Masand's Verdict: Bhoothnath, a half-good entertainer

WATCHABLE: Bhoothnath's a half-good entertainer that's saved to some extent by Big B's undeniable energy

    

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Keywords: Juhi Chawla, Amitabh Bachchan

Bhoothnath, seen in its entirety, is a confused film at best. Sure it's got its moments, but it's hardly the kind of film you'll remember years from now. The other reason Bhoothnath doesn't come anywhere close to a film like Mr India is because it simply doesn't push the envelope as far as special effects are concerned.

20 years after Mr Indiaand the best Bhoothnath does is show us furniture flying around a room, Bachchan walking in and out of walls, a child's arm elongating to ridiculous proportions, and some gimmicks involving dried leaves. Such a shame, one would have expected more!

Of the cast, Shah Rukh Khan in a special appearance looks uninspired and unhappy to be there, while the usually dependable Juhi Chawla tends to over-act for no reason.

Some genuinely funny moments are provided by Rajpal Yadav who plays the local drunk, but of course the film belongs to Bachchan and little fellow Aman Siddique who give the film its best moments.

Siddique is sharp and on-the-ball and he turns in a sincere performance, but if I were to pick the one single thing about Bhoothnath that's superb, then that would be Amitabh Bachchan. He's perfectly cast, he's uninhibited as the scruffy, irritable ghost, and even in the film's tedious bits he's the only reason you stay in your seats.

I'm going with two out of five and an average rating for director Vivek Sharma's Bhoothnath, it's a half-good entertainer that's saved to some extent by Amitabh Bachchan's undeniable energy. Take your kids to the film, but make sure you don't stay longer than intermission!

Rating: 2 / 5 (Average)