Bhoothnath


Bhoothnath is a 2008 Indian Hindi comedy horror film directed by Vivek Sharma, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Juhi Chawla, Aman Siddiqui, Priyanshu Chatterjee and Rajpal Yadav in lead roles and features Shah Rukh Khan in a special cameo. The film is an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's 1887 short story "The Canterville Ghost". A sequel titled Bhoothnath Returns was released on 11 April 2014.
It was released on 9 May 2008, receiving positive reviews from critics. It was well-received by audiences and popular among children, becoming a success at the box office. The performances of the main cast were praised by critics and audiences alike.

Plot

A young couple sneaks into the Nath Villa, a huge bungalow in Goa, only to discover that a ghost haunts the house, causing them to flee. Days later, Aditya Sharma and his wife Anjali Sharma move into the house with their young son, Aman "Banku" Sharma. Aditya is an engineer working on a cruise line who soon bids Anjali and Banku a brief farewell. Days after Aditya's departure, Anjali hires Anthony, a drunk thief, as a housekeeper. One night, Banku encounters the ghost, whose name is Kailash Nath. Banku nicknames him Bhoothnath, a portmanteau of bhoot and Nath, his surname.
Though Bhoothnath tries to scare him off, Banku considers him an angel and treats him like a friend. Banku's innocent love melts Bhoothnath's anger. One day Bhoothnath unintentionally causes Banku to sustain a head injury after startling him and causing him to fall down the stairs; the two reconcile in the hospital and soon become best friends. Bhoothnath's son, Vijay Nath, returns from the United States to sell off the bungalow. Bhoothnath is angry, as he does not want his home demolished, and scares the buyers. Anjali comes to know about Bhootnath's existence and he finally reveals his story to Banku and Anjali.
Many years ago, Kailash Nath had a happy family with his wife Nirmala, son Vijay, Vijay's wife, and grandson. However, after Nirmala died and Vijay tried to sell the house, Kailash refused to allow it, resulting in an argument. Vijay and his wife, against his own son's and Kailash's protests, stormed out angrily for his flight to the US; as Kailash ran after him to stop him from leaving, he fell from the top of the stairs. Unaware that he has just died, Kailash's ghost rose and ran after Vijay but Vijay cannot see him as he gets into the car. As Kailash walks back inside the house, he sees his own dead body lying on the floor and realizes he is now a ghost.
Aditya and Anjali decide to perform Bhoothnath's final rites to give him salvation. During the ceremony, Vijay arrives and apologizes for his mistakes and tell the Sharma family that they can live permanently in the house. A distraught Banku arrives at school, missing Bhoothnath, who has disappeared. However, the two are happily reunited when Bhoothnath returns, though he requests Banku and the viewers to hide it.

Cast

All songs are composed by Vishal-Shekhar with lyrics by Javed Akhtar.
Song Title Singer
Mere BuddyAmitabh Bachchan, Armaan Malik
Hum Toh Hain AandhiKoushtuv Ghosh, Aparna Bhagwat, Sharavan Suresh & Sneha Suresh
Banku BhaiyaSukhwinder Singh
Samay Ka PahiyaHariharan, Sukhwinder Singh
Chalo Jaane DoAmitabh Bachchan, Juhi Chawla
Mere Buddy Amitabh Bachchan, Armaan Malik
Bhoothnath ThemeInstrumental

Reception

The film received generally positive response from critics., the film holds a 60% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on five reviews with an average rating of 6.25/10. At the box office, the film had a slow opening, though it managed to gross among its theatrical run and was declared semi-hit by Box Office India.

Sequel

As the film finished with a "to be continued" ending, a sequel to Bhoothnath was expected but there was no clear intention. Bachchan and the original production team announced a sequel, titled Bhoothnath Returns, which was co-written and directed by Nitesh Tiwari, and released on 11 April 2014. Bachchan and Khan reprised their roles, though the latter only had a cameo appearance as himself.