Saif Ali Khan brings his flair for comedy to film Breezy Caper

To throw: Saif Ali Khan, Arjun Kapoor, Yami Gautam, Jacqueline Fernandez, Jaaved Jaffrey, Rajpal Yadav, Girish Kulkarni, Jamie Lever, Amit Mistry

Director: Pavan Kripalani

Evaluation: Two and a half stars (out of 5)

that of Pavan Kripalani Bhoot the police, a horror comedy that keeps its cards close to the chest until it’s good in the second half, opens, believe it or not, with a quote from Abraham Lincoln. However, he quickly proceeds to the death of the ghost of the first US president, as he is obviously not at the center of the wacky plot. There is nothing in this crazy, airy caper flick about a pair of on-call ghost hunters that you’d associate with anything Lincoln might have had in mind when he said, “Believe in the things you do. can see and touch is not a belief at all but to believe in the unseen is a triumph and a blessing. “

Not much in Bhoot the police is immediately believable, but what we see in the movie is entertaining enough that we don’t get pissed off by his creepy little appearances. On Disney + Hotstar, the film is woven around constant jokes about what to believe and what not to believe as two brothers, Vibhooti Vaidya and Chiraunji Vaidya (Arjun Kapoor), sons of famous tantric exorcist Ullat Baba, bicker constantly. They do not agree on the purpose of voodoo.

Two brothers in conflict find themselves facing two sisters who have nothing in common: one wants to protect her father’s heritage, the other dreams of returning to London and living it. The complications that arise trigger a war between superstition and skepticism.

Vibhooti is a shameless charlatan who thrives on exploiting people’s fear of the unknown for pecuniary gain. Detective Chedilal (Jaaved Jaffrey) is chasing the guy because he has an old score to settle with the family.

Chiraunji, on the other hand, is extremely serious about the teachings of his late father and considers himself a worthy heir to the spectral arts that the family has practiced, he reveals at one point, for seven generations. Kuch toh logic lagao, Vibhooti continues to tell his younger brother although he is fully aware that they are not in the business of logic. The film either.

Despite their differing worldviews, the brothers still hunt in pairs. A van that doubles as a house on wheels takes them wherever they are needed. The film opens in a desert mansion where a girl is said to be possessed by the spirit of her grandfather. “Kaali urjaa hain yahaan (There is dark energy here), ”the younger brother says as they get out of their vehicle outside the house. It is a prognosis that he will make on several occasions.

What happens as the two confront the young girl (Yashaswini Dayama) and the spirit that has taken control of her gives Vibhooti more reason to poop the existence of the ghosts. Chiraunji, however, is unable to let go of his faith in the power of the tattered little book of otherworldly knowledge his father bequeathed to him.

The siblings meet at a tea plantation in Dharamshala at the behest of Maya (Yami Gautam). She needs their help to rid the village of a kichkandi, an evil and stubborn mountain spirit, which affects the productivity of his loss-making factory. The workers leave every day before sunset because they are afraid of being attacked by the ghost in the dark.

Speaking of darkness, Bhoot the police, shot by Jaya Krishna Gummadi, very effectively uses dimly lit spaces, indoor and outdoor, and lights piercing mist and casting shadows, to set the mood for an irreverent and hallucinatory ghost story that is brought to life by a tongue decidedly – an in-the-cheek script (written by Kripalani, Pooja Ladha Surti, and Sumit Batheja) that recalls and sends off many conventions that usually go into a festival of fear on the big screen.

East Bhoot the police still witty? Maybe not, but it does have its fair share of really funny scenes and exchanges. One could argue that the quality of disposable one-liners is erratic, but with Saif Ali Khan bringing his flair for comedy to the act of delivering the verbal punches with a straight face, parts of Bhoot the police are an absolute hoot and a half.

Some of her scenes with Jacqueline Fernandez playing Maya’s skeptical sister Kanika, who has no patience for the two handsome exorcists who have been summoned to the estate by Maya, are confusing as many of the puns touch on the House.

Kanika asserts that nepotism and andh vishwas (blind faith) are the downfall of the nation. Vibhooti and Chiraunji are guilty of taking advantage of the first and peddling the second. She also describes the two siblings as “bloody amateurs” determined to deceive the gullible with their “vidya fraud”.

In one scene, Saif’s character asks Fernandez’s Kanika if she knows what aas (hope) means. I do, she says and hastens to warn him with a kick to the rump. In another scene, it’s the girl’s turn to ask a question. She wonders if she is the “type” of Vibhooti. The man replies: “Main toh jagat premi hoon, any guy is my type (I’m a lover of the whole world, all guys are my types). ”If you’re funny enough to you, the movie has other scenes that take place in a similar vein.

Bhoot the police It might not be the kind of movie that will tickle every palate, but Saif Ali Khan, when he’s on a roll, is a delight. It’s no small feat that Arjun Kapoor keeps pