Return of AB!. Review on Bhoothnath

Bhoothnath is the story of a ghost named Nath(Amitabh Bachchan) who

makes it impossible for anyone to stay in his home in Goa since his

death. Things are so bad that even taxi drivers refuse to chauffer

anyone as soon as they hear that Nath Villa is the destination. But

that’s till Nath comes across Banku(Aman Siddiqui) – the new kid who

has moved in with his parents Anjali(Juhi Chawala) and Aditya(SRK)

into Nath Villa.

So while the rest of the city trembles at

the thought of the family staying there, Banku is too busy making

friends with Nath whom he calls his Angel. For Banku there is nothing

like a ghost. Slowly and steadily the two forge a deep friendship much

to everyone’s confusion because no one but Banku can see this so called

Angel.

During one incident Banku with the help of his Angel

gets his school mate out of trouble. But this only causes a rumour

spreading fast across the school about Banku’s special friend. As a

result the principal hauls both Banku and Anjali into his office and

gives him the final warning. Anjali upset with her son’s constant

mischief reprimands him and gives him a slap. Unable to prove himself,

Banku sulks and doesn’t speak to either Bhoothnath or his mother.

However,

soon its time for Banku’s fancy dress competition and when another

mother comments on how Banku is dressed exactly like ‘Nath uncle’ does

reality hit home for Anjali. Heading home after the competition with

Banku, Anjali comes home to find herself dealing with a group of

builders who have been given permission by Nath’s son Vijay(Priyanshu

Chatterji) to build a resort there. Hearing this Nath gets very angry

and raises a storm – literally! And that’s

when she finally comes face to face with her son’s Angel and learns the

real truth about Nath and his ghostly existence. Now that Anjali knows

of Bhothnath she sets about helping his ghost to finally stop

wandering. And how after setting up a shrad at home Banku, Anjali,

Aditya and Nath's son - Vijay - finally help Angel achieve mukti is

what the rest of the film is all about.

Bhoothnath

has everything for all age groups – fun for the kids and emotions for

the adults. Aman has done a great job as the naughty kid and Big B is

simply brilliant. From his emotions as a ghost trying to frighten the

world to coming to terms that a child has him fooled to his final

extremely emotional journey…everything leaves you spell bound. Juhi and

SRK have done a good job too.

A mention also needs to be made of

Vivek Sharma the director. From a script that is tightly held and moves

quick to special effects that definitely reflect umpteen hours in the

studio, the director’s hard work is clearly visible.

Bhoothnath

is definitely what the doctor ordered. For kids who are enjoying their

summer break. For parents who need to keep the tiny tots occupied. And

most importantly for Bollywood that has been down in the dumps….

Hallelujah!