Kartik Aaryan, Bhushan Kumar, Anees Bazmee Reunite for ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Actor Kartik Aaryan, producer Bhushan Kumar and director Anees Bazmee have reunited for “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3,” the next instalment of the successful horror-comedy Bollywood franchise.

Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan starred in Priyadarshan’s “Bhool Bhulaiyaa” (2007) that means labyrinth, a remake of Fazil’s Malayalam-language film “Manichitrathazhu” (1993), starring Mohanlal and Shobana.

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“Manichithrathazhu” was also remade in the Kannada-language as “Apthamitra” (2004), starring Vishnuvardhan, in the Tamil and Telugu languages as “Chandramukhi” (2005), starring Rajinikanth, and in the Bengali language as “Rajmohol” (2005), starring Prosenjit Chatterjee.

“Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2,” starring Aaryan and Tabu, was one of the few box office successes in an otherwise forgettable 2022 for Bollywood, earning $33 million. The film cemented Aaryan’s position as one of Bollywood’s A-listers.

The franchise premise turns on a malevolent female spirit haunting a heritage property and the efforts of the protagonist to exorcise it.

“Shehzada,” starring Aaryan and marking his debut as a producer, is currently on release. The film is is an adaptation of Trivikram Srinivas’ hit Telugu-language action comedy drama “Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo” (2020). Aaryan also headlines “Aashiqui 3,” the third instalment in the hit Aashiqui franchise, with Anurag Basu (“Barfi!”) directing.

The films are part of T-Series’ 100-film slate. The film studio and music label is also diversifying into streaming production with A-list Indian directors, including Aanand L. Rai, Anubhav Sinha, Nikkhil Advani and Hansal Mehta.

Bazmee made his directorial debut in 1995 with “Hulchul” and he is known for the Welcome franchise and “Singh Is Kinng.”

“Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3” will release in 2024 during the Diwali holiday frame.

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