Table of Contents
Star Cast: Katrina Kaif, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ishaan Khatter, Jackie Shroff, Sheeba Chadha, Manuj Sharma
Director: Gurmmeet Singh
What’s Good: Its comedy will lift your spirits proving how you could be stupid and funny at the same time
What’s Bad: The way it ends letting you leave with a sour aftertaste
Loo Break: Ample opportunities in the second half
Watch or Not?: If you’ve forgotten movies could make you laugh as well, give this a try (but don’t abuse me for not warning you about how it ends)
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 136 Minutes
User Rating:
We now have Major (Siddhant Chaturvedi) and Galileo, also known as Gullu (Ishaan Khatter), who have the ability to perceive deceased people. They make a bargain with the sexy bhootni Ragini (Katrina Kaif) to receive a favour in exchange for a boatload of cash that she will reveal to them at the “right time.”
The trio of Desi Ghostbusters keeps some ghosts from returning by granting their final desires. However, this is where the plot takes a turn for the worse by adding the “buri aatma” Atmaram (Jackie Shroff), who connives and defrauds the unsaved spirits. The “renowned second half syndrome” is evident in here because Ragini’s love story is forced in the midst of all this chaos.
Phone Bhoot Movie Review: Script Analysis
This topic was first introduced by Ravi Shankaran and Jasvinder Singh Bath in 2009, and even now, 13 years later, it hasn’t become boring. Full points for the perseverance and several unusual pop-culture references, of which I counted (missed a couple) and found there to be 25. Nothing is crammed for the sake of claiming to be hilarious, whether it be individuals who resemble the viral “Dance With Coffin” dudes or the Mirzapur groom who was murdered by Munna.
The ads for Slice, Vicks, and Vasmol were incorporated into the narrative by the writers, and they function just like the clever sponsor messages you don’t ignore while watching a video from your favourite YouTuber. The first half and intermission are perhaps the funniest of any modern comedy picture, but the second half also contains a lot of serious flaws. There won’t seem to be much good content in the second half because the authors were so worn out from keeping everything hilarious in the first.
The sets are quite well-constructed, with Sid-room Ishaan’s demonstrating just how big of horror lovers they are with an illusion door, a statue of their favourite ghost Raka, a skeleton phone, and many other things. The voyage the producers lead you on is made more bearable by K. U. Mohanan’s camerawork, especially in the opening hour. You are reminded of the Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota school of comedy by the way Ishaan’s Gullu reads out what is about to happen as he breaks the fourth final.
Phone Bhoot Movie Review: Star Performance
Ishaan Khatter and Siddhant Chaturvedi are having a ball as they give some hilarious one-liners with an ultra-cool swag mixed with Delhi’s “laundaness.” Siddhant always speaks louder and never raises his voice even slightly to emphasise his points. Another great move by the authors was to keep these two characters’ behavioural trajectories poles apart, allowing them to combine the best elements of their respective environments. Even comedy for both of them has a distinct quality, as seen in Ishaan’s Gullu scaring away a ghost with the help of Rajinikanth’s antics and Siddhant’s Major analysing what a Punjabi bhootni is saying.
If the origin story for Katrina Kaif had been well-written, it would have had a significant impact on her presence and made her a crucial component of the story. But one of the main speed-breakers in the second half that prevents Ragini from making a lasting impression is her backstory.
Jackie Shroff speaking in “tapori” had such a huge potential, but sadly, the writers’ quirks run out when it comes to Atmaram. The anticipation that “now he’ll deliver a batsh*t wild sentence” would be realised the entire time Bhidu was on screen was dashed by the climax. Sheeba Chadha and Manuj Sharma’s roles are developed in the depressing second half, and they briefly lack humour while providing middling support.
Phone Bhoot Movie Review: Direction, Music
All Gurmmeet Singh was missing was a little bit of emotional connection and a few effective jumpscares, and he would have produced the most brilliant horror-comedy Bollywood has ever seen. The skillfully crafted comedy that brags about how carefree it is abruptly devolves into a forced competition for laughs.
The tunes themselves were fairly ordinary. I was surprised to see Baba Sehgal rocking the movie’s title song, which fits the story’s structure well.
Phone Bhoot Movie Review: The Last Word
All things considered, Phone Bhoot is hilarious in terms of humour, but it lacks anything spectacular to offer in terms of its secondary genre. Despite all the issues, a fun watch.
3.5 stars!
Phone Bhoot Trailer
Phone Bhoot releases on 04 November, 2022.
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For more recommendations, read our Goodbye Movie Review here.
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