Bhool Bhulaiyaa (transl. Labyrinth) is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language psychological comedy horror film directed by Priyadarshan from a screenplay by Neeraj Vora and produced by T Series. It is a remake of the 1993 Malayalam-language film Manichitrathazhu written by Madhu Muttam and directed by Fazil, which is based on a 19th-century tragedy that happened at Madhu's Alummoottil tharavad (an old traditional mansion) in Muttom (near Haripad) in central Travancore.[3][4][5] The film stars Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Shiney Ahuja, and Ameesha Patel, alongside Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Manoj Joshi, Asrani and Vikram Gokhale.[6] The film score and soundtrack were composed by Ranjit Barot and Pritam respectively, with lyrics written by Sameer and Sayeed Quadri.
| Bhool Bhulaiyaa | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Priyadarshan |
| Screenplay by | Neeraj Vora |
| Dialogues by |
|
| Story by | Madhu Muttam |
| Based on | Manichitrathazhu by Fazil |
| Produced by | Bhushan Kumar Krishan Kumar |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Tirru |
| Edited by | N. Gopalakrishnan Arun Kumar Aravind |
| Music by | Songs: Pritam Score: Ranjit Barot |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Balaji Motion Pictures Eros International |
Release date |
|
Running time | 154 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹320 million[1] |
| Box office | ₹828.4 million[2][1] |
The film was shot under the working title of Chandramukhi in Jaipur, mainly at the Chomu Palace (a haveli) and also the City Palace, while the song "Allah Hafiz" was shot at Hampi.[7] Madhu, the writer of the Malayalam film, has been credited as the sole writer for the remakes after he filed a copyright suit against Fazil when the latter started being listed as the writer of the original script in the remakes.[8][3]
Produced on a budget of ₹32 crore, Bhool Bhulaiyaa earned ₹82.84 crore,[2][1] thus becoming the eighth-highest grossing Hindi film of 2007.[9] It received mixed reviews from critics.[10] Over the years, the film has attained a cult status, with praise towards Kumar's psychiatrist character, Balan's portrayal of Avni and Manjulika, and its music.[11][12][13][14] The film spawned a standalone sequel titled Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022) with a new principal cast.[15][16] The third film in the series, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, with Vidya reprising her role, released on Diwali 2024.
Plot
editBadrinarayan "Badri" Chaturvedi heads a former royal family of Varanasi whose ancestral palace is believed to be haunted by the ghost of Manjulika, an Odissi dancer from Bengal. Siddharth, son of Badri's elder brother, Kedar, and the current successor of the royal dynasty, and his archeologist wife Avni return to the palace from the United States after a whirlwind romance. Their marriage breaks the heart of Siddharth's childhood friend and Badri's adopted daughter, Radha, who was and is in love with him.
Avni develops an interest in the legend of Manjulika. Decades ago, the Chaturvedis' ancestor, Maharaja Vibhuti Narayan, was infatuated with Manjulika, who was a dancer in his court from Bengal. However, she loved Shashidhar, who was her co-dancer. Angry and frustrated, the king publicly beheaded Shashidhar on the night of Durgashtami and imprisoned Manjulika in order to forcefully marry her. A heartbroken Manjulika swore vengeance towards any successor of the royal family before hanging herself. The king mysteriously died, and powerful sorcerers and high priests were summoned to seal away Manjulika's spirit on the third floor of the palace. Avni gets a duplicate key from Batukshankar's daughter, Nandini, and opens the door on the third floor, thereby breaking the confinement of Manjulika's spirit. As a result, unnatural events start taking place thereafter, including an apparition of a woman that frightens everyone in the palace. Suspicion falls on Radha, who is somehow always at the scene of every incident.
Siddharth suspects Radha has become mentally unstable after her heartbreak. He brings his friend, psychiatrist Aditya Shrivastava, to treat her. Aditya's unconventional ways lead the household to think he is a fool. An attempt to kill Siddharth by poisoning his tea is foiled by Aditya. One night, Aditya hears the sound of a ghungroo and a voice singing in Bengali coming from Manjulika's room. Posing as King Vibhuti Narayan, he converses with Manjulika, who vows revenge on the next Durgashtami.
During the engagement of Nandini to poet Sharad Pradhan, Avni accuses Sharad of sexually harassing her. Sharad vehemently denies this, and Aditya explains to an angry Siddharth that he is telling the truth. In reality, Avni has dissociative identity disorder and associates herself with Manjulika. Aditya had become suspicious after Avni's behavior and visited her hometown to gather information about her. She associates Siddharth with the evil King Vibhuti Narayan and believes Sharad to be Shashidhar, for he resides in the house Shashidhar used to live in.
