INSTEP Magzine



In the picture Bhootnath 1/2* *ing Amitabh Bachchan, Aman Siddiqui, Juhi Chawala and last but in no way the least, Shahrukh Khan Directed by Vivek Sharma

There are so many people in Pakistan who would never have taken the time out to watch a children's Casper meets ET type Hindi 'horror' movie in the cinema if it weren't for Shahrukh Khan's (very) special appearance in the film. And it goes without saying that despite Bhootnath being a stellar role for Amitabh Bachchan, most people are cramming into cinemas just to get their first glimpse of Shahrukh Khan on the big screen. Is it worth it? Is it ever! Shahrukh may not have a major role in Bhootnath but he does appear in the opening and plays an important part in its ending, along with popping up every now and then for over 25 minutes of the film – enough to keep his fans riveted.

To be fair to the film, one goes for Shahrukh but stays for the emotional relationship between the ancient ghost of Kailash Nath (Amitabh Bachchan) and the seven year old Aman Sharma (Aman Siddiqui) or 'Banku'. And because of these two and the easy affinity with which they undertake their characters, Bhootnath, a film that may appear to be made for kids, actually has the strength to appeal to everyone. It's a simple, clean film punctuated by humour that tickles in the right places. Satish Shah and Rajpal Yadev have easily stepped into the shoes of Jagdish and Asrani (who took over for Mehmood, Johnny Lever and Rajender Nath). They put the kids in fits of laughter and the rest of the audience giggling between the inevitable emotional tears. The storyline may not be original – umpteen films have been made on restless spirits in search of closure – but Bhootnath has been presented in a different way. And though it is a movie that twines a moral lesson into its storyline – something that has a tendency of turning into a tedious sermon - Bhootnath does not bore.

Anjali Sharma (Juhi Chawla) brings her son Aman to Goa for a year while her husband – who works on a cruise liner – takes off into the ocean. They are accommodated in an old villa that is haunted by the spirit of Kailash Nath. But the frightening shadow of Kailash Nath that has effectively scared every visitor away is unable to frighten the little boy and instead they develop a warm friendship. There are valuable moral lessons for kids, like the sports day where Aman asks Bhootnath to help him win but he doesn't. He explains that cheating is never okay and there's nothing that one cannot achieve through hard work. With children seated all around the cinema, one could virtually sense their little minds registering the words and storing them into their memory.

The story unfolds the tragic losses Kailash Nath had endured during his lifetime, the sadness of it all keeping him caught between two worlds. It points towards the very common issue of young children going overseas for studies and never coming back home, leaving their old parents heart broken and lonely. "I sent him to study, not settle down," Kailash Nath replies to his American born Indian daughter-in-law who rudely questions him why he had sent his son abroad if he wanted him to continue living in Goa forever.

But moral lessons apart, the bravest thing about this film – and one that points towards a growing contemporizing of Indian cinema – is the fact that debut director Vivek Sharma has actually put the fate of his first film in the hands of a seven year old child artist. Where most directors would hope for bankable superstars and a tried and tested commercial formula, he has banked on the unlikely. And what a performance Aman has delivered. After Darsheel Safary, he will be the next child artist to look out for. On a critical note, without revealing anything, one does have to disagree with the last scene which served no plausible purpose save opening a window for a sequel. In addition to that, the last half hour was definitely overstretched and could have easily been clippedby a good fifteen minutes. The soundtrack was ho-hum, nothing you'd walk out of the cinema humming and the only memory one has left from the film regarding its songs is the way 'Hum To Hain Aandhi' has been shot – very Josh. The only other interesting feature on the soundtrack being Amitabh Bachchan and Juhi Chawla both lending their vocals to 'Chalo Janey Do'. Quite cute.

Bhootnath definitely deserves a watch, especially in the cinema which enhances the whole movie experience. There's nothing like being entertained over a box of popcorn! -- Aamna Haider Isani YUCK WHATEVER GOOD SUPER ***AWESOME