Bhootnath is produced by Ravi Chopra and stars Amitabh Bachchan as a patriarchal character. Bhootnath could be considered catered towards children as two third of the movie has some cartoony aspect to it. Plant Bollywood writes:
"Yet Bhoothnath is different because it seems to be pitched more at children with about two-thirds of the film dedicated to light-weight, cartoon-like scenarios that had me wondering if I’d come to the wrong film. It felt “wrong” in the sense that I was an adult trying to assess whether kids would like what was on offer. The ending however, confirmed that this was indeed a B. R. Film, delivering a powerful universal message economically and effectively and confirming that debutante director Vivek Sharma does know his craft. Sharma, who has worked in post-production and as an associate director for the last 10 years, also wrote the screenplay for this film wherein lies the problem.
A good family film engages adults and children equally from the beginning. Children read it at their level which - in our technological age, can be quite sophisticated. Adults find either resonances of their own childhood, or a level of humour or pathos that children don’t get but which has nevertheless been cleverly fused into the storyline. About two-thirds of Bhoothnath seems to be lacking in adult content and sophistication. Quite simply it deals with the growing relationship between a boy and a crusty but friendly ghost (Amitabh Bachchan) who haunts the child’s new home a rented mansion in Goa.
Aman Siddiqui pays the plucky and plausible young mischief-maker opposite Bachchan who has worked well with child actors in previous films such as Cheeni Kum (2007) and Ek Ajnabee (2005). The growth of trust between the two occupies the first half of the film which presents as a string of episodes that would probably entertain young children. As a child growing up in a Western culture, TV shows which revolved around the antics of cheeky, invisible ghosts were among my favourites. As an adult, I wonder whether children are still so innocent.
The idea of a benign spirit is not new to Bollywood cinema in that Chamatkar (1992) and Paheli (2005) are precedents. Yet unlike these two films, Bhoothnath is devoid of romance and unless one has a high tolerance for cartoon-like humour (in the style of Kyon! Ho Gaya Na - 2004), the first half of the film certainly feels padded and dreary. Rajpal Yadav has an inconsequential role as a down-and-out hobo type of character and Juhi Chalwa is warm and appealing as the boy’s mother but there is no real focus or tension to the screenplay except that which is contrived and expedient. A standard Bollywood cliché is used to round off the first half."
For more information about Bhootnath and the characters and actors head over to the Planet Bollywood link.
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"Yet Bhoothnath is different because it seems to be pitched more at children with about two-thirds of the film dedicated to light-weight, cartoon-like scenarios that had me wondering if I’d come to the wrong film. It felt “wrong” in the sense that I was an adult trying to assess whether kids would like what was on offer. The ending however, confirmed that this was indeed a B. R. Film, delivering a powerful universal message economically and effectively and confirming that debutante director Vivek Sharma does know his craft. Sharma, who has worked in post-production and as an associate director for the last 10 years, also wrote the screenplay for this film wherein lies the problem.
A good family film engages adults and children equally from the beginning. Children read it at their level which - in our technological age, can be quite sophisticated. Adults find either resonances of their own childhood, or a level of humour or pathos that children don’t get but which has nevertheless been cleverly fused into the storyline. About two-thirds of Bhoothnath seems to be lacking in adult content and sophistication. Quite simply it deals with the growing relationship between a boy and a crusty but friendly ghost (Amitabh Bachchan) who haunts the child’s new home a rented mansion in Goa.
Aman Siddiqui pays the plucky and plausible young mischief-maker opposite Bachchan who has worked well with child actors in previous films such as Cheeni Kum (2007) and Ek Ajnabee (2005). The growth of trust between the two occupies the first half of the film which presents as a string of episodes that would probably entertain young children. As a child growing up in a Western culture, TV shows which revolved around the antics of cheeky, invisible ghosts were among my favourites. As an adult, I wonder whether children are still so innocent.
The idea of a benign spirit is not new to Bollywood cinema in that Chamatkar (1992) and Paheli (2005) are precedents. Yet unlike these two films, Bhoothnath is devoid of romance and unless one has a high tolerance for cartoon-like humour (in the style of Kyon! Ho Gaya Na - 2004), the first half of the film certainly feels padded and dreary. Rajpal Yadav has an inconsequential role as a down-and-out hobo type of character and Juhi Chalwa is warm and appealing as the boy’s mother but there is no real focus or tension to the screenplay except that which is contrived and expedient. A standard Bollywood cliché is used to round off the first half."
For more information about Bhootnath and the characters and actors head over to the Planet Bollywood link.
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