Old classic horror-comedy film Bhool Bhulaiyaa saw the release of its sequel in 2022 starring Karthik Aryan, Tabu and Kiara Advani. The film did quite well at the box office. But, apart from the name Manjulika, nothing in the movie reminded us of its predecessor. This made the film unrelatable and hence boring. Now the makers have come up with the third film of the franchise. This too stars Karthik Aryan in the lead role. Along with him, Tripti Dimri and Madhuri Dixit will also be seen in the film.
The most remarkable thing about the third part is the entry of Vidya Balan as Manjulika who played the part in the first film. After the release of its teaser, the film gathered a lot of attention due to the same fact. Watching Vidya as Manjulika brings back the nostalgia of the original film. But recently, as the trailer for the movie was launched; it received a lot of backlash for many reasons. One of them was a completely new lore for the same character.
Though Vidya Balan plays the role of Manjulika in the film, this Manjulika is nowhere near to that of Priyadarshan’s creation. A completely new lore for Manjulika has been prepared and it will have near to no connection with the OG film.
The main force of attraction this movie had with it was Vidya Balan- who maintained the film’s connection with the original work. But after the trailer, it has been clear that the film will invoke no nostalgia despite Vidya Balan being cast as Manjulika. The plot has been set aside and without the plot character will hold no meaning. The original lore related to Manjulika has been changed so the character of Manjulika too will suffer by it.
The makers could have avoided establishing connection with the OG film and should have made a new story like the second film. But their choice to hit the audience’s nostalgia will hamper the film’s success even more.
It seems highly likely that Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 will be able to turn a good profit considering this issue about it.