Bhooth Bangla

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During a storm in Mangalpur, stranded travelers gather at a deserted railway platform and ask an old mystic about the town's curse. He recounts the legend of Vadhusur, a demonic being said to abduct brides before their wedding night. Years earlier, a wedding party is forced through Mangalpur after storms block their route. Despite warnings from their driver, they continue, only for their bus to break down in the forest. That night, an unseen creature attacks the group and abducts the bride.

Soon after, Dushyant Acharya, the reclusive owner of the abandoned Acharya Palace, dies under mysterious circumstances. In London, his grandchildren Arjun and Meera learn that they have inherited the palace. With Meera's wedding venue cancelled, Arjun decides to restore the estate and host her wedding there. On his journey to Mangalpur, he meets Priya, a writer who claims to be investigating the disappearance of her sister, the missing bride from the earlier attack, and later saves her during an accident.

Upon arriving, Arjun is warned by the caretaker Shantaram that the palace is cursed and that Dushyant himself never stayed there overnight. Arjun dismisses the warnings and spends a night inside unharmed, convincing him that the stories are superstition. However, he discovers a sealed prayer room inside the palace whose key has vanished. When Arjun hires workers and the wedding planner Jagdish to begin preparations, increasingly strange incidents occur around the palace. After Sunder mishandles an electrical wire, Arjun is electrocuted and briefly dies before Priya revives him through CPR. Sunder eventually becomes possessed and leads Arjun and Jagdish to Vadhusur's temple. Curious because of her investigation, Priya convinces Arjun to take her there as well. At the temple, they witness a massive swarm of bats even in daylight and hide in the light as a figure resembling Vadhusur briefly emerges.

Shantaram explains Vadhusur's origin. Born from the union of a demon maiden and a divine son, Vadhusur was rejected by both gods and demons. Fatally wounded, his mother fled to the realm of darkness and entrusted him to Andhkarta, the King of Darkness, who raised him in isolation. After severe penance, Vadhusur received a boon from Lord Shiva granting him immortality, with death possible only by his own hand or by one of his own bloodline. When he later waged war against the gods, they realized they could not win and asked Lord Vishnu for help. He sent a celestial apsara to deceive him. Vadhusur fell in love with her but she said he could not touch her until they married. He agreed, but during the ceremony she stabbed him with an enchanted dagger hidden in the wedding garland. His body was buried beneath the earth, while his soul survived. Enraged by betrayal from a bride, he began hunting newlywed women, becoming known as Vadhusur.

As Meera's wedding preparations continue, the hauntings inside the palace grow more violent. Arjun consults his father Vasudev, who advises him to contact a priest. The priest believes the wedding may still be safely completed but is unable to come immediately and sends his disciple instead. The disciple investigates the palace and is violently repelled by the sealed prayer room. Realizing that something unnatural is present, he urges everyone to keep lamps burning throughout the palace, explaining that the evil gains strength in darkness.

The disciple asks Arjun to drive him to the train station before sunset, but a follower of Vadhusur performs a ritual that brings a storm and darkness over the area. Their car is blocked by a fallen electrical pole, forcing them to flee toward a temple. Before they can reach safety, the disciple is killed. The priest then confirms that Vadhusur never truly left Mangalpur. Since cancelling the wedding could expose the family to disgrace and make the groom's family believe Meera is cursed, he instructs Arjun to open the locked prayer room, complete the wedding before noon, and ensure that the newlyweds cross the Ganges before sunset. If this is done, he assures them they will be safe. After they leave, he discovers that twelve brides have already been sacrificed as part of a ritual to resurrect Vadhusur and that only one more sacrifice is needed.

Arjun and Vasudev search for the missing key and uncover the hidden truth of their family. Vasudev reveals that Arjun's grandfather, Guruji (Dushyant Acharya), had once been the priest responsible for keeping Vadhusur dormant through nightly mantras. Guruji's son Madhav and his disciple Vasudev both lived under his guidance in Mangalpur, where Vasudev and a young woman named Yashodha fell in love. Madhav also desired Yashodha.

