Bhootchakra Pvt Ltd review: Hilarious and energetic horror film

Haranath Chakraborty’s Bhootchakra Pvt Ltd is a long film filled with entertaining moments. The approach of the film is simplistic. The storyline offers known motifs and the treatment reminds one of the horror stories of Leela Majumdar, in which there is always a peaceful and exciting co-existence between ghosts and the mortals.

Screenwriter Padmanabha Dasgupta has been able to retain certain amount of innocence throughout the film despite using some adult jokes by not making them obvious. The film thus entertains audiences of all age groups.

Despite this being a horror film, the audience is bound to laugh more than be scared. Actors Gaurav Chakrabarty and Santilal Mukherjee contribute a great deal in making the film hilarious through their consistent performances.

The storyline is engaging and keeps the anticipation high for every twist. Sometimes certain episodes might puzzle the audience but the storyline keeps going into short flashbacks to make things clear.

Amit Dutta (Soham Chakraborty) and his two confidantes Bony (Bonny Sengupta) and Nemai (Gaurav Chakrabarty) manage to safely capture Bhootchakra, a ghost machine from smugglers. The age-old mysterious machine was invented by Radhamohan Dutta, Amit's the great-grandfather.

The film begins with an exciting and funny chase sequence that establishes the core energy of the film. However, it is not clear from where the machine was being stolen.

The trio cannot figure out how the machine works but decide to dupe people with it to earn some quick bucks. They start advertising themselves as 'ghost hunters' and while promoting themselves incur the wrath of a politician (Santilal Mukherjee). Eventually, they get a phone call from Ranja (Srabanti Chatterjee), who asks them for help in hunting down ghosts at her mansion, Sesher Kobita, in Shanitiniketan.

Before they reach the mansion, both Bony and Nemai, realise that the matter is serious and hence, try to convince Amit to abandon the job for they possibly cannot dupe the family. However, Ranja and her sister-in-law Khusi (Rittika Sen) charm both Amit and Bony into staying on.

In the entire chaos, the mansion and Bhootchakra play important roles. Both, director Haranath Chakraborty and writer Padmanabha Dasgupta, have been able to connect all the characters in a single thread of the story.

The simplistic film doesn’t have many loopholes. Certain moments of Bonny and Nemai might appear repetitive but they continue to grab the audience's attention. The revelation could have had a more complex narrative but then the film could have gotten lengthier too.

The end has a masterstroke and Chakraborty deserves credit for maintaining the spirit of the film throughout, without infusing unnecessary melodramatic sequences. Much like the villains in the ghost stories for children, the villains in this film are not projected in absolute dark shades. At the end, there is an attempt to establish justice between the evil spirits, noble ghosts and the mortals.

The special effects of the film could have been better as they seem too amateur for such an exciting film. Cinematographer Gopi Bhagat did not have to put effort in lending scary elements to his camerawork, however he has done a decent job in retaining the magnanimity of the mansion and the surroundings.

Editor Sujay Datta Ray deserves credit for lending a compact form to the entire film. There is not a single unnecessary moment in the film. Even the two songs have significance in the storyline.

It is a relief to watch Soham Chakraborty shed his melodramatic avatar seen in most films. He is the most serious of the lot and does justice to his gentleman-like character.

Bonny Sengupta doesn’t bring much modulation in his act, however, playing the flirtatious, timid and funny character suits him.

Gaurav Chakrabarty is brilliant when he laughs weirdly at the scariest moments. His expressions are quick and he shines in his entirely comic avatar.

Paran Bandopadhyay has been given the most suitable character in the film and the way he infuses wisdom and humor in his brief appearance is commendable.

Santilal Mukherjee’s continuous stammer is hilarious. Padmanabha Dasgupta has written some of the most hilarious dialogues for Santial’s character.

Srabanti Chatterjee manages to retain secrecy in her apparently gentle demeanour. Rittika Sen is much better in her comical avatar than in most of her romantic portrayals other films.

Kaushik Sen, Sumit Samaddar also deliver commanding performances.

Raja Narayan Deb’s background music is a bit repetitive at times, however, the dramatic intensity of the film covers them up.

Bhootchakra Pvt Ltd has a great infectious energy. Dasgupta's flow of witty writing and sometimes, the subtle political undertones, are sure to provide a good time to the audience. The fantastic elements in it, along with the rivalry between good and evil, add to the consistent performances of all the artistes making this a quite successful venture.

Watch the trailer here: