Movie: Bhoot Police (Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar); Duration: 129 minutes; Director: Pawan Kriplani; Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Arjun Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Yami Gautam and Javed Jaffrey.
Rating: ***1/2
Director Pawan Kriplani’s ‘Bhoot Police’ is a simple horror-comedy based on spectacle. This is a film that every Indian can relate to. It is an adventure story of a team of two fake exorcists who go out to earn a living, and are chased by a policeman. Even as the story focuses on the thieves, the film is not a cat-mouse chase between the police and the ‘corrupt’ men.
Corrupt, they are not. Saif Ali Khan, playing the role of Vibhuti Vaidya, believes that there are no “ghosts” and evil spirits, but as long as people have faith in these superstitions, both can survive. Vibhuti is accompanied by his younger brother Chironji, essayed by Arjun Kapoor, who has his reservations about spirits and the afterlife and also has a conscience.
The two, traveling in a converted bus enjoying the glory of their father Ullat Baba, traverse the countryside, solving people’s problems, mostly thug-jobs. Incidentally, his father was a real exorcist.
It is in ‘The Spirit Carnival 2021’ that Chironji accidentally finds her father’s diary and also Maya (Yami Gautam), who has traveled all the way from Dharamsala, gives Ullat Baba a chance to help her. . At the same time, Inspector Chhedilal (Javed Jaffrey) sees Vibhuti and follows him knowing that he is a fraud.
The brothers along with Maya run away from the carnival. They decide to help Maya and her sister Kanika (Jacqueline Fernandez) get rid of a “kichakandi” (an evil spirit) that is haunting their tea estate. Here they unknowingly settle the issue by helping a mother to be reunited with her daughter thus ensuring both of them attain salvation.
Crafted as a farce, the film begins with a promise and as the plot progresses, the cleverly constructed sequence of events rich in layers of humor strikes a chord, but in reality, it spills over with absurdity. Is. Logic is not a priority here and the racy, cheeky dialogues are a cross between rural and urban language. And the hasty turn of events during the climax becomes a bit complicated and tedious to digest.
Saif and Arjun, as always, are good with their comic timing, which has been regular fare as of now. Yami Gautam is watchable, Jacqueline in a poorly written character worth dismissing. Jamie Lever, in a small role as a tea-garden worker, and Javed Jaffrey, as the policeman, are both wasted in sluggish performances.
The film boasts of excellent production values. The expansive landscape and sets depicting Rajasthan appear natural and vibrant with bright colours. Cinematographer Jaya Krishna Gummadi’s lens captures the scenes brilliantly, but during the last half hour of the film, scenes shot in the dark seem like a waste of screen time.
You can see practically nothing, but the saving grace is the sound that keeps the narrative going, layered seamlessly by Pooja Ladha Surti’s razor-sharp editing. The thunderous background music of Sachin Jigar sounds like a symphony in an old school Hindi film. Overall, the film will keep you entertained.
Read Full Article
';
$('div.listing').append(string);
}
});
},
error:function(xhr){
//console.log("Error");
//console.log("An error occured: " + xhr.status + " " + xhr.statusText);
nextload=false;
},
complete: function(){
$('div.listing').find(".loading-block").remove();;
pg +=1;
//console.log("mod" + ice%2);
nextpath="&page=" + pg;
//console.log("request complete" + nextpath);
cat = "?cat=120082";
//console.log(nextpath);
nextload=(ice%2==0)?true:false;
}
});
}
//lastoff = last.offset();
//console.log("**" + lastoff + "**");
});*/
var maindiv = false;
var dis = 0;
var fbcontainer="";
var fbid = '';
var fb_script=document.createElement('script');
