Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 storms into theatres this Diwali (November 1) and with a trailer that has already become popular, the team of the third film in the much-loved horror-comedy franchise is upbeat, even if that means clashing with another star-studded, big-ticket franchise Singham Again.

“It is a very busy time for us. We are working day and night to give finishing touches to our film,” Anees Bazmee, the director of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 told t2 when we dialled him earlier this week.

Marking the return of Kartik Aaryan as Rooh Baba as well as Vidya Balan as Manjulika and the entry of Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, partly shot in Calcutta, has a distinct Bengali flavour and is eyeing a big opening at the box office. Excerpts from our chat with Bazmee.

Director Anees Bazmee

The trailer of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 has been widely appreciated. What are you hearing from the audience?

The feedback has been very encouraging and positive. Everybody is liking the trailer, especially kids. I am very happy. The unique selling point of the Bhool Bhulaiyaa films is that they have the ability to appeal to a wide range of viewers.

The highlight of your trailer was the grand reveal of Madhuri Dixit’s character, who could also be a potential Manjulika...

There was, of course, talk that she was a part of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 but we kept it a secret. We didn’t want to reveal anything about her presence in the film. Through the trailer, we wanted to surprise the audience. We shot with Madhuriji for many days but we never let word come out about her being in the film. We always wanted to reveal her presence on the day of the trailer launch. The response to that has been huge.

The story that we have in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 demanded that we cast both Vidyaji (Balan) and Madhuriji. It is our good fortune that both of them loved the story and wanted to do the film.

What has gone into sustaining the interest and excitement around the franchise?

There is a certain expectation from a Bhool Bhulaiyaa film. But that also involves a delicate balance. The audience wants to see the same kind of film, but they don’t want to watch the same film. We have horror, but not the kind which is too scary. The comedy that we have had in every film in this franchise is clean and is the kind that every member of the family can watch together.

What made you want to shoot in Calcutta and have such a rich background of Bengal in the film?

I have watched many films shot in Calcutta and it lends itself beautifully to cinema... any frame set in the city has its own beauty and character. I always wanted to shoot in the city. The fact that Manjulika is a Bengali character and we have such a popular song like Aami je tomar gave me the opportunity to set a large part of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 in Bengal.

We had based Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 in Rajasthan and this time, we thought: ‘Yaar, iss picture ko Calcutta mein set karte hain.’ We have quite a few local Calcutta actors in the film and it was a great experience. More films should be shot in Calcutta... the government needs to be a little more supportive of film shoots in the state because we did encounter a few problems. But overall, it was a good experience.

Stree 2 is not only the biggest hit of the year, but also the biggest-ever Hindi film hit in India. Its success has taken the horror-comedy genre in India many steps ahead. Does that put the pressure of performance on your film?

I think Stree 2 is a wonderful film and the audience has rightfully given it the love that it deserves. But my focus has always been on making an entertaining film with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. I am happy that horror-comedy has such huge fans now and that will only benefit our film. I don’t really feel any kind of pressure.

The audience walks into every Bhool Bhulaiyaa film with certain expectations and my job only involves in ensuring that the films live up to those expectations. We have made Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 with a lot of honesty and with an eye on what we feel the audience wants to watch. Every film comes in with a calculated risk and so also does this film, but I am quite satisfied with what we have made.

Vidya Balan (left) with Madhuri Dixit in the film

I am very happy that Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is releasing at a time when the popularity of the horror-comedy genre is at its peak. Such an atmosphere will only benefit the film. I feel that the first film was an iconic film. It was made in a flawless manner (Priyadarshan directed that film) and the characters remain memorable even now. Also, the first film was a psychological thriller. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022) was completely different. We moved more towards horror and comedy instead of making it a thriller like the first one.

To be honest, I am someone who doesn’t really believe in this concept of genres. I have made films in every genre, whether it is comedy, thriller or romance and now horror-comedy. I have also written all kinds of films. The only genre I haven’t attempted so far is pure horror.

Making the Bhool Bhulaiyaa films has helped me tap into a new side of myself as a filmmaker. I made this film right after coming out of a surgery on my leg and for the larger part of the shoot of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, I was on crutches. In fact, I sustained the injury while I was in Calcutta doing a recce for the film. I had the option of pushing back the shoot of the film — even Kartik (Aaryan) told me to take it easy — but I went ahead because a plan was already in place and I didn’t want to upset it. I was happy to be on set even with an injury and on a wheelchair. I feel I got better faster because I was on a film set and was doing something that I love.

What does Kartik Aaryan bring to the universe?

He is a good actor and I have a great tuning with him. We have a comfortable equation with each other. His character, Rooh Baba, became very popular after the second film. We are lucky that we have a franchise where there are two iconic characters — Manjulika and Rooh Baba. You will see Kartik in his element in the latest film — his Rooh Baba scares, makes people laugh and romances. It is a complete package. I don’t think any one role apart from this has tapped into so many sides of Kartik as an actor. He has done much more in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 than he did in the second film. He will definitely surprise the audience.

Don’t you think the Diwali clash with Singham Again could have been averted? Releasing on the same day will divide the share of screens and audiences for both films. This is not desirable in a year where Bollywood has largely gone through a very rough patch....

Even in the past, we have had two big films releasing on big festival days, especially Diwali, and both have done good business. Diwali is a time when people want to go out and watch films, to have fun with friends and family, and there is no bigger community experience than watching an entertaining film together.

I want both films to have a large number of footfalls and to do well at the box office. I don’t believe in competition, I feel that there is space for every kind of film. I would love if audiences went in to watch both films.

I have a lot of friends working in that film. They have worked hard on their film and so have we on ours. I have very close friends like Ajay (Devgn) and Akshay (Kumar) in that film. I am going to go to the theatres and watch Singham Again for sure!

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 or Singham Again — which Diwali biggie are you more interested in watching in theatres? Tell t2@abp.in