Bhooth Bangla review: Akshay Kumar keeps the laughs coming in Priyadarshan horror-comedy that feels a tad too familiar

With the story being something we have seen variations of in the past, it really comes down to how much you laugh and how scared you get. The first half of Bhooth Bangla is as nostalgic as it gets. All the familiar Priyadarshan shots are here. In fact, the locations are pretty much the same as Bhool Bhulaiyaa, including the Chomu Palace. Divakar Mani's cinematography captures the rustic locations beautifully. Add to that the top-notch VFX, which I am happy to report serves the film really well.

It's a pity that apart from the strengths, the shortcomings are present in equal measures here. Priyadarshan gets so carried away with the enormous world he creates that many characters keep disappearing in between, only to resurface somehow later. Plus, he doesn't realise where to begin wrapping up the film.

The second half is heavy on the story and gets engrossing, only for the above shortcomings to hamper the experience. A bit of editing and trimming the runtime by say, 10 minutes would have made it more impactful.