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Latest Review

Movie Review: Phone Bhoot

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4th Nov, 2022

Director Gurmmeet Singh’s Phone Bhoot is a horror comedy. In the film, Katrina Kaif essays as a sexy bhoot, while Ishaan Khatter and Siddhant Chaturvedi star as bhoot catchers. Gurmmeet has tried to be extra funny with an overuse of spoofs, and at the same time he desired to take care of children’s-oriented comedy too. The quirky tale is specially made for pop-culture inspired teenagers. 

About the film, Phone Bhoot begins with two friends, Gullu (Ishaan Khatter) and Major (Siddhant Chaturvedi), trying to be famous Ghostbusters. Their attempts flop continuously, but then one day, a sexy ghost called Ragini (Katrina Kaif) comes up with a business idea. Unwilling to accept the offer in the first meeting, Gullu and Major are forced to team up with her for their own good. The Phone Bhoot Gang emerges as a saviour for numerous and becomes famous, only to generate a noxious enemy, Atmaram (Jackie Shroff). Will Gullu and Major be able to help Ragini, and defeat the powerful Atmaram? Phone Bhoot will answer your calls.

The film plot prepares us for a roller coaster-ride on the politics of salvation, but the kind of detailing the production designers show in creating the spooky universe around Gullu, Major, and Ragini is somewhat missing in the uneven writing of Ravi Shankaran and Jasvinder Bath.

About the direction, it is really funny on numerous occasions. The movie has delicate humour reflecting logical jokes that are hard to catch or sometimes appear late in your mind. The screenplay is tight, though. It may be repetitive and annoying sometimes, but never boring.

About the performances, the casting is fresh and Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ishaan Khatter have given praiseworthy performances. Both nail the wicked mood as the charming and cocky Punjabi and Tamil ghostbusters who provide salvation to the jinxed souls for a price. Ishaan was so funny. The Dhadak actor has quite a peculiar character to play, and despite several flaws in the writing, Ishaan has done a decent job. Siddhant is still waiting for the kind of magic he spread in Gully Boy (2019), but with Phone Bhoot, he seems to have gotten a break for himself. Katrina Kaif looks impressive in the film. But she as a bewitching spirit makes sense and loosens up to meet the demands of the genre. Rest cast is OK with their respective parts.

Phone Bhoot has a tuneful music album, but the video songs are energetically choreographed. Ganesh Hegde has taken us back to Govinda‘s Money Hai Toh Honey Hai dance form with Kinna Sona. The earlier portion of Kaali Teri Gutt is so good. Specifically, Ishaan has gone crazy there, and it’s somewhat funny too. Surprised to see Baba Sehgal rocking the title theme of the film which goes extremely well with the nature of its narrative.

The cinematography, editing, and VFX are OK. Gurmmeet has studied a lot about horror legends, maybe. He mixes all the pop culture references, old horror comics, modern thoughts, social media and WhatsApp jokes, and even the technology into making one movie. That’s quite baffling, for him and for the viewers as well. The skilled writing boasting the careless nature of its comedy suddenly turns into a forced fun competition.

Overall, Phone Bhoot is OK to watch once for some funny moments by lead star cast.