Huh! This actually felt like a TV movie! Somehow gentler, cheaper, slower, more friendly to commercial breaks and distracted viewing. But very pleasant for what it was, more pleasant and easy than some of the Movie-Movie versions.
I unashamedly love TV movies. And I am very worried that they will be destroyed by Streaming Movies which are similar but different. TV Movies, they have this kind of rambly pace to them, like they are set up for little 10 to 15 minute chunks of viewing, for people to drop in and out of them. And they have some really good actors in them, but actors who are just having a fun time because it’s only a TV movie, it’s not like it matters for their career. And they are set up for all ages family watching! Which is rare for America, since most Hollywood films are aimed at a particular demographic, not across the board.
Bhoot Police ended up being released straight to TV/Streaming. And it feels like a movie where that was the plan all along. Or else someone watched the final cut and went “this is SO CLEARLY a TV movie, we aren’t releasing in theaters”. It’s a bunch of pleasant little segments, some nice performers who aren’t turning in the deepest performance of their career, and most of all it has a sort of friendly “please invite us into your living room” vibe to it.
India is having a bit of a Horror Comedy Social Statement moment right now. Horror Comedy is of course a very old genre, going all the way back to Bhoot Bungla. But ever since Stree turned into a sleeper hit, horror comedy with a social statement in it (especially a feminist statement) is the New Hot Thing. Stree is so sharp it cuts you with the humor. Housefull 4 and Golmaal 5 were hitting you over the head with “do you get it? Do you get it?” This movie is like being hit with a pillow. Not very sharp, but doesn’t hurt when you are hit either.
Saif is having fun and has a few moments of actual emotion which help. Jacqueline continues to have FANTASTIC comic timing, and her character is very slight, basically comic relief. Arjun K looks gooooood, and it’s a nice soft character in his sweet good boy sweet spot. And Yami Gautam is also there. There’s loads of fun jokes, like an annual competition for a “gold medal” in exorcism, but they aren’t hit quite as hard as they need to be, more sort of flashing past. The plot meanders quite a bit. And any social message is pretty amorphous and open. The opening sequence is excellent, but is the most socially relevant there is in the whole movie, the rest of it is just wandering around the point.
So I guess I recommend this movie if you are in the mood for TV movie. Something you can watch with your whole family, something you can walk in and out of and still follow along, something that you can forget about the next day.
dontcallitbollywood 
Thank you for the review! Bhoot Police and 14 Phere were on my list to watch over the next couple of weeks. I didn’t expect them to be brilliant but I wanted something fun and harmless and it seems like this fits the bill. I am also curious to see how Saif and Arjun interact with each other. I feel like both actors are great are creating bromance with their male costars!
What is the other movie that you watched last week that you plan to review?
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Oh, just the Shashi-Shabana movie we watched on Friday
On Mon, Sep 20, 2021 at 4:34 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I feel the same way as you and Kainaat in the comment below. I watched it last night and I was SO bored!!! There was no real romance. The only person I found remotely funny was Saif. There was no real chemistry between Saif and Arjun. There wasn’t really a message. It was all just “meh!”
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That doesn’t make me wanna watch it. I already almost started it twice but wasn’t in mood
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Watch it only if you just want to oogle at Arjun. Maybe watch it right before bed so you can have sexy Arjun dreams!
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LOL The first time I almost started watching was in the evening, but I thought it’s horror comedy and was scared to watch it at that hour.
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Saif being wacky and having fun is always a good time but wish it had more laughs. Arjun and Yami were too normal, hence kinda boring. They could’ve switched the pairing.
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Yeah, I definitely lost interest as soon as Saif or Jackie were off screen.
On Mon, Sep 20, 2021 at 7:48 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I liked it. An easy 2 hours or so but I wish I knew I knew Hindi. The humor didn’t subtitle well. Or maybe it wasn’t that funny. I always enjoy Jacqueline but Yami put me to sleep. Saif can do anything and will age beautifully out of hunk roles, and Arjun, in spite of the fact that his role as the serious brother was way too low-key, still draws all eyes.
Arjun’s Instagram feed is all sexy poses and broody looks. I wonder how he’ll age as an actor. Like SRK and Amitabh? Or like Salman with a girdle and wig?
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I think it wasn’t that funny 🙂
I’m gonna guess that Arjun is gonna age like his uncle Anil, practical and taking age appropriate roles.
On Tue, Sep 21, 2021 at 2:54 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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As someone who watched this movie and knows Hindi, in my opinion, I don’t think language made a difference here. I agree though that humor generally doesn’t subtitle well, and knowing the language makes a lot of difference in many comedies, especially those that are trying to focus on a particular region (and aren’t a sex farce or slapstick). For example, I think knowing the language and nuances make or break most movies Ayushman’s is in. But here, it really did not matter.
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Yeah, really no language-related jokes there. The bit I found funniest is when Jacqueline says nepotism has ruined the country and Saif and Arjun look at each other (fake) shocked!
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