Watching an Aneez Baazmee film is always a roller coaster ride – his recent range of films have fallen in the arc of mindless entertainment ( Welcome, No Entry) to downright ludicrous ( Paagalpanti) . You dont expect logic at all but you are always on the edge because this man can either provide you genuinely entertaining moments or complete downers .

With Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, he weaves out a sequel which is partly related to its cult predecessor Bhool Bhulaiyaa ( helmed by Priyadarshan) and thankfully, he mostly succeeds. The original, which itself was a remake of a tamil hit, was not that great too, but it stays etched in our memories mainly because of excellent performances ( Akshay, Paresh, Vidya), hummable songs and a healthy mix of thrills and comedy. With BB2, he takes it a notch higher by crafting a new story which is improved , twisted, not perfect, and contains smithereens from its prequel – and this entire cocktail works!

Without giving too much to the plot, we are introduced to Ruhan Randhawa (Kartik Aaryan)who is a docile faced wily crook . He meets the gorgeous Reet Thakur (Kiara) on a trip where they discover a truth about her formidable Thakur clan which includes her sister in law Anjulika ( Tabu), her despotic father ( Milind Gunaji) and other members. They detour together to her home @Rajasthan and devise a secret plan to fructify. But the ghost of Manjulika still hounds the Thakur palace, and how Ruhan and Reet wriggle out this mess is the entire story all about.

Bazmee, whose resume consists mostly of hit comedies, weaves situational and physical comedy with some interesting twists and turns – and spices it up with witty dialogues from all and sundry which works to a large extent. There are several scenes which are laugh out funny, especially the banter between Ruhan and Chote Pandit (Rajpal Yadav, the only cast carried forward from the prequel), and the scenes with Bade Pandit (Sanjay Mishra) and his dominating wife (Ashwini Kalsekar). They play out loud to the gallery and the punches are hilarious. The element of suspense is punctuated well, with the famous background score of its Bhool Bhulaiyaa 1 that was the trademark of Akshay Kumar. Bazmee smartly weaves it around Kartik Aaryan, and he gamely takes it up. We also see an amalgamation of black magic and a male version/dance of the eternal “Aami Je Tomar” which exudes novelty into the script. What doesnt work though are the horror scenes which are a bit amateurish , as the focus is mainly on the suspense and comedy. Also, the romantic track between Kartik and Kiara is dull and falls flat. Kiara actually doesnt get much scope to show her acting chops in this film, except to look her best in her beautiful rajasthani attire and her moment of Manjulika dance. Kartik Aaryan plays it cool, with full candor and effortlessly slips into his character of a smart crook. He keeps Akshay’s signature moves to himself – that squishy nod, the maverick glee- and gets the best punches to pull. The talented trio of Rajpal Yadav, Sanjay Mishra and Ashwini Kalsekar play their best – caricaturing their facial expressions and mouthing several lines which are downright funny. But deep down you wish ,especially Sanjay Mishra and Ashwini Kalsekar, getting more screen time which will do justice to the talent. A child artiste, too, leaves his stamp on the movie, Siddhant Ghegadmal as Potlu.

But its Tabu who is actually brings her A game here and aces it with utmost precision. She is absolutely magnificent, and literally overpowers everyone with her dignified presence . Its really hard to take your eyes away from her when she is on screen. Her role has the most meat and she chomps it with her brilliance. Versatility is her middle name and she is the one who is enjoying to the fullest here. Watch her dominance in the end portions of the film and you will know why she is considered to be the best in business.

The foundation of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 , like its prequel, is on conflicting human emotions. And Bazmee through its smart screenplay and crisp direction makes it work. I would definitely recommend it as a summer time entertainer . I am going with 3 out of 5, with an additional 1/2 star for Tabu’s elegant performance. Go for it if you have couple of hours in hand, its not a bad way to spend an evening .