Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
Directed by	Anees Bazmee
Written by	Anees Bazmee
Produced by	Bhushan Kumar Krishan Kumar
Starring	Kartik Aaryan Vidya Balan Madhuri Dixit Triptii Dimri
Cinematography	Manu Anand
Music by	Pritam
Production companies	T-Series Films Cine1 Studios
Distributed by	AA Films
Release date	31 October 2024 (2024-10-31)
Country	India
Language	Hindi

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (transl. Labyrinth 3) is an upcoming 2024 Indian Hindi-language comedy horror film written and directed by Anees Bazmee and produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar under the banner of T-Series Films and Cine1 Studios. The film is a spiritual sequel to the 2022 film Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and marked as the third installment of the Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchise. Kartik Aaryan will reprise his role as Rooh Baba from the previous film, and will be joined by Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri.

The film is scheduled to be theatrically released on Diwali 2024. While Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) was set in Uttar Pradesh and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022) was set in Rajasthan, the new film Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 will be set in Kolkata, West Bengal.

Plot

The film is set in Kolkata, West Bengal, where Rooh Baba visits a haunted mansion to uncover the truth behind the spirit of Manjulika.

Cast

• Kartik Aaryan as Ruhaan Randhawa aka Rooh Baba
• Vidya Balan as Manjulika
• Madhuri Dixit
• Triptii Dimri
• Vijay Raaz
• Rajpal Yadav as Chhote Pandit
• Sanjay Mishra as Bade Pandit
• Manish Wadhwa as Pandit
• Rajesh Sharma
• Ashwini Kalsekar as Panditayeen
• Arun Kushwah
• Prantika Das
• Kabbir

Production

Development

The third installment of Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchise was officially announced on 1 March 2023, through a teaser released by T-Series. The teaser announcement marked the collaboration of producer Bhushan Kumar, director Anees Bazmee, and actor Kartik Aaryan once again, with Aaryan returning in the lead role as Rooh Baba. Anees Bazmee returns as both the director and writer for the film.

Casting

Kartik Aaryan, reaffirming his pivotal role as Rooh Baba, leads the cast of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. On 12 February 2024, he announced that Vidya Balan, who famously portrayed Monjulika in Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) would be returning to reprise her iconic character, by sharing a collaboration video of them dancing to "Mere Dholna" sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Arijit Singh. On 21 February 2024, he marked another exciting addition to the highly anticipated sequel by welcoming Triptii Dimri to the project. Rajpal Yadav, known for his role as Chhota Pandit in the previous films, will also return to reprise his role. The cast will also feature Madhuri Dixit, along with Vijay Raaz, Rajesh Sharma, Manish Wadhwa, Sanjay Mishra and Ashwini Kalsekar adding to the film's star-studded lineup.

Filming

On March 9, 2024, in Mumbai, the cast and crew of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 gathered for an inaugural muhurat puja ceremony to mark the beginning of principal photography. Producer Bhushan Kumar clapped the muhurat shot for actor Kartik Aaryan to officially kick off the filming process. Vidya Balan, Triptii Dimri, Rajesh Sharma, and co-producer Shiv Chanana were also present at the ceremony. A glimpse video of this ceremony was shared by T-Series on March 11, 2024, titled "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Begins", The video featured the cast and crew performing the puja, with Kartik Aaryan shooting the first shot of the movie, which was a train sequence, filmed by DOP Manu Anand.

Director Anees Bazmee faced a significant challenge as he fractured his leg on the last day of the film recce. Despite doctors suggesting he either put in a steel plate and rest for three months or undergo surgery, Bazmee opted for surgery to honor his commitment to direct the film. He showed up on set in a wheelchair, demonstrating his dedication to meet production deadlines and to ensure the film stayed on track for a Diwali 2024 release. Kartik Aaryan also managed his commitments with another film, Chandu Champion, while ensuring the timely completion of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. The film's production involved extensive planning and coordination, with key members Bhushan Kumar, Anees Bazmee, and Kartik Aaryan actively engaged in discussions and preparations.

Filming began in Mumbai, with the first schedule wrapping up on March 27, 2024. During this time, the entry sequence of Kartik Aaryan was also shot. Kartik Aaryan's entry in the film features a major song and dance sequence, which has been billed as the biggest song in Bollywood till date, a massive set was erected in Film City, Mumbai, specifically for this number, in which he was joined by more than thousand background dancers.

After a short break, during which Bazmee, still recovering from his injury, scouted locations in Kolkata for the next schedule. The cast and crew landed in Kolkata on April 8, 2024, to commence the second schedule. Filming began the next morning with Kartik in his Rooh Baba avatar, riding a bike at Howrah Bridge, along with Prantika Das and Arun Kushwah at Victoria Memorial. The second location in the row where the shooting took place was Mallick Ghat flower market, where a small set with skeletons was put up. Bazmee and Aaryan scouted various locations and filmed scenes at the Park Street Graveyard and Nonapukur Tram Depot, and finally concluded the shoot at Laha Bari in Central Kolkata. Prior to this schedule, key shots were filmed at an elaborate Bengali village set constructed by production team, in Mumbai.

After completing the Kolkata schedule, the team resumed filming on the same Bengali set in Mumbai, on May 7, 2024, with a segment involving Kartik Aaryan, Sanjay Mishra, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, and Ashwini Kaleskar, wrapping up this schedule on May 13, 2024. A significant dance sequence featuring the leads, was filmed on May 21, 2024. On May 29, the full cast, including Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit, Manish Wadhwa, Rajesh Sharma Vijay Raaz and others, shot a pivotal sequence on the film's set in Mumbai, where Vidya Balan and Madhuri Dixit were twinning and complementing each other wearing a black saree. Bazmee shot Kartik's scenes in advance, in May 2024, and the team continued filming without him for some days in early June.

In early June 2024, the team took a break from shooting due to Aaryan's promotional commitments for his film Chandu Champion, which was scheduled to be released on June 14, 2024. As soon as his movie was released and he got free, the team decided to kickstart another schedule in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh, where the subsequent filming took place with the entire cast. On July 1, 2024, actor Kartik Aaryan, along with Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri, landed in Gwalior and traveled to Orchha for the filming the schedule. They were later joined by other cast including Rajpal Yadav and Vidya Balan. Filming began the next day, with subsequent key scenes shot at historic landmarks such as Orchha Fort, Ram Raja Mandir, where Madhuri along with Kartik and Rajpal filmed some dramatic scenes, and Jahangir Mahal, where the leading man filmed a romantic song and some romantic scenes with Triptii Dimri. The filming schedule included intense sequences at Kanchana Ghat on the Betwa River, as well as romantic and dramatic scenes featuring the main cast. A part of the climax sequence, including crucial scenes with all principal actors together, was also shot there, with Kartik and other leads performing some crucial action sequences.

After shooting a portion of climax in Orchha, the team returned to the sets in Mumbai to shoot some scenes and the full fledged final climax sequence of the movie with the leads and the supporting cast. The final climax was shot on July 31, and after filming the climax, the film was finally wrapped after four months of shooting on August 1, 2024. Bringing the project one step closer to thrilling audiences nationwide, the makers are all set to bring the film to the big screen during the Diwali 2024 weekend.

Release

Theatrical

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on the occasion of Diwali 2024, coinciding with the festive period.

External links

• Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 at IMDb
• Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 at Bollywood Hungama