Star Cast: Katrina Kaif, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ishaan Khatter, Jackie Shroff, Sheeba Chadha, Manuj Sharma
Director: Gurmmeet Singh
What the Phone Bhoot Movie Is All About:
In the movie Phone Bhoot, two selfish friends named Galileo nicknamed Gullu (Ishaan Khatter) and Sherdil aka Major (Siddhant Chaturvedi) gain the ability to see ghosts and other supernatural beings. They became Ghostbusters (Bhootbusters) after having a fortuitous encounter with a really attractive bhatakti aatma (Katrina Kaif). Together, they are tasked with assisting these lost souls in finding salvation and preventing the evil tantrik Aatmaram (Jackie Shroff), who is exploiting ghosts for his own nefarious purpose.
Gurmmeet Singh-directed film gets off to a strong start, thanks to sharp writing and amusing dialogue that makes the audience like the two incompetent morons posing as heroes. Given their intense connection, Siddhant and Ishaan's scenes are enjoyable to watch. However, the movie doesn't come to life until Katrina enters the picture. But just as the plot takes shape, the producers insert a Katrina dance routine, and the whole thing immediately strikes a brick wall. And Phone Bhoot struggles with it throughout. The plot drifts off course and wanders off in a different direction just as things start to get intriguing.
Watch the Phone Bhoot Movie trailer:
Phone Bhoot Movie Analysis:
Look elsewhere for rationality in this film. The storyline of this movie has more holes than a net of fish. But it's not because of carelessness with details. I get the impression that any incoherence was intentionally included in the movie in an effort to parody other horror comedies that we have watched abroad. Pop culture references have been liberally incorporated by the writers, some of which are hilariously sarcastic. Phone Bhoot dabbles in everything, and most of the time does so successfully. Examples include Jackie Shroff singing the Hero melody on a flute and Katrina's Slice advertisements.
(Image Courtesy: Phone Bhoot Movie Trailer)
However, the consistency of the humour is where it underperforms. The movie has its moments of humour and its absolute drag moments. The songs, which at one point featured two Katrinas, are entertaining to watch but don't actually advance the story. The characters' development or lack thereof is disappointing, and their motivations are, to put it mildly, tenuous. And the enemy who was portrayed as this all-powerful evil is ultimately beaten in a fairly ridiculous way, which is a bit of a letdown. The scene is not helped by the unsteady camera work.
(Image Courtesy: Phone Bhoot Movie Trailer)
The actors try their hardest, and they succeed in reviving the film. Ishaan and Siddhant play their roles brilliantly and have terrific comic timing. The movie's star, Katrina, has a strong screen presence but occasionally struggles with her comic timing. As the evil, a parody of every horror movie villain ever, Jackie Shroff is amusing and charming.
Final Verdict on Phone Bhoot Movie:
The movie Phone Bhoot shows promise. It is a well-written but not entirely successful endeavour that has both benefits and drawbacks. It is a respectable addition to Bollywood's expanding horror-comedy subgenre.
The movie, Stree (2018), directed by Amar Kaushik and written by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, proved that humour and horror are not incompatible genres. However, Phone Bhoot lacks Stree's intellect and zip. This movie would not have been made if not for the enthusiasm and charm of its performers.
Our Rating: 5.5/10
