Bollywood‘s obsession with following the same formula knows no bounds. When one period drama does well, there’s a sudden influx in the genre. Whether it’s churning out back-to-back biopics or giving action lovers an adrenaline rush, the industry is infamous for lacking original ideas. Currently, its latest fixation seems to be horror-comedies. After the success of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Stree 2, and more, many have hit theatres, and many more are still in the pipeline. The latest to arrive in cinema halls is The Bhootni — and it’s everything but scary or funny!
At Saint Vincent College of Arts and Culture, which seems to be inspired a lot by colleges in Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year films, stands a huge Virgin Tree (yep, that’s what it’s called). The story follows three friends — Shantanu (played by Sunny Singh of Pyaar Ka Punchnama fame), Sahil, and Naseer. While our hero is out there hunting for his “sachhi mohabbat,” the other two are just happy looking for any girl who’ll give them attention. Life’s all sunshine and shooting stars until Shantanu gets dumped by his girlfriend. Heartbroken, he does what any sensible man wouldn’t — begs a tree to help him find the girl of his dreams. And then enters Palak Tiwari’s Ananya, who, plot twist, has already friend-zoned him. How this mess turns into a supernatural love triangle is basically the whole plot.
Sanjay Dutt as Baba Krishna Tripath takes matters into his own, very tired hands, when The Bhootni (Mouni Roy) starts strangling college students. What follows is 2 hours and 10 minutes of a full-on yawn-fest with a side of cringe.
Sunny, who once charmed us as Chauka and Sonu, seems to have mastered the art of being the dependable second lead. But here, he doesn’t just fail to shine, he barely flickers. Whether it’s the lazy writing or his own lack of effort, he spends most of the film looking like he’s reading lines off a teleprompter. He’s neither charming nor watchable. The only moments he shows a spark are when other characters accidentally drag some acting out of him. Honestly, he comes across like that guy in a group project — unprepared, hoping the rest of the team will carry him through.