Guruji had created a device that automatically played the sacred chants from sunset to sunrise, preventing Vadhusur from awakening. He also believed that if Vadhusur failed to revive for 36,000 moons, he would perish forever. When Vasudev and Yashodha's marriage was arranged, Madhav sabotaged the device so the mantras played in reverse, partially summoning Vadhusur in exchange for Yashodha. Guruji stopped him but feared that Madhav had not been freed from Vadhusur's influence. To prevent disaster, Guruji demanded an honorarium from Vasudev: he had to give up Yashodha and tell no one the truth.

Forced to obey, Vasudev cruelly rejects Yashodha, making her believe he never loved her. With her family arriving and her father wishing to see her married, Guruji arranges her marriage to Madhav. Afterward, Guruji abandons the temple, fearing his son remains corrupted. Yashodha later discovers that Madhav is still partially possessed and flees to Vasudev, who rescues her. The two leave Mangalpur forever. Arjun then learns the final truth: Vasudev is not his biological father, and he is actually Madhav's son.

The priest concludes Guruji had orchestrated the inheritance before faking his death in the hope that a final wedding at the palace would fully resurrect Vadhusur and free his son from serving as the demon's vessel. It is then confirmed that the hauntings and the figure believed to be Vadhusur were actually caused by the partially possessed Madhav, who had been serving as Vadhusur's vessel. As the wedding approaches, Arjun insists that the ceremony be held during the day in accordance with the priest's warning, while Rahul's family demands a nighttime wedding because of the auspicious timing. Realizing that cancelling the wedding would emotionally destroy Meera while proceeding at night could cost her life, Arjun reluctantly agrees to proceed at night and vows to protect her.

During the ceremony, the possessed Sunder shuts down the generator and the palace is plunged into darkness as strong winds extinguish every lamp and candle. Arjun hides Meera beneath a light source and tells everyone else to stay inside their rooms, but an unseen force abducts her. As he searches for his sister, Arjun sees the spirits of Vadhusur's previous victims and follows the possessed Meera to Vadhusur's temple. There, he discovers cultists performing a resurrection ritual with the dead brides and Meera as the final sacrifice.

Arjun attempts to save her but is confronted by Madhav in his demonic form and is defeated as Vadhusur slowly begins reviving. Meanwhile, Vasudev and the priest break into the sealed prayer room and activate Guruji's mantra device, weakening Madhav and slowing the ritual. Recovering, Arjun tears off a lightning-charged branch from the celestial apsara's sacred tree and uses it to kill Madhav, causing the resurrection ritual to fail. Guruji attacks, but Arjun kills him with an axe. The temple collapses, and Arjun escapes with Meera through a hidden passage connecting the temple to the prayer room. Meera regains consciousness with no memory of what occurred.

Afterward, Arjun angrily confronts Rahul's priest for insisting on the nighttime wedding and nearly getting everyone killed, declaring that birth charts are written by humans, not by gods. Priya then admits that she has feelings for Arjun but cannot accept him because she is already married, before quietly leaving. Confused, Arjun checks a camera from their earlier visit to Vadhusur's temple and discovers that every photograph and video shows him alone, revealing that he mistook Priya's deceased twin sister Chitra's (in saree) spirit as Priya and Chitra was possibly the last missing bride.

The story returns to the railway platform, where the travelers ask how Arjun was able to see the spirits of the dead brides. The old mystic explains that when Arjun briefly died during the earlier electrocution, he gained the ability to see spirits, as only the dead can see the dead. The mystic then reveals himself to be Arjun, who remained in Mangalpur and has spent the last twenty-four years performing rituals for the peace of Madhav's soul. As a train arrives, he bids the travelers farewell and reminds them that there are many kinds of ghosts in this world.

