I had my apprehensions before watching this movie as whenever SRK does a cameo, the movie usually turns out to be a disaster. Thank God the jinx is broken with Bhoothnath. The movie touches you so much that you leave the theater taking it along with you. The credit for that goes mostly to Mr Bachchan and that wonder kid Aman Siddiqui, who is simply awesome. As in one of the scenes, he really gives Big B a run for his money. If the kid makes you laugh throughout the movie, he sure does also force some handkerchiefs out towards the end. The bonding between the two main characters looks so genuine that you are totally hooked to the on goings.
This is a story of a relationship between a naughty yet very innocent boy Banku (Aman Siddiqui) and a spirit Kailash Nath aka Bhoothnath (Amitabh Bachchan). Bhoothnath begins on a scary note but soon transforms into a fun movie and continues so until the last half an hour or so. It does get a bit emotional in the penultimate scenes reminding you of Baghban at times but that's something you would naturally associate a BR Films with - entertainment with some strong social messages. Thankfully it's neither too preachy nor too melodramatic. The whole idea is conceived so beautifully and told so simply that it's hard not to like the movie.
I would like to add some of the scenes which are probably gonna stay with you. One - the scene where Bhoothnath refuses to help the kid in the hurdle race but instead gives him a valuable lesson of life. Two, the entire Banku bhaiyya song. It has really good visual effects and pranks which bring smile on your face. And of course, the scene where Bhoothnath starts doubting if he really is a Bhooth or not after having failed to scare the little boy!
Having said that, it must be added that although it's an intelligent stroke from a debutant director (Vivek Sharma), it falls short of being a masterpiece. I think he could have done better by staying away from the "Mukti" part. That made it look like a stereotype. Besides, music by Vishal-Shekhar was below par.
Performance wise, besides the two leads, all actors do their bits quite convincingly. Shah Rukh Khan, in a special appearance, and Juhi Chawla play perfect parents to the kiddo. Satish Shah makes you laugh with the weird accent and tiffin-fetish. Rajpal Yadav does not get much scope but he's good nevertheless.
Finally, it's tough to say who outscores whom - is it Bachchan who's still rocking at 65 or is it the 7 year old cute dude with lotsa style? Regardless, watch the movie for both of them. You'll feel good.
BY BHARAT ISSAR
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