BHOOTHNATH Review

For so many times have I gazed towards a star lit sky and wished for a guardian star angel.
Wishes never cease and we never grow up. And everybody definitely has a kid carefully concealed under the

mask worn for the artifice. But sometimes this kid yearns to be unleashed and we are suddenly standing again on that roof wishing for a guardian angel.
This was exactly what I experienced while watching this flick. I had gone with minimal expectations and just for my Kiddo’s sake ,for I was sure at least he would love the movie. But needless to say I am impressed too and confessing I did shed a few tears too.

Bhootnath

Nauheed Cyrusi and his boyfriend end up in a bu

ngalow for a romantic tryst to realize it is haunted. Their fate is not defined in the movie and henceforth it progresses to show the arrival of a happy small family Shahrukh Khan,Anjali(Juhi Chawla) and their little disaster Banku(Aman Siddiqui) moving over to the same haunted bungalow Nath residence. Banku is a typical inquisitive seven year old. And his endless queries with his mom about the rumors of the Ghost in the house end up in the belief that there are no ghosts but only angels.

Thus his rendezvous with Kailash Nath (Amitabh Bachchan) whom he fondly addresses as Bhoothnath makes him believe in the fact that he is an Angel and not a ghost. And here on begins the saga of the innocent yet strong faith of a seven year old, his daring attitude to win over the heart of a ghost and their marvelous camaraderie.
Not only does the movie speak about them but also about the relationships gone wrong between a Father and Son. Their inability to understand each other and realizing the fact that Life never gives second chances.

Cast

Aman Siddiqui is the one to whom the movie belongs through and through. For the mannerisms of an naive seven year old, the inquisitive nature, constantly playing pranks and most of all turning a foe into a friend ; he shines like a gem. He has perfectly displayed the positive attitude of a kid who never loses faith in his principles. He belongs to the typical genre of today’s kids, who are smart yet have not lost their innocence. Somewhere along the line I also experienced the loneliness of the kid, which is so prevalent nowadays with one child families.

Amitabh Bachchan did not also fail to impress. Lately he had started wearing me out, exception being Cheeni Kum. But he has once again proved his capability of being the person he is hyped for, an excellent actor. The way he gels to the role of Bhoothnath ,its difficult to separate them with each other-A tough exterior guy or ghost I must say ,all mushy inside accepting his first defeat from
“4 feet 2 inches”; he looks appropriately filthy in form of Bhooth and I did hear the shriek of the kids whenever he appeared onscreen. The second part of the movie sees him as a soft guy and a wronged father.

Juhi Chawla is effortless in her role and as usual still as fresh as ever. The best part about her role is that she is not acting as a typical mother but a carefree, chilled-out kind of relaxed mum. Her scenes of struggling to be a housewife are hilarious.

Shahrukh Khan’s role deserves no special mention since anybody could have been passed off for that.

Rajpal Yadav is wasted in the movie. And he could have certainly been given more screen space.

Satish Shah is natural in his humorous attempts as the Principle. And he does bring in giggles.

Priyanshu Chatterjee has always been a treat to watch and its good to see him on screen after
long, playing the careless son.

Cinematography and Special Effects

It deserves a special mention and is beyond doubt , exceptional ! It has been carefully thought of considering the lines of the movie and etched accordingly.
The few noteworthy scenes are:
~When Amitabh tries to scare off Banku with his moving jaws.
~The scene where the leaves are flowing around with Rajpal , Amitabh doctoring it.
~The scene where Banku tries to save his friend from the well.
~The song which Amitabh sings for Banku to cajole him.

Songs and Music

Composed by Vishal-Shekhar the songs are befitting for the movie. Though they are not meant to be hummed around ,but considering that it’s a kids movie the sequences are adorable and suitable.
Chalo Jaane Do, is the song sung by Amitabh Bachchan ,which plays with the heart strings and is beautifully picturised.I felt his voice still held the trademark individual style for which he is known.
Banku Bhaiyya sung by Sukhwinder Singh is a hilarious number depicting the victory of the kid over the Ghost.
Hum To Hain Aandhi is a funky and kiddo song. Stylishly cute!

Direction

Vivek Sharma has done a pretty decent effort for his preliminaries. He has carefully thought of the present kid genre, and considered their thoughts and beliefs tactfully. He seems to be a guy with potential and hope to see more like this from him in future.

In the End

Sometimes Life has a miracle in store for you, and you may never realize in what form it may come.
Its never too late to live,
Its never too late to revert,
Its never too late to forgive!