Badri brings renowned exorcist Yagyaprakash Bharti. To everyone's surprise, Aditya was Yagyaprakash's disciple a long time ago. Aditya intends to cure Avni using an unconventional method of psychiatry. Siddharth believes Aditya after witnessing Avni transition to Manjulika. Aditya explains that DID is a lifelong condition, but Avni might be cured if they satisfy Manjulika's purpose for existing: killing King Vibhuti Narayan.
On Durgashtami, everyone witnesses Avni assume Manjulika's identity, dressed as her and dancing to Manjulika and Shashidhar's song. Yagyaprakash makes Manjulika promise to leave if she kills the King. She envisions Siddharth as the King, and Yagyaprakash and Aditya trick her into thinking she is killing him when in fact she is slaying a dummy. Avni is cured after the orchestrated "murder", believing Manjulika has taken her revenge.
The family, now pleased with Aditya, thank him for his help. Aditya, who has come to like Radha, tells her that he will send his parents if she is interested in marrying him.
Cast
edit- Akshay Kumar as Dr. Aditya "Adi" Shrivastav
- Vidya Balan in dual roles as Avni S. Chaturvedi and Manjulika
- Shiney Ahuja as Siddharth Chaturvedi and Raja Vibhuti Narayan
- Ameesha Patel as Radha Chaturvedi
- Paresh Rawal as Batukshankar Upadhyay
- Manoj Joshi as Badrinarayan "Badri" Chaturvedi
- Rajpal Yadav as Chhote Pandit
- Asrani as Murari
- Vikram Gokhale as Acharya Yagyaprakash Bharti
- Rasika Joshi as Janki Batukshankar Upadhyay (née Chaturvedi)
- Tarina Patel as Nandini Sharad Pradhan (née Upadhyay)
- Vineeth as Professor Sharad Pradhan and Shashidhar
- Kaveri Jha as Girja Upadhyay
- Jimit Trivedi as Chandu Chaturvedi
- Baby Farida as Avni's Grandmother
- Ashmita as Manjulika's double
Music
editScore
editThe film score was composed and produced by Ranjit Barot.
Songs
edit| Bhool Bhulaiyaa | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 12 July 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 56:00 | |||
| Label | T-Series | |||
| Producer | Pritam | |||
| Pritam chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Bollywood Hungama |    link |
| Rediff | link |
The songs featured in the film composed by Pritam, were released in July 2007. The title song "Bhool Bhulaiyaa", commonly known as "Hare Ram Hare Ram, Hare Krishna Hare Ram", was sung by Neeraj Shridhar, who also did the remake for the sequel. The track reportedly samples JtL's "My Lecon".[17] "Labon Ko", another popular song from the album, was sung by KK.[18] According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 12,00,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the year's eighth highest-selling.[19]
All lyrics are written by Sameer and Sayeed Quadri
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bhool Bhulaiyaa" | Sameer | Neeraj Shridhar, Bob | 05:12 |
| 2. | "Labon Ko Labon Pe" | Sayeed Quadri | K.K. | 05:44 |
| 3. | "Pyaar Ka Sajda" | Sameer | K.K. | 05:12 |
| 4. | "Ami Je Tomar (Mere Dholna)" | Sameer | Shreya Ghoshal, M. G. Sreekumar | 06:47 |
| 5. | "Let's Rock Soniye" | Sameer | Shaan, Tulsi Kumar | 04:27 |
| 6. | "Sakiya Re Sakiya" | Sameer | Tulsi Kumar | 04:57 |
| 7. | "Bhool Bhulaiyaa – Remix" | Sameer | Neeraj Shridhar and Dj A-Myth | 05:07 |
| 8. | "Allah Hafiz Keh Raha" | Sameer | K.K. | 04:34 |
| 9. | "Let's Rock Soniye – Remix" | Sameer | Shaan, Tulsi Kumar and Pritam | 04:28 |
| 10. | "Pyaar Ka Sajda – Remix" | Sameer | K.K. and DJ Suketu (Arranged by AKS) | 05:22 |
| 11. | "Labon Ko Labon Pe – Remix" | Sayeed Quadri | K.K., DJ Kiran, DJ G and Earl | 05:17 |
| Total length: | 52:65 | |||
Release
editThe film was worldwide released on 12 October 2007. The DVD of the film was released by Eros Home Media.
