Bhoot Police Review: The only spark is Saif Ali Khan in this movie which story revolves around a tea estate owned by the sisters Maya (Yami Gautam) and Kanu (Jacqueline Fernandez) and two ghost busters Saif Ali Khan and Arjun Kapoor. Vibhooti (Saif Ali Khan) career goals zooms around women (any type is my type, he says) and money. The younger brother Arjun Kapoor ( Chiranuji) desire is to take the legacy of his revered late father (Ullat baba) forward by doing the good work. Can the two ghostbusters assist the wealthy-turned-bankrupt sisters, from the aatma that hunts at night?
Bhoot Police has few sparks but lacks the True Horror Comedy Elements
Bhoot Police is a hard try to tackle the subject of whether ghosts exist or is it just the superstition and ‘andhvishwas’ of people. But, the film falls short of doing and succumbs to the limitations of a horror comedy.
Pavan Kirpalani’s horror comedy Bhoot Police does have few sparks but the childishness makes it a damp squib. Relevant one-liners on nepotism and references does makes you hilarious. For instance, a scene where Vibhuti asks a local for GST on their amount or while he comes out with a slogan ‘Go kichkandi go’ taking a dig at ‘Go Corona go.’ But the funniest one-liner is when they take a jab at nepotism in the tantrik industry
The setting and idea, grab your attention at the outset. Saif Ali Khan speaking an unknown village dialect with an anglicised accent, in that unique Saif voice is unintentionally funny.
But there are some unwanted scenes like the subplot involving a cop (Jaaved Jaaferi) who gets married to a goat and starts ‘maah-ing’ after seeing a ghost. Or casting Rajpal Yadav for a three-minute role which looks completely forced. The director also leaves it’s audience confused whether he wants to send out a message about superstitions or wants them to believe in it.
His knack of going for unheroic characters, off the beaten track is admirable. But intent and attempt can be amusing to a point. His performance leaves you conflicted here. He comes across as an odd mix of trying too hard to be funny and not trying at all to be invested in his character. Arjun and Yami are sincere, the only actors to have understood the assignment. Jacqueline and Saif seem more like tourists in Dharamshala, who chose to act in this film as a pastime.
While almost everything fails, the only comedienne, who truly makes an impression here is Johnny Lever’s talented daughter Jamie Lever. Her character singing Aishwarya Rai’s dreamy romantic number ‘Aao Na’, while her husband struggles to take a dump has you rolling with laughter. If you must watch this film, watch it for her.
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Talking about the performances, Khan is simply delightful to watch on screen. His antics along with near perfect dialogue delivery keep the film breezy. Kapoor as the innocent and righteous sibling gives a sincere performance. The duo’s camaraderie keeps the tempo going. Gautam gets her moments while Jacqueline Fernandez who plays her sister does a decent job.