fb_script.text= "(function(d, s, id) {var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if (d.getElementById(id)) return;js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;js.src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.9";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));";
var fmain = $(".sr2392801");
//alert(x+ "-" + url);
var fdiv = '
';
//console.log(fdiv);
//$(fb_script).appendTo(fmain);
$(fdiv).appendTo(fmain);
function fillElementWithAd($el, slotCode, size, targeting){
if (typeof targeting === 'undefined') {
targeting = {};
} else if ( Object.prototype.toString.call( targeting ) !== '[object Object]' ) {
targeting = {};
}
var elId = $el.attr('id');
//console.log("elId:" + elId);
googletag.cmd.push(function(){
var slot = googletag.defineSlot(slotCode, size, elId);
for (var t in targeting){
slot.setTargeting(t, targeting
}
slot.addService(googletag.pubads());
googletag.display(elId);
//googletag.pubads().refresh([slot]);
});
}
$(document).delegate("button[id^='mf']", "click", function(){
fbcontainer="";
fbid = '#' + $(this).attr('id');
var sr = fbid.replace("#mf", ".sr");
$(fbid).parent().children(sr).toggle();
fbcontainer = $(fbid).parent().children(sr).children(".fb-comments").attr("id");
});
function onPlayerStateChange(event){
var ing, fid;
//console.log(event + "---player");
$('iframe[id*="video-"]').each(function(){
_v = $(this).attr('id');
//console.log("_v: " + _v);
if(_v != event){
//console.log("condition match");
ing = new YT.get(_v);
if(ing.getPlayerState()=='1'){
ing.pauseVideo();
}
}
});
$('div[id*="video-"]').each(function(){
_v = $(this).attr('id');
//console.log("_v: " + _v + " event: " + event);
if(_v != event){
//jwplayer(_v).play(false);
}
});
}
function onYouTubePlay(vid, code, playDiv,vx, pvid){
if (typeof(YT) == 'undefined' || typeof(YT.Player) == 'undefined') {
var tag = document.createElement('script');
tag.src = "https://www.youtube.com/iframe_api";
var firstScriptTag = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
firstScriptTag.parentNode.insertBefore(tag, firstScriptTag);
window.onYouTubePlayerAPIReady = function() {
onYouTubePlayer(vid, code, playDiv,vx, pvid);
};
}else{onYouTubePlayer(vid, code, playDiv,vx, pvid);}
}
function onYouTubePlayer(vid, code, playDiv,vx, pvid){
//console.log(playDiv + "Get Youtue " + vid);
//$("#"+vid).find(".playvideo-"+ vx).hide();
var player = new YT.Player(playDiv , {
height: '450',
width: '100%',
videoId:code,
playerVars: {
'autoplay': 1,
'showinfo': 1,
'controls': 1
},
events: {
'onStateChange': function(event){
onPlayerStateChange(event.target.a.id);
}
}
});
$("#video-"+vid).show();
}
function kalturaPlayerAPIReady(code, playDiv,pvid){
var dt=new Date;
var nt=dt.getTime();
var vtitle = "";
pre_roll = "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x480&iu=/11440465/Zeenews_English_Video/Zeenews_English_Preroll&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&description_url="+vtitle+"&correlator="+nt;
var sources ={};
var config = {
targetId: playDiv,
provider: {
partnerId: 2504201
},
playback: {
pictureInPicture : true,
autoplay: true
},
advertising: {
adBreaks: [{
position: 0,
ads: [{
url: [pre_roll]
}]
}]
},
plugins: {
ima: {
adsResponse: ""
}
}
}
var kalturaPlayer = KalturaPlayer.setup(config);
if(kalturaPlayer){
kalturaPlayer.reset();
}
var videoUrl = code;
var mediaid = '"zn' + pvid + '"';
sources = {
hls: [{
id: mediaid,
url: videoUrl,
mimetype: "application/x-mpegURL"
}]
}
kalturaplayerSetup(kalturaPlayer, sources);
if (typeof kalturaPlayer !== 'undefined') {
doRegisterEvents(kalturaPlayer);
}
}
function kalturaplayerSetup(kalturaPlayer, playbackType){
kalturaPlayer.setMedia({
plugins: {},
sources: playbackType
});
}
function doRegisterEvents(kalturaPlayer) {
/* player event*/
kalturaPlayer.addEventListener(kalturaPlayer.Event.Core.PLAY, playEvent);
kalturaPlayer.addEventListener(kalturaPlayer.Event.Core.PAUSE, pauseEvent);
kalturaPlayer.addEventListener(kalturaPlayer.Event.Core.PLAYBACK_ENDED, playbackEndedEvent);
