Phone Bhoot Movie Review: An eclectic, out-of-the-box horror comedy

Review: Gullu and Major (Ishaan and Siddhant Chaturvedi), friends and single living together, aspire to become professional ghostbusters. With the assistance of friendly ghost, Ragini (Katrina Kaif), they somewhat succeed in doing so. But they hit a roadblock when they get pulled into Ragini’s larger plan to salvage her lover from the clutches of an evil baba, Aatmaram (Jackie Shroff).

Gurmmeet Singh’s Phone Bhoot, written by Ravi Shankaran and Jasvinder Singh Bath, is an eclectic, out-of-the-box comedy. It’s evident from the proceedings that the writers and the director have spent a considerable amount of time visualizing every minute of the film, so it doesn’t lose its steam halfway into its runtime.

Reminiscent of films like Andaz Apna Apna, the characters take their situations and themselves very seriously. That paves the way for humour which is embedded neatly into the screenplay, is unabashed and character-led. References to old and some relatively new Hindi movies and kinky horror films of the bygone decades (Ramsay Brothers' films) are also stitched into the narrative seamlessly. The screenplay is peppered with dialogues that will ease you into this film’s crazy world and make you laugh through most parts.

However, the film moves in a rather slow pace in first half till Jackie Shroff’s entry into the mix. That changes the film’s gear for the better, but it also makes the eventual conflict in the second half somewhat predictable.

In the technical department, the film’s VFX, production design and prosthetics are perfectly synced with the narrative. The film has been edited well. The songs are purely ornamental to the narrative here.

Ishaan, Katrina and Siddhant have a cool camaraderie as the ghost-busting trio. The boys put out a confident performance. They’re the new-age version of Amar-Prem who don’t eat into each other’s screen-time or performances. They vibe with each other which is pleasant. The director has also ensured that the balance between their screen time and their overall presentation is maintained throughout the runtime.

Katrina Kaif is beautiful to look at. She makes it a point to ensure that her presence doesn't overpower the narrative; she establishes her bro-code with the boys, and delivers an effortless performance, playing on her strengths. Jackie Shroff is the icing on the cake and without him the humour quotient of the film would not have been there where it is.

In total, Gurmmeet Singh puts out a unique horror comedy which is a departure from most material one has seen in the year so far. For that itself this fiim makes a must watch.

Team Moviekoop Wishes Congratulations The The Winner Of "Phone Bhoot" Free Movie Ticket Contest.