Official Bhootiyagiri Review – Crispy Making, But A Dull And Boring Viewing

BOTTOM LINE: Crispy Making, But A Dull And Boring Viewing

Rating: 4.5/10

Skin And Swear: No skin, but frequent usage of cuss words.

What Is the Story About?

Dilawar Rana (Sumeet Vyas) proves that he is a successful CEO and can run a business even if he is jail. It enables an early release on bail for him. However, one from prison Dilawar Rana is brought to another when he is sent to a family heritage hotel. It is where Dilawar grew up as a child and the place which led to his anxiety disorder. Its memories continue to haunt him.

Gayathri Rana, the foster mother of Dilawar Rana, has other things on her mind, though. She wants him to bring the hotel back on track which is going through loses. It doesn’t help that ghostly rumours are surrounding it. How Dilawar Rana manages to revive it using his ‘CEO’ skills and bring the family together in the process is what the series is all about?

Performances?

Sumeet Vyas playing the main lead Dilwar Rana is effective. There is nothing over the top, and most of the act is restricted. There is a subtle yet intense display of emotions, mostly frustration. The comedy timing is also understatedly done. It is chiefly via the dialogue delivery. A part of it happens through the voiceover.

Analysis

Vishwajoy Mukherjee directs the short series which is akin to a movie getting split into multiple parts. The premise of the Official Bhootiagiri is decent. It could have been a quirky, engaging fare within the horror-comedy premise. Alas, that is not the case.

The series opening is fine. The way we get to the core point after establishing the credentials of the lead as a CEO is told engagingly and crisply. However, early signs of the problem start to appear pretty soon in the narrative when the family of Rana is introduced in the story.

The proceedings go in a very different tangent to what the title of the series suggests. It is further confirmed as the story shifts to the actual heritage hotel site. The beginning parts seems to be on track, but they turn muddy immediately.

The introduction of new characters, the receptionist, the writer, and others don’t give the narrative a singular feel. It seems to be all over the place. Also, the pacing is off. Everything looks so uneven and unexciting even if there was scope for it, throughout.

The final few episodes are like the killer blow. It seems to not correlate with the title at all apart from the ending. The whole thing turns to a family drama with lots of needless emotions thrown in. It feels that way due to the initial setup and the trailer (in case one has seen it).

And on top of that, the story turns highly predictable. Also, there is not much fun to have within this predictability. It is not entirely messy. The casting is decent, and the making is neat, but it is incredibly dull and boring.

The ending could lead to a new chapter, but the way it has been handled here, pretty sure the excitement would be less to none. Or maybe this is the end to the series, finally.

Overall, Official Bhootiagiri offers no horror and fun. It is a misguided and misdirected attempt at dramedy without any clarity. Give it a miss. You wouldn’t be missing anything.

Other Artists?

Apart from Sumeet Vyas, who is the lead, Eisha Chopra and Pranay Manchanda gets decent roles. It is only in comparison to the others. They are also actually half-baked with a few moments which work out well. The rest form two separate tracks. One is involving Sujata Sehgal and Mohan Kapoor, which gives us the dull moments. The other has Navin Prabhakar, and Ajay Kumar Singh brings about the predictable parts. None have enough meat in them to stand out and make an impression acting-wise.

Music and Other Departments?

The background score by Aakash Mukherjee is a mixed bag. There are small bits which help in engaging the viewers. But, most of it is as flat as the overall narrative itself. Arkodeb Mukherjee’s cinematography is neat. The editing by Pravin Jhangirdar could have been better. The writing by Tarun Dudeja and Parijat Joshi lack consistency. It offers punches randomly but fails to leave an impact overall.

Highlights?

Short Duration

Beginning

Setting

Casting

Drawbacks?

Screenplay

Muddled Narrative

Uneven Tone

Needless Drama

No Scares

Did I Enjoy It?

No

Will You Recommend It?

No

Review by Siddartha Toleti