/* ad event */
kalturaPlayer.addEventListener(kalturaPlayer.Event.AD_STARTED, adStartedEvent);
kalturaPlayer.addEventListener(kalturaPlayer.Event.AD_COMPLETED, adCompletedEvent);
kalturaPlayer.addEventListener(kalturaPlayer.Event.AD_SKIPPED, adSkippedEvent);
kalturaPlayer.addEventListener(kalturaPlayer.Event.AD_CLICKED,adClicked);
}
var vlabel = "https://zeenews.india.com"+$(this).attr("video-path");
var isVideoPlayed = false;
var isAdSkippedCompleted = false;
function adStartedEvent(event) {
var videotype = "zee english video";
gtag('event', 'Adstarted', { 'event_category': videotype, 'event_label': vlabel});
gtag('event', 'Play', { 'event_category': videotype, 'event_label': vlabel});
isVideoPlayed = true;
isAdSkippedCompleted = true;
}
function adCompletedEvent(event) {
var videotype = "zee english video";
gtag('event', 'Adcompleted', { 'event_category': videotype, 'event_label': vlabel});
isAdSkippedCompleted = true;
}
function adSkippedEvent(event) {
var videotype = "zee english video";
gtag('event', 'Adskipped', { 'event_category': videotype, 'event_label': vlabel});
isAdSkippedCompleted = true;
}
function adClicked(event) {
var videotype = "zee english video";
gtag('event', 'Adclicked', { 'event_category': videotype, 'event_label': vlabel});
}
function playbackEndedEvent(event){
var videotype = "zee english video";
gtag('event', 'Complete', { 'event_category': videotype, 'event_label': vlabel});
}
function playEvent(event) {
var videotype = "zee english video";
if((isVideoPlayed) && (isAdSkippedCompleted)){
isAdSkippedCompleted = false;
}else if((isVideoPlayed)){
gtag('event', 'resume', { 'event_category': videotype, 'event_label': vlabel});
}else{
gtag('event', 'Play', { 'event_category': videotype, 'event_label': vlabel});
isVideoPlayed = true;
}
}
function pauseEvent(event) {
var videotype = "zee english video";
gtag('event', 'Pause', { 'event_category': videotype, 'event_label': vlabel});
}
function AdloadEvent(event) {
var videotype = "zee english video";
gtag("event", "kaltura_adloaded", { "event_category": videotype, "event_label": vlabel});
}
function AdProgressEvent(event) {
var videotype = "zee english video";
gtag("event", "kaltura_adprogress", { "event_category": videotype, "event_label": vlabel});
}
function adPausedEvent(event) {
var videotype = "zee english video";
gtag("event", "kaltura_adpaused", { "event_category": videotype, "event_label": vlabel});
}
/* End of Kaltura player function code */
$(document).delegate("div[id^='play']", "click", function(){
//console.log($(this).attr("id"));
//console.log($(this).attr("video-source"));
//console.log($(this).attr("video-code"));
var isyoutube = $(this).attr("video-source");
var vurl = $(this).attr("video-path");
var vid = $(this).attr("id");
$(this).hide();
var pvid = $(this).attr("newsid");
var vx = $(this).attr("id").replace('play-','');
var vC = $(this).attr("video-code");
var playDiv = "video-" + vid + "-" + pvid;
if(isyoutube =='No'){
kalturaPlayerAPIReady(vC, playDiv,pvid);
}else{
onYouTubePlay(vid, vC, playDiv,vx, pvid);
}
});
$(document).delegate("div[id^='ptop']", "click", function(){
var vid = $(this).attr("id").replace('ptop','');
$(this).hide();
var pvid = $(this).attr("newsid");
var vurl = $(this).attr("video-path");
//console.log($(this).attr("id") + "--" + vid);
//console.log($(this).parent().children().find('#play-'+vid).attr("video-source"));
//console.log($(this).parent().children().find('#play-'+vid).attr("video-code"));
var isyoutube = $(this).parent().children().find('#play-'+vid).attr("video-source");
var vC = $(this).parent().children().find('#play-'+vid).attr("video-code");
var playDiv = "mvideo-play-" + vid + "-" + pvid;
if(isyoutube =='No'){
//console.log(jwplayer($(this).attr("id")).getState());
kalturaPlayerAPIReady(vC, playDiv,pvid);
}else{
onYouTubePlay($(this).attr("id"), vC, playDiv, vid, pvid);
}
});
var nxti = 3;
var ci = 1;
