Plot

Phone Bhoot follows the hilarious exploits of two buddies, Gullu and Major, who aspire to become ghostbusters. With the help of friendly ghost, Ragini, they somewhat succeed in doing so until their journey takes an unexpected turn when they get pulled into Ragini’s larger plan to salvage her lover from the clutches of an evil baba, Aatmaram, who is jealous of their progress.

Acting

Ishaan, Katrina and Siddhant have a cool camaraderie as the ghost-busting trio. The boys put out a confident performance, and their vibe with each other is pleasant. Katrina Kaif is beautiful to look at and delivers an effortless performance, playing on her strengths. Jackie Shroff is the tadka to this mix. He’s the seetimaar element of this comedy without whom the humour quotient of the film would not be where it is.

Cinematography

In the technical department, the film’s VFX, production design, and prosthetics are perfectly synced with the narrative. The film has been edited well, but it could have been slicker. The songs are purely ornamental to the narrative here, and even though you don’t mind them, you don’t take them home with you.

Direction

Gurmmeet Singh puts out a unique horror comedy which is a departure from most material one has seen in the year so far. It’s evident from the proceedings that the writers and the director have spent a considerable amount of time visualising every minute of the film, so it doesn’t lose its steam half-way into its runtime.

Overall

Phone Bhoot is a film that requires little to no attention to the logic behind it. It's quirky, odd, and awkward at times, but it's also fun in parts. The writers have added a fair dose of pop culture references that are sometimes so meta that it’s hilarious. The film is funny at times and a total drag at other times, but the cast's earnest performance salvages it. Phone Bhoot is not quite Stree in terms of hilarity and innovation, but it’s not as bad as Roohi either. It's a decent addition to the growing horror comedy genre in Bollywood.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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