that apart from the cast, the two films are very different. “This is an absolute fantasy. That was a psychological thriller. Here, I am exploiting people’s belief in ghosts, giving a little bit of scientific reasoning behind it. Quantum physics says you can take one consciousness to another body and so on. On that logic, I made that film,” he says.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa has seen two commercially successful sequels, but without the involvement of either Priyadarshan or Akshay. The two films were directed by Anees Bazmee and starred Kartik Aaryan.
‘Afraid to make comedies’
In just over a decade, Priyadarshan gave Hindi cinema some of its most iconic comedies, from Hera Pheri and Garam Masala to Bhagam Bhag. But the director does not want to go down that path again. “I am afraid to make an out-and-out comedy,” he admits. The veteran filmmaker elaborates, “There is a tendency to be repetitive. When you make 100 movies, what’s new left to see? Youngsters should come to me with something newthat excites me. Like this script (Bhooth Bangla), where I found the plot interesting, and I felt I could develop it. There should be something new that excites you.”
The 69-year-old has directed 97 films across languages so far, many of them comedies. But the director admits he himself is ‘not a funny person’. “If I crack a joke, nobody laughs,” he tells us with a poker face. But Priyadarshan knows where he brings the humour onto the screen. “The good thing is that I appreciate humour. So I can create situations where characters can remain serious, but the situation makes you laugh. In this film, I have tried the same. For the characters, it is life and death, but the situation is funny,” he says.
Bhooth Bangla, Priyadarshan’s first Hindi film in five years, stars Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Tabu, Wamiqa Gabbi, and Rajpal Yadav. The film releases in theatres on April 10.
