Review: Bhoothnath, a half-good entertainer
Cast Amitabh Bachchan, Aman Siddique, Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla
Director: Vivek Sharma
He sings and dances, arranges the furniture, and even puts the school's lunchbox-raiding principal in place. Yes, that's Bhoothnath for you, the friendly ghost played by Amitabh Bachchan, in director Vivek Sharma's film by the same name.
After a failed attempt at scaring away little Banku and his family who have moved into his sprawling Goa bungalow, Bhoothnath becomes buddies with the precocious kid.
So far, not too many complaints. It's silly and childish yes, but also very watchable. Problems arise somewhere beyond the half-way mark of Bhoothnath when this kids-friendly entertainer turns into something of a rona-dhona heavy Baghbaan rehash. You sink into your seat and cringe with embarrassment as our teary-eyed ghost goes into flashback mode and bores us with those sad stories of his neglectful son.
Despite its fairly basic plot and predictable screenplay, for the most part Bhoothnath works just fine as a children's film. It is after all a formula that never fails when done even half right. Although it's nothing you haven't seen before, the adventures of Banku and Bhooth are enjoyable to watch largely because the chemistry between Bachchan and child actor Aman Siddique is so riveting.
So whether they're pulling a gag on the school principal, or devouring aloo parathas that Banku's mother is struggling to prepare, it's this unlikely friendship between boy and ghost that is the film's main draw.
Best movie