What Is the Story About?
Two brothers, Vibhooti and Chiraunji, are a “Tantric Duo” who use their expertise to find and eradicate “ghosts” for money. What actually happens is that they prey on the superstitions of their client’s family so as to help their client (the person who is pretending to be possessed)… for money. One day, a woman, Maya, comes searching for their father, Ullat Baba, who is a renowned tantric. Their father had helped seal a Kichkandi (a ghost) on Maya’s tea estate 27 years ago, but it seems that the ghost has returned to haunt the estate again. Will the fake tantric brothers be able to get rid of a real ghost?
Performances?
This scriptwriter and the director manages to mess up the film so much that even some of the good performances seem quite gaudy. Still, we do get a couple of decent performances on screen. Saif Ali Khan is the standout among the lot. You can actually see the actor trying to carry the film through his acting – which is unfortunate because the story of ‘Bhoot Police‘ is actually good. We usually see Saif as the logical lead character, or notorious villain on-screen nowadays – but after a long time we finally get to see a funny Saif Ali Khan portrayal onscreen. He does a good job most of the time.
We feel that the characters portrayed by Jacqueline Fernandez and Arjun Kapoor have so much potential, but they were hampered by the script and direction. Yami Gautam is only onscreen because the script demands it. She doesn’t offer much to the film and we feel that her two-dimensional character can be played by anybody else.
Analysis
‘Bhoot Police’ is first and foremost a children’s horror film. There is no gore, barely any swearing or skin and it is quite light-hearted. And the best part – it has a good storyline to keep any adult (who is forced to watch the film for their child/children) interested. Such a good storyline in fact, that the film feels completely mismanaged.
This brings us to the crux of ‘Bhoot Police’s’ problem – bad direction and scriptwriting. Pavan Kirpalani’s gave us a badly directed end product, while the film’s final screenplay didn’t help the actors either. We do not know who wrote the main story, which deserves praise, but we found the person who wrote the final screenplay – Sumit Batheja. If he wrote the main story for the film, then his work deserves appreciation, but the end product has left us with much to be desired.
And ‘Bhoot Police‘ could have been improved with so little work. Vibhooti’s indifference towards his line of work and his problems with their father (who left them both as children) could have been explored. His “Ghost X-Ray” and brother’s “Ghost Detection” should have been better explained. Kanika deceiving her sister makes total sense – but the film breezed through her reasoning for jokes (which isn’t needed for that particular reveal). The film could have had so much more depth if the backstory of the Kichkandi had at least another minute added to it. Maya’s character could have been developed better. Javed Jaffrey could have been used much better. A good story – ruined by a rush job.
And the potential. The film has enough in it to build a world around it – The Spirit Carnival, Finding their lost father; they have enough loose ends to make sequels if they desired. ‘Bhoot Police’ could have been an Indian version of ‘Ghost Busters’. It still has that potential.
The film still manages to be funny and watchable at the same time, though. Jacqueline and Saif are both quite funny in the film. The few jump scares we get onscreen is thrilling and makes the film a decent watch.
Overall, ‘Bhoot Police‘ is a decent one-time watch. While the dialogue and direction can get tedious at times, the story and Saif Ali Khan’s acting make up for it.
Other Artists?
Javed Jaffrey is the only other main actor who plays a supporting role. The actor is wasted in his role, but he still manages to have a couple of funny scenes in the movie. Amit Mistry has a few good scenes as well.
Music and Other Departments?
There wasn’t much music to talk about in the movie except for the score and background sounds for the film. The buildup of tension through music is good. The editing needs work, and so does the direction and screenplay (as mentioned earlier).
Highlights?
Story
Saif Ali Khan’s Acting
Drawbacks?
Direction
Final Screenplay
Yami Gautam’s Acting
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, in parts
Will You Recommend It?
Check it out when you have nothing to watch.
Bhoot Police Review by Binged Bureau