var nxti_1 = 6;
var nxti_2 = 9;
var nxti_3 = 12;
if($.autopager==false){
var use_ajax = false;
/*var disqus_shortname="zeehindi";
var disqus_identifier; //made of post id and guid
var disqus_url; //post permalink
function loadDisqus(source, identifier, url, nid) {
if (window.DISQUS) {
//alert("if");
jQuery('
').insertAfter(source);
jQuery('#disqus_thread').insertAfter(source); //append the HTML after the link
//if Disqus exists, call it's reset method with new parameters
DISQUS.reset({
reload: true,
config: function () {
this.page.identifier = identifier;
this.page.url = url;
}
});
}else{
jQuery('
').insertAfter(source);
disqus_identifier = identifier; //set the identifier argument
disqus_url = url; //set the permalink argument
//append the Disqus embed script to HTML
var dsq = document.createElement('script'); dsq.type="text/javascript"; dsq.async = true;
dsq.src="http://" + disqus_shortname + '.disqus.com/embed.js';
jQuery('head').append(dsq);
}
};*/
/*$('.disqusOn').live( "click", notify );
function notify() {
identifier = $(this).attr('id');
dUrl = $(this).attr('disqus-url');
source = $(this).parent();
loadDisqus(jQuery(this), identifier, dUrl);
}*/
function loadshare(curl){
history.replaceState('' ,'', curl);
if(window.OBR){
window.OBR.extern.researchWidget();
}
//console.log("loadshare Call->" + curl);
//$('html head').find('title').text("main" + nxtTitle);
if(_up == false){
var cu_url = curl;
gtag('config', 'UA-2069755-1', {'page_path': cu_url });
if(window.COMSCORE){
window.COMSCORE.beacon({c1: "2", c2: "9254297"});
var e = Date.now();
$.ajax({
url: "/marathi/news/zscorecard.json?" + e,
success: function(e) {}
})
}
//console.log('ga:'+r);
/*(function () {
var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type="text/javascript"; ga.async = true;
ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://' : 'http://') + 'stats.g.doubleclick.net/dc.js';
var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);
})();*/
//console.log("loadshare Call");
}
}
if(use_ajax==false) {
//console.log('getting');
var view_selector="div.center-section"; // + settings.view_name; + '.view-display-id-' + settings.display;
var content_selector = view_selector; // + settings.content_selector;
var items_selector = content_selector + ' > div.rep-block'; // + settings.items_selector;
var pager_selector="div.next-story-block > div.view-zn-article-mc-all-2017 > div.view-content > div.clearfix"; // + settings.pager_selector;
var next_selector="div.next-story-block > div.view-zn-article-mc-all-2017 > div.view-content > div.clearfix > a:last"; // + settings.next_selector;
var auto_selector="div.tag-block";
var img_location = view_selector + ' > div.rep-block:last';
var img_path="
Loading
"; //settings.img_path;
//var img = '
' + img_path + '
';
var img = img_path;
//$(pager_selector).hide();
//alert($(next_selector).attr('href'));
var x = 0;
var url="";
var prevLoc = window.location.pathname;
var circle = "";
var myTimer = "";
var interval = 30;
var angle = 0;
var Inverval = "";
var angle_increment = 6;
var handle = $.autopager({
appendTo: content_selector,
content: items_selector,
runscroll: maindiv,
link: next_selector,
autoLoad: false,
page: 0,
start: function(){
$(img_location).after(img);
circle = $('.center-section').find('#green-halo');
myTimer = $('.center-section').find('#myTimer');
angle = 0;
Inverval = setInterval(function (){
$(circle).attr("stroke-dasharray", angle + ", 20000");
//myTimer.innerHTML = parseInt(angle/360*100) + '%';
if (angle >= 360) {
angle = 1;
}
angle += angle_increment;
}.bind(this),interval);
},
load: function(){
$('div.loading-block').remove();
clearInterval(Inverval);
//$('.repeat-block > .row > div.main-rhs2392801').find('div.rhs2392801:first').clone().appendTo('.repeat-block >.row > div.main-rhs' + x);
$('div.rep-block > div.main-rhs2392801 > div:first').clone().appendTo('div.rep-block > div.main-rhs' + x);
$('.center-section >.row:last').before('