Vidya Balan and Madhuri Dixit always stay in tune with the spirit of the film

There's something inherently and inevitably amusing in even the scariest ghost stories, if you properly understand the antics of the ghosts on screen. This explains why horror comedies usually have such a dedicated following. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, For all its flaws, there is likely to be no shortage of takers this Diwali weekend.

The film may not be as scary as outright horror films should be – and that's certainly not for lack of trying – but its unbridled madness and spontaneous comic energy more than makes up for what it lacks as a film tries to terrify the audience.

Like the first two films, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, mispronounces Manjulika in different ways and to varying degrees and gets away with it. That's a guessing game this reviewer has always played with entries in the franchise. Every time the name of the supposedly vengeful phantom is mentioned, it sounds different. Nobody seems to have ever bothered to figure out what the correct pronunciation should be.

In the third part, as in the past, the audience is asked to find out who, what and where Manjulika is. It's only at the end of the film that the secret is revealed and it's not what we expect. In this context Bhool Bhulaiyaa surprises us.

The mispronunciation of a proper name is just a minor inconvenience in a film that doesn't believe in mercilessly mutilating the Bengali language. The rush never stops because every character has a chance in the plot and falls far short of phonetic accuracy. But for large parts of the film audience, this disadvantage will be of little importance.

Apart from Aami je tomaar, This is of course a musical leitmotif that has endured over the years, one of the characters in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 hums the Tagore song Aami Chini Go Chini Tomare Ogo Bideshini without anyone nearby bothering to reveal the number's origin.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, is wildly erratic in quality, but despite its many glaring flaws, it's far better than any of the hyper-masculine action films that hit our theaters (and streaming platforms) week after week and revel in the glorification of insatiable bloodlust that comes with it is expressed in countless means. Give us the harmless silliness of the BB3 variety any day. It doesn't cause as much damage as violence in the movies.

After a brief prelude in which we see a dancer transform into an angry ghost after being dragged away mid-performance from a royal court and burned at the stake in a part of Bengal two centuries ago, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3The script is by Aakash Kaushik (who also co-wrote the previous installment) and is helmed by returning director Anees Bazmee. He wastes no time diving into the crazy, crazy, crazy world of “Ghostbuster” Ruhaan (Kartik Aaryan).

Ruhaan, called Rooh Baba by his customers, is a fraudulent exorcist who plies his trade in modern-day Calcutta accompanied by his lackey Tillu (Arun Kushwah). He claims to have the power to communicate with spirits, but is afraid of rodents.

As he and Tillu, who faints at the slightest sign of danger, con the gullible, they become embroiled in a fraud far greater than the one they perpetrate on their unsuspecting and gullible victims.

Rooh Baba, at the admonition of Meera (Triptii Dimri) and her maternal uncle (Rajesh Sharma), ends up in an enchanted palace that has not been inhabited for many decades. The impoverished royal family, led by a Maharaja (Vijay Raaz), lives in the cattle shed on the grounds of the mansion because they cannot afford anything more.

Their emaciated cow gives no milk, every tube of toothpaste is designed to last forever, and the suspicion that a ghost is present makes the sprawling property unsaleable. The first half of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, is breezy enough to rise to the challenge as Rooh Baba makes his way into Meera's heart and wins over her family. But the film's flirtation with harmless stupidity can only go so far and no further.

Once the hilarity is replaced by a serious confrontation between the mortals living in the house and the dead residents still lurking behind closed doors, the film loses much of its momentum. Opportunities are sought – but largely in vain – to stay afloat on a happy mix of offbeat chatter and the undeniable combined appeal of Madhuri Dixit, who appears in the final scene before the interval, and Vidya Balan, who appears on stage much earlier as a professional restorer of listed buildings.

The acting in the first half is mostly physical. It borders on slapstick and jokes. But once Dixit and Balan (who is back in the BB world after 17 years) face each other, it is their eyes, their dancing skills and their emotional acumen that do the talking, which further raises the stakes.

Not that the two experienced performers, who, as the whole world knows, are competing against each other in a dance scene, one in the style of a Kathak performer, the other in the costume of a Bharatanatyam dancer, are not involved in fights.

The duo never loses the spirit of the film, even as they are careful not to get carried away by the insane whirlwind that the film brings.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 features a cast of exceptionally talented comedians who give the male lead the support he needs when the film falters. Vijay Raaz is great as always, as is the inimitable Sanjay Mishra. Not far behind are Rajesh Sharma, Rajpal Yadav and Ashwini Kalsekar.

It is evident that Kartik Aaryan rules the strange and confusing House of Mirrors Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. His star turn is a repeat act that promises box office returns to rival Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 gave in.