Bhoothnath Returns

...is made with noble intentions and the message it conveys resonates in the second hour, although those looking for entertainment may find it lacking in the second half. Watch it for some wonderful moments and superior performances by Bachchan Sr., Boman Irani and the child artist Parth Bhalerao.

...the real star of the show is somebody else-someone who is at least six decades younger to the big daddy of Bollywood and less than half the size of Mr Bachchan's larger than life tall frame.

There is no doubt that Bhoothnath will entertain cine-goers.. It's entertainment .. Bachchan style!

A stellar star cast, a noble intention packed with a few quick laughs.

While the first half is refreshingly devoid of needless drama, director Tiwari makes up for all that lost time. The climax is loaded with melodrama and tears. But the credit has to go to Akhrot and Bhoothnath for making the twists palatable. Watch this for Bhalerao and Bachchan (in that order).

Bhoothnath Returns is lightyears ahead of its first part. Told like a socio-political satire in the first half, it suffers when the humor runs out leaving behind an overdramatic climax. For the intelligent story and the umpteenth laughs of the first hour and mostly Parth & Big B's impervious chemistry, the film deserves a watch. Could have been octaves ahead but doesn't soar adequately.

For a cynic, this might be too idealist a movie and it probably is. An honest man — or a ghost for that matter — winning elections in one constituency by solving simple issues like water and electricity is definitely not going to make a dent in the burgeoning corruption situation in the country. But then, as the boss at the ghost house says, even ghosts need entertainment, entertainment and entertainment. So if we get a bit of that along with a social message, why not? Watch this film.

It is disconcerting to suddenly be told that ghosts don't always result in horror films. In India, they almost never do, because we end up laughing at the screen anyway. Perhaps the term 'horror comedy' generates from here. This is also the self-referential humour Bhoothnath Returns, the sequel to Bhoothnath, excels at.

In the end the film leaves you with a preachy, but timely message. But again, it's likely to be lost on children. If you don't mind the supernatural comedy taking a somber turn towards the finale, the film is worth a watch!

A tedious second half apart, the well-timed political satire has its moments.

'Bhootnath Returns' is watchable because of the timeliness with which it brings you the message, "cast your vote" and "vote for change".

Parth as Akhrot makes the movie worthwhile, even with a sluggish second half. It would not be too wrong to say that the young lad acts with the prowess that overshadows Sr Bachchan`s performance at times. He has some of the best moments of the movie and the director has really picked a gem who we hope to see more often on the silver screen.

Don't expect return of the old Bhoothnath in Bhoothnath Returns. It's a different film with a different theme. Watch it for performance of Amitabh Bachchan, Boman Irani and child artist Parth Bhalerao.

Bhoothnath Returns tries to strike a high moral tone in its social messaging, but creatively it doesn't flinch from being crassly exploitative. It made me cringe so often that I wished this clever concept had been handed over to a director with a light touch.