Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 director Anees Bazmee claims he writes “dil se” and directs with junoon

In 2022, Hindi movies were failing miserably on all fronts. Trade analysts breathed a sigh of relief when Anees Bazmee’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 arrived, as the horror.com turned out to be one of the greatest blockbusters in the year that Bollywood failed.

Around 2024: The comedy virtuoso is hard at work filming the third installment of the hit movie. Previously, the renowned writer-director Anees was up against Priyadarshan, who had directed the first installment, with the sequel, but now he’s up against himself.

The director of popular movies like as No Entry, Welcome, and Ready, Singh is Kinng, nevertheless, maintains that “my competition is always with myself.” Undoubtedly a challenging task, but how can you surpass your own track record of successful films? “Just by working to the best of one’s ability,” he continues.

Sequels, with a preset template in place, may seem like the simplest task in the world to just cut and paste. Nonetheless, he believes, “Lifting a well-known franchise and living up to people’s expectations is a huge responsibility.”

Getting others to laugh is as taxing. His response to those particularly biting reviewers who often write off his films as “brainless fun” is, “Jo filmein hanste gaate ban jaati hain, making them is no joke.”

There is undoubtedly a method to the chaos, but there is no foolproof recipe. He does, in fact, abide by some norms, such as refraining from double-entendre or double-meaning conversations.

He was certain that he did not want to produce a psychological thriller similar to its predecessor while he was producing Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. He won’t give away too much about the plot of the threequel, much of which was filmed in the bustling city of Kolkata. Vidya Balan would only respond, “Watch the film to know it,” when asked whether he would play Manjulika again in Bhool Bhulaiyaa. The most exquisite mystery is included in her portion.

He is now ecstatic that she accepted the movie. He says, “What these actors bring to the table is phenomenal,” having worked with stars like Nana Patekar, Tabu, and Irrfan Khan, among others. Even if sometimes, let’s say, the writing or directing is a little below expectations, they would elevate it to the highest standard.

The principal actor of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and part 3, Kartik Aaryan, receives praise for being “an honest and easy to work with actor.” The “national crush,” Tripti Dimri, is about to change her ways. “If in my film if she will not do comedy then what else would she do?” the producer asks.

In all honesty, he adores every performer he works with, including Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor, whose comedic timing he finds faultless. He is a little disappointed that Anil won’t be appearing in the follow-up to No Entry. In an ideal world, he would have also wanted to add Fardeen Khan, who made a fantastic return after 14 years away in Heeramandi, and who excelled in No Entry.

Even so, he is eager to collaborate with the newest wave of performers, one of which is Diljit Dosanjh, with whom he just signed for No Entry 2. “He is a very good actor as Chamkila has proved and retains the innocence of a rooted man,” he adds of the Punjabi hottie. Anees really loves the purity of it all. Even the dons in his movies have a sharp appeal and aren’t “out and out villains.”

His definition of humor isn’t buffoonery; rather, it’s a clever blend of situational slapstick and gut-busting punchlines. He can laugh at himself and laugh in his own films, I’ll wager. He makes fun of his lengthy career’s odd failures, such as Pagalpanti, by saying, “Kabhi kabhi pagalpanti ho jaati hai.” But don’t let that fool you—despite making us giggle uncontrollably, he is not trapped in a labyrinth.

His basic credo is “be positive.” He may make jokes out of it in his films, but his desire to share joy and optimism never wavers. Driven by enthusiasm, he develops Dil Se and directs with Junoon, taking his cue from the master showman Raj Kapoor, with whom he worked on Prem Rog. Nevertheless, he does not take himself seriously despite having had a successful career in which he has written up to 30 films for other filmmakers. The only thing he does is make movie buffs double over with laughter.

To do this, he may spend endless hours perfecting the tone of his film at the editing table. It is no surprise that he still has a strong hold on the title of “king of comedy.”