Phone Bhoot Review: Designed to be whacky comedy but fails to take off

Hyderabad: Designed to be whacky comedy, Phone Bhoot some-how fails to take off. Making a comedy is always a huge risk. The viewer needs to be on the same page. This is a much bigger risk than one can imagine. Obviously, the idea of a ghost with a corporate plan and non-vengeful is a good […]

Hyderabad: Designed to be whacky comedy, Phone Bhoot some-how fails to take off. Making a comedy is always a huge risk. The viewer needs to be on the same page. This is a much bigger risk than one can imagine.

Obviously, the idea of a ghost with a corporate plan and non-vengeful is a good idea. Adding to it a nice game plan where characters do not take them seriously, makes for a good launch pad. At the idea level therefore the ghost who promises Moksh (deliverance) is a good idea. The Exorcist Facility is indeed a new commercial opportunity.

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Two no gooders, Gullu (Ishant Khattar) and Major (Siddhant Chaturvedi) share a bachelor’s pad and interest in ghosts. Not before long they are in the midst of a theme party on the subject. Raagini (Katrina Kaif) arrives. She is the wandering ghost whose ghost empowerment is characterised by her quick shifting of physical space.

While the two some swim with the tide they are challenged on multiple counts. Two loud dads: Mani Rishi Chadda and Kedar Shankar shout their presence for a while. They have an in-house bhootist in Raaka (Surender Thakur) masked and camouflaged sufficiently. Fortunately, there is no professional or ego clashes between Raaka and Raagini. Not too long before, the two guys start to flirt with the ghost.

Just when everything appears hunky dory the ghost-man partnership is disturbed by competing Corporate Ghost Atma Ram (Jackie Shroff). Things go completely out of control at this juncture. In a designer set Atma Ram has a mechanical revolving chair like many Hindi film villains of mainstream cinema and commands his ghostly assistants to work on Raagini, Gullu and Major.

In a try as hard to do up a Priyadarshan climax, the ghosts go amuck. Throw a complete set of one-liners and PJs and the story-script writer has earned his wages.

Sheeba Chadda is wasted. Jackie Shroff reminds you lest you have forgotten how he was’ Hero’ decades ago and still is. Katrina tries hard and even copies her commercials to touch a chord.

In the midst of the comedy gone awry the saving grace is the chemistry and the performances of Ishan Khattar and Siddhanth Chaturvedi. Both have built a good reputation. Even in the ghost space they zealously guard it. They pump in all their sincerity and give the film a few moments of genuinity. As a stand-alone, it is worth seeing the film for just them.