The BR side of the Chopra clan, continues its tryst with family and filial love in their latest film, Bhootnath, directed by debutant Vivek Sharma. The film is touching in the parts where it explores the relationship that develops between a ghost and a little child. The debutant director does a good job in his first outing at the box office. One admits that it could have been a greater film, but even in its present state, it is a film which has a few lovely moments, some touching and some funny. In all, the package is quite endearing. But it would be a mistake to think of the film as a film only about and for children. It's only the first half that will appeal to both children and adults alike. From the second half onwards, the film takes a very Hindi filmy turn as it is packed with emotions about unfaithful sons and their ilk.
The life of the film is definitely, the child artiste, Aman Siddique who plays the role of Banku, and Amitabh Bachchan, in the role of Bhootnath. The film's story is briefly about a young family, where Shah Rukh Khan, in a guest appearance, plays the captain of a cruise liner; Juhi Chawla plays his wife Anjali, and Banku is their son. The family moves into an old villa in Goa, which the locals believe is haunted. SRK's character heads off to see after settling his family in. The ghost who haunts the villa is none other than the ghost of Kailash Nath, the man who built this villa so many years ago for his wife and son (Priyanshu). The bitter and angry ghost haunts the premises, scaring off the locals and whosoever ventures near the house. But that was before he meets Banku. The precocious young kid has been brought up to believe in fairies and not ghosts, so he refuses to be scared by Kaliash Nath. He names him Bhootnath and believes, in all innocence, that he is the fairy his mother has told him about. Slowly, Bhootnath's heart melts and he takes to Banku and in no time the two becomes inseparable friends. All is fine between Banku and Bhootnath till Anjali realizes that her son's best friend is an actual ghost. SRK's character is summoned back from the ship. With a little investigation, the couple learn about Kailash Nath's sad story. They are advised to perform the last rites for the peaceful departure of his soul to the next world, something which his son based in the US, never cared to perform for him. Coincidentally, the son too is in Goa to sell off the villa. The penitent son realizes his mistake in time and joins in the last rites ceremony for his father. Kailash Nath's soul thus, is finally at peace.
What makes the film most endearing is the presence of the Big B. No matter what one may say about him, but he still commands a charisma and presence which very few stars can dream of possessing. Even the presence of an SRK does nothing to take away the shine from his aura. Bachchan puts in an endearing performance as Bhootnath and receives good support from the rest of his cast. He is great as the fun loving old ghost as well as the bitter, angry father. Aman Siddique as the cherubic Banku, does a fairly good job and matches the Big B, for scene. Juhi Chawla is in excellent form as Banku's mother. There is a certain lovely lightness about her and it reflects in her performance as well. She breezes through her role with elan, just like Shah Rukh. Satish Shah as the tiffin stealing principal is quite funny in his cameo. Priyanshu Chatterjee impresses in his role as Bhootnath's penitent son.
In all the film is quite enjoyable. But it is also true that the film begins on one note and ends on entirely another. It begins as a breezy comedy, a fun loving flick, and then suddenly meanders into the typical terrain of filmy family dramas. One just feels that the director could have continued the way he started. The film's music is good and works in most places, but a couple of songs could have easily been done away with. Director Vivek Sharma is to be lauded for making a good debut. Despite falling prey to Hindi formula films in certain places in Bhootnath, he has made a film which has some lovely moments and is extremely touching in places. Bhootnath is an extremely likeable and enjoyable film.