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Development

Bhooth Bangla was officially announced in September 2024 with a motion poster revealed by lead actor Akshay Kumar on his 57th birthday,^[8] marking his seventh collaboration with director Priyadarshan, 14 years after Khatta Meetha (2010).^[9] The film is produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor under Balaji Motion Pictures in association with Akshay Kumar's production company, Cape of Good Films.^[10] The film's screenplay was written by Rohan Shankar, Abilash Nair and Priyadarshan. Rohan Shankar also wrote the dialogues, while the story was developed by Aakash Kaushik.^[11]

Bhooth Bangla is a horror-comedy based on Indian mythology and black magic, with inspiration drawn from ancient texts such as the Vedas and the Mahabharata.

— Priyadarshan^[12]

Casting

Following the film's announcement in September 2024, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, and Asrani—longtime collaborators of director Priyadarshan were confirmed as part of the cast.^[13] In October 2024, Wamiqa Gabbi was confirmed as the female lead.^{[citation needed]} In January 2025, Tabu and Mithila Palkar were added to the cast, with reports stating that Palkar would portray the sister of Akshay Kumar's character,^[14][15] which was later confirmed by Kumar in his television game show Wheel of Fortune.^[16] Palkar later revealed that Kalyani Priyadarshan had recommended her to director Priyadarshan, which helped her secure the role.^[17] In March 2025, Jisshu Sengupta was confirmed to have joined the cast, with the announcement made by the makers on his birthday.^[18]

Filming

Principal photography began in December 2024 in Mumbai, Maharashtra.^[19][20] The production later moved to Jaipur, Rajasthan in January 2025 for its next shooting schedule.^[21] Portions of the film were shot at several locations, including Galtaji temple,^[22] Sisodiya Rani Bagh^[23] and Chomu Palace, a location previously used by Priyadarshan for his 2007 film Bhool Bhulaiyaa.^[24][25]

The film's production design was handled by art director Sabu Cyril.^[26] In April 2025, the makers shot the climax portions of the film in Hyderabad, where a large palace set was created at Ramoji Film City.^[27][28]

The film was shot extensively in multiple locations including London, Jaipur, Kochi, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.^[29] Principal photography was completed in May 2025, with the shooting of a song sequence featuring Akshay Kumar and Wamiqa Gabbi,^[30][31] with choreography by Pony Verma.^[32] M. R. Rajakrishnan worked as the film's sound designer.

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The film's soundtrack album was composed by Pritam, with lyrics written by Kumaar.^[33] The music rights were acquired by Zee Music Company. The first single titled "Ram Ji Aake Bhala Karenge", was released on 26 February 2026.^[34] The song's music video was choreographed by Ganesh Acharya.^[35] Its lyrics drew comparisons to those of the song "Bhooter Raja Dilo Bor" from Satyajit Ray's 1969 film Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne.^[36] The second single titled "Tu Hi Disda", was released on 24 March 2026.^[37] According to reports, singer Arijit Singh, who had earlier announced his exit from playback singing, approached the makers to perform the track, saying that he felt a strong connection with the composition and believed he could bring the required emotional depth to the song.^[38] The third single titled "O Sundari", was released on 14 April 2026.^[39]

As a part of the film's promotional campaign, several visual assets and motion posters were released ahead of its theatrical release. The first motion poster was unveiled in September 2024 to officially announce the film.^[40] In February 2026, the makers shared an additional motion poster featuring lead actor Akshay Kumar seated on a throne.^[41] Later that month, Kumar and Wamiqa Gabbi commenced the publicity tour in Nashik, Maharashtra, beginning with a college campus event that included an aerial entry and interaction with students.^[42] The makers held a fan screening of the teaser on 11 March 2026,^[43] one day before its official unveiling on 12 March.^[44] Ahead of the trailer launch, large cutouts of Kumar holding lanterns were installed in cities such as Delhi and Jaipur.^[45] The official trailer was released on 6 April 2026.^[46]