Box office
editBhool Bhulaiyaa was declared a hit at the box office by Box Office India, netting ₹497 million (US$6.0 million) in India. It was the 6th highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2007.[20] It grossed ₹3,88,00,000 on its first day, while it grossed ₹23,50,00,000 in the first week. The total overseas gross was $3,910,000. The lifetime overseas breakup was $1,380,000 in UK, $1,130,000 in North America, $820,000 in UAE, $151,000 in Australia and $429,000 in other markets.[21]
The film collected ₹84 crore (US$10 million) worldwide.[22]
Awards
edit| Award | Category | Recipients and Nominees | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anandalok Awards | Best Actress (Hindi) | Vidya Balan | Won |
| Filmfare Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| Screen Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| Zee Cine Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| Producers Guild Film Awards | Best Actor in a Comic Role | Akshay Kumar | Nominated |
| Stardust Awards | Actor of the Year – Male | Nominated | |
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | Best Director | Priyadarshan | Nominated |
| Best Actor | Akshay Kumar | ||
| Best Actress | Vidya Balan | ||
| Best Villain | |||
| Best Comedian | Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav | ||
| Best Music Director | Pritam | ||
| Best Male Playback Singer | Neeraj Shridhar (for "Bhool Bhulaiyaa") | ||
| Best Female Playback Singer | Shreya Ghoshal (for "Mere Dholna") |
Sequels
editBhool Bhulaiyaa 2, a spiritual sequel directed by Anees Bazmee and starring Kartik Aaryan, Tabu and Kiara Advani released in 2022. The third installment, also by Bazmee, released in 2024 with Kartik Aaryan reprising his role as Rooh Baba from the sequel and saw the return of Vidya Balan as Manjulika, along with Madhuri Dixit, and Triptii Dimri. The third part also serves as a spiritual sequel and is not related to the earlier films.
See also
edit- Shirley Ardell Mason, Wikipedia article about dissociative identity disorder briefly shown in the film
- List of Hindi horror films
- Mental illness in film
References
edit- ^ a b c "Bhool Bhulaiyaa - Movie - Box Office India".
- ^ a b "Bhool Bhulaiyaa Box Office Collection till Now - Box Collection". Bollywood Hungama. 12 October 2007. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ a b G., Venugopal (31 August 2024). "കോടതി കയറിയ മണിച്ചിത്രത്താഴ്; വരുമോ ഒരു രണ്ടാം ഭാഗം?" [Manichitrathazhu creator Madhu Muttam]. Mathrubhumi (in Malayalam). Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ Filippo Osella, Caroline (2000). Social Mobility in Kerala: Modernity and Identity in Conflict. Pluto Press. p. 264. ISBN 0-7453-1693-X. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ "We list down 5 Bollywood movies which found their inspiration down south". filmfare.com. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "indiafm.com". Shooting in Australia. Archived from the original on 19 February 2007. Retrieved 17 February 2007.
- ^ "Chandramukhi will finally be called Bhool Bhulaiya". IndiaFM. 17 February 2007.
- ^ [Muttom vs Fazil] [2007] KHC 256 (19 September 2007), Kerala High Court.
- ^ "Bhool Bhulaiyaa - Movie - Box Office India".
- ^ "Bhool Bhulaiyaa". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ "13 Years of Bhool Bhulaiyaa: 26 lesser-known facts about the cult horror-comedy". Cinema Express. 2 October 2020.
- ^ "From Bhool Bhulaiyaa to Shaun of the Dead, here are 10 great horror-comedy films to watch".
- ^ "13 Years of Bhool Bhulaiyaa: 26 lesser-known facts about the cult horror-comedy". Cinema Express. 2 October 2020.
- ^ "From Bhool Bhulaiyaa to Shaun of the Dead, here are 10 great horror-comedy films to watch".
- ^ "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 — Here's how many Crores Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani, Tabu and others charged for the film". 20 May 2022.
- ^ "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 fails to match the classic tag of Akshay Kumar starrer".
- ^ "10 popular Hindi songs you won't believe are copied from the West". MensXP. 19 August 2014.
- ^ "Bhool Bhulaiyaa (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Pritam on Apple Music". iTunes. 5 September 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ "Music Hits 2000–2009 (Figures in Units)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 24 June 2010.
- ^ "Box Office 2007". Box Office India. 4 February 2012. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ^ "Top Lifetime Grossers OVERSEAS (US $)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013.
- ^ "Top Lifetime Grossers Worldwide (IND Rs)". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013.