‘Bhoot Police’ review: Saif, Arjun thrilled with perfect comic timing

New Delhi: Director Pawan Kriplani’s ‘Bhoot Police’ is a simple horror comedy based on tamasha. 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 holds his reservations about spirits and the afterlife, and also has a conscience.

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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.

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