Theatrical

Bhooth Bangla was theatrically released on 17 April 2026. The release was subsequently delayed to avoid a box office clash with Dhurandhar: The Revenge.^[7][47] Paid preview night shows were held on 16 April 2026.^[48] It was initially scheduled to release on 2 April 2026,^[6] before being postponed to 15 May 2026,^[49] and later preponed to 10 April 2026.^[50]

Certification

During certification, a few alterations were requested by the Examining Committee, such as the replacement of certain offensive terms and deletion of an inappropriate word in the subtitles near the end of the film. In addition to this, there was a derogatory line targeting women that needed change in the first half, along with certain disclaimers to be added concerning religious and superstitious.^[51] Following this, the film received a UA 16+ certificate on 2 April 2026 by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)^[52] in a total duration of 174 minutes. However, the makers later made further voluntary cuts, which were approved on 11 April 2026, reducing the runtime to approximately 164 minutes.^[1]

Home media

The film began streaming on Netflix from 12 June 2026.^[53][54]

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A critic from Bollywood Hungama rated the film 3.5/5 stars and highlighted "BHOOTH BANGLA is a fair entertainer that works best for its humour, performances and old-school Priyadarshan-style chaos. While the first half is highly enjoyable and packed with laughs, the second half loses some steam due to an underwhelming backstory and an overlong climax."^[55] Dhaval Roy of The Times of India rated the film 3/5 stars and wrote "While the first half of Bhooth Bangla is thoroughly entertaining and keeps one hooked, a crisper narrative and a shorter runtime would have made this horror comedy far more effective. However, the screenplay turns messy, and both the creatures and some of the set pieces come across as gimmicky in places, especially toward the climax. The film’s length also feels plodding, especially in the second half, which loses steam and sharpness."^[56]

Sana Farzeen of India Today rated the film 2.5/5 stars and opined "The much-anticipated Bhooth Bangla, starring Akshay Kumar and directed by Priyadarshan, falls short of delivering the expected blend of horror and comedy. The film struggles with outdated humour, weak storytelling, and lacks the excitement audiences hoped for."^[57] Taher Ahmed of Deccan Herald rated the film 2.5/5 stars and opined "‘Bhooth Bangla’ has all the teeth, but unfortunately none of the bite. While logic is often flexible in such films, here it feels more forced than forgiven. The film checks all the right boxes, albeit only on paper. The second half drifts away from horror and leans into comedy, but not in a way that works. What stands out more is the underutilisation of its characters, many of whom feel limited despite their potential."^[58]

Nisha Srivastava of The Sunday Guardian reviewed the film and noted "While Bhoot Bangla aims to entertain with a mix of horror and comedy, it struggles due to repetitive humour, weak storytelling, and underdeveloped characters. The story does not flow smoothly and often feels like a collection of random scenes put together without strong logic. It lacks a strong core that stays with the audience after the film ends."^[59] Lachmi Deb Roy of Firstpost rated the film 2.5/5 stars and opined "All about Akshay Kumar; wish there was more of Tabu and Jisshu Sengupta in a typical Priyadarshan film. It’s time for Akshay to evolve as an actor. He has proved it yet again: it is time for Bollywood to stop obsessing over stars."^[60]

Radhika Sharma of NDTV rated the film 2 out 5 and noted "Bhooth Bangla should serve as an example: if you wish to sell nostalgia, at least respect the audiences who have now grown up. Give them something to hold onto besides a dilapidated story structure that can't stand on its own, even on the foundation of nostalgia."^[61] Shubhra Gupta from The Indian Express rated 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "A couple of crucial slips never let the film recover. First off, the age shows: the supremely-fit Akshay was in his prime in ߗ now he is distinctly older than anyone else in the frame – Sengupta has to resort to heavy grey dye, but no way does he look to be Akshay’s dad; Palkar’s character is happy to marry into a family which is heavily superstitious — they get her married to a tree — that’s right, in ߪ and the worst is Gabbi’s cringey romantic track, with all that forced pouting."^[62]