It has been declared a hit for the fourth time, it has found a new set of audience and the story of the haunted room and the schizophrenic (Dissociated identity disorder, technically speaking) lady lives on.

Nearly 14 years after it first came alive in front of the visibly zapped audience of Kerala the Manichithrahazhu story has extended its winning streak.

This time it is Bhool Bhulaiya and this time the beneficiaries to star in this thriller of a movie are Akshay Kumar and Vidya balan with a host of others in tow. Well, this story has not failed to give a fillip to the career of any actor appearing in it. First time round it gave Mohanlal his then biggest hit of his career and Shobhana the national award for the best actress. Then the story traveled to Kannada as Apthamithra where Vishnuvardhan grabs it for his biggest hit, it ran for nearly a year. Then it came down to Tamil Nadu and who should be waiting but Superstar who proved that he is the King once and for all. Jyothika surpassed expectations of even her most ardent fans and Prabhu made the best move of his career (not just by acting in the movie, but by producing it). Now in Hindi the same story is making Id memorable for all people in Bollywood.

It has been named as the biggest overseas opener of the year, and Akshay Kumar’s biggest ever opening in his entire career. Remember, this is a year that boasts of hits like Chak De India and Partner not to forget Akshay’s very own Hey Baby. Finally the big point here is that Bhool Bhulaiya has nearly trounced the mighty opposition in the form of Yashraj films’ Lagaa Chunari Mein Daag that had enormous star value attached to it. The fact that Lagaa… received very poor reviews and even more dismal word of mouth has only helped Bhool Bhulaiya. But that cannot account for the figures of the first day in theaters. Bhool Bhulaiya opened at nearly 95% while Lagaa… scored a meager 20% at best. Now, that is not reviews or word of mouth at work, it is sheer magnetism of a star who never disappoints and a director who knows what he is doing. So, guess it is time we paid a tribute to the man who started it all. A name, that perhaps needs to have received due recognition, Madhu Muttam, the man who penned the story for the original Manichithrathazhu. It is from that inspired work that four very nearly historic hits have sprung forth. The story is indeed a lucky charm for everyone who gests associated with it. What next, Will we get to see a Hollywood remake?