The Bhootnii

About The Movie:

Critics Review :Story:
A heartbroken student unknowingly unleashes a spirit that haunts the infamous Virgin Tree on his college campus. As the ghost becomes increasingly obsessed with him, a paranormal expert is brought in. But this entity turns out to be unlike any spirit he's dealt with before. Will the ghostbuster be able to send her back to the afterlife?

Horror-comedy is a genre that demands balance, and while films like Stree have set a high standard, writer-director Sidhaant Sachdeva’s take delivers mixed outcomes. The plot revolves around Shantanu (Sunny Singh) and his friends Sahil (Beyounick) and Nasir (Aasif Khan) at Delhi’s St. Vincent’s College, where an eerie tree is home to Mohabbat (Mouni Roy), a ghost who wakes up every Valentine’s Day seeking love—and claims lives on Holika Dahan. Her origins are shrouded in mystery, and strange events—ranging from hallucinations to tragic suicides—soon plague the students. The administration brings in Baba (Sanjay Dutt), a quirky para-physicist with eccentric gadgets, to uncover the truth and rid the college of the spirit.

Sachdeva and Vankush Arora’s narrative doesn’t offer anything particularly fresh, though Santhosh Thundiyil’s cinematography adds occasional atmospheric depth. The storyline is peppered with logical gaps—for instance, when Mohabbat appears in human form and clings to Shantanu, yet once her ghostly identity is revealed, she begins vanishing for hours, conveniently allowing Baba to operate unbothered. A few scenes are gripping, but the impact is weakened by unimpressive visual effects and lackluster ghost makeup.

While the horror elements fall short, the film manages to get by on sporadic humor. The trio—Sunny, Nikunj, and Aasif—deliver a few laughs, and their interactions bring some life to the film. That said, their character tropes feel dated—Sahil is endlessly chasing romance, while Nasir plays a poetic flirt with a fondness for Urdu verses. The film throws in meta references—from Mouni Roy’s Naagin to Sanjay Dutt’s Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. and Stree. Dutt plays Baba, a former student whose nickname stems from his double BA degrees (“BA + BA = Baba”). He slips into the role easily and earns a few laughs. However, his backstory with Mohabbat, shown via Navneet Malik, feels stretched and makes the ending fairly predictable. Both Mouni Roy and Palak Tiwari do justice to their parts, though Palak’s character lacks substance.

Despite some humorous moments, The Bhootnii falters due to uneven storytelling, flat horror, and a predictable plot. It’s the kind of film you won’t regret skipping.

Cast:

Sanjay Dutt, Mauni Roy, Sunny Singh and Palak Tiwari

Director:

Sidhaant Sachdev