Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3
Teaser poster
Directed by	Anees Bazmee
Written by	Aakash Kaushik
Produced by	Bhushan Kumar Krishan Kumar Murad Khetani
Starring	Kartik Aaryan Vidya Balan Madhuri Dixit Triptii Dimri
Cinematography	Manu Anand
Edited by	Sanjay Sankla
Music by	Score: Sandeep Shirodkar Songs: Tanishk Bagchi Sachet–Parampara Amaal Mallik Aditya Rikhari Lijo George–DJ Chetas
Production companies	T-Series Films Cine1 Studios
Distributed by	AA Films
Release date	1 November 2024 (2024-11-01)
Country	India
Language	Hindi

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (transl. Labyrinth 3) is an upcoming Indian Hindi-language comedy horror film directed by Anees Bazmee, written by Aakash Kaushik, and produced by T-Series Films and Cine1 Studios. It serves as the third instalment of the eponymous franchise after Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022). It stars Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri, and is set in Kolkata, West Bengal.

The film was officially announced in March 2023. Principal photography took place from March to September 2024 in Mumbai, Kolkata, Orchha, and Leh, with cinematography by Manu Anand. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is scheduled for a theatrical release on 1 November 2024, coinciding with Diwali.

Premise

Rooh Baba ventures into a haunted mansion in Kolkata and clashes with Manjulika, a vengeful spirit.

Cast

• Kartik Aaryan as Ruhan Randhawa / Rooh Baba
• Vidya Balan as Manjulika
• Madhuri Dixit
• Triptii Dimri
• Vijay Raaz
• Manish Wadhwa as pandit
• Rajesh Sharma
• Rajpal Yadav as Natwar / Chhota Pandit
• Sanjay Mishra as Bade Pandit Jagannath Shastri
• Ashwini Kalsekar as Panditayeen
• Arun Kushwah
• Prantika Das
• Kabbir as Chandu

Production

Casting

Kartik Aaryan was cast to reprise his role from Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. On 12 February 2024, it was announced that Vidya Balan, who played Monjulika in the original Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), would reprise her character, by sharing a video of Instagram. On 21 February 2024, it was announced that Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri would be joining the project. Rajpal Yadav, known for his role as Chhota Pandit in the previous films, will also return to reprise his role. The cast also features Vijay Raaz, Rajesh Sharma, Manish Wadhwa, Sanjay Mishra, and Ashwini Kalsekar.

Filming

On 9 March 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 Aaryan. Vidya, Dimri, Sharma, and co-producer Shiv Chanana were also present at the ceremony. A glimpse video of this ceremony was shared by T-Series on 11 March 2024, titled "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Begins", The video also featured Aaryan shooting the first shot of the movie, which was a train sequence, filmed by DOP Manu Anand.

During shooting, director Anees Bazmee faced significant challenges as he fractured his leg on the last day of the film recce. Against doctor's suggestions to get a steel plate and rest for 3 months, he opted for minor surgery that allowed him to honor his commitment to the film. He came to the film set in a wheelchair and continued with his work. The film's production involved extensive planning and coordination, with key members Bhushan Kumar, Bazmee, and Aaryan actively engaged in discussions and preparations.

Filming began in Mumbai, with the first schedule wrapping up on 27 March 2024. During this schedule, the entry sequence of Aaryan was also shot. A massive set was erected in Film City, Mumbai, specifically for the song, which involved over a thousand background dancers with choreography done by Ganesh Acharya. After a short break, Bazmee, still recovering from his injury, scouted for locations in Kolkata for the next schedule. The cast and crew landed in Kolkata on 8 April 2024, to commence the second schedule. In this schedule, Aaryan rode a bullet on Howrah Bridge, with Prantika Das and with Arun Kushwah at Victoria Memorial. The shooting then progressed to Mallick Ghat flower market, where a small set with skeletons was put up. Following this, Bazmee 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, key shots were filmed at an elaborate Bengali village set setup by the production team in Mumbai.

After completing the Kolkata schedule, the team resumed filming on the same Bengali set in Mumbai, with a segment involving Aaryan, Mishra, Raaz, Yadav, and Kalsekar, wrapping up the week-long schedule on 13 May 2024. A significant dance sequence featuring lead actors was also filmed on 21 May 2024. On 29 May 2024; Vidya, Dixit, Manish Wadhwa, Sharma, Raaz, Rose Sardana and others shot a sequence on the film's set in Mumbai, with Vidya and Dixit twinning in black sarees.

Bazmee had shot Aaryan's scenes in advance, in May 2024, and continued filming without him for some days in early June. In early June 2024, the team took a break from shooting, allowing Aaryan to focus on promotional commitments for his film Chandu Champion, which was released on 14 June 2024. The next schedule was kicked off on 1 July 2024, in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh with Aaryan, Dixit, Vidya, Dimri, Yadav, and others. Key scenes were shot at various historic landmarks such as Orchha Fort, Ram Raja Mandir, where some dramatic scenes were filmed, and Jahangir Mahal, where Aaryan filmed a romantic song and some romantic scenes with Dimri. The schedule included filming intense sequences at Kanchana Ghat on the Betwa River.

A part of the climax sequence with all the principal actors together, was also shot there, with Aaryan and other leads performing some action sequences. After shooting a portion of the climax in Orchha, the team returned to Mumbai to shoot the remaining scenes of the climax sequence with the entire cast. Principal photography was seemingly wrapped with final scenes being shot on 31 July and 1 August 2024. Additionally in September 2024, a romantic track featuring Aaryan and Dimri was shot in Leh, Ladakh.

Music

The background score of the film is composed by Sandeep Shirodkar, whereas the soundtrack is composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Sachet–Parampara, Amaal Mallik, Aditya Rikhari and Lijo George–DJ Chetas. The lyrics are written by Sameer, Rashmi Virag, Aditya Rikhari, Dhrruv Yogi and Som. The song "Aami Je Tomar" originally composed by Pritam will be recreated once again after Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. The song "Labon Ko" from the first film will also be recreated.

Release

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is scheduled for theatrical release on the occasion of Diwali 2024. The teaser of the film was released on 27 September 2024.

The theatrical distribution rights were acquired by AA Films. Distributor Anil Thadani has secured single screens for the film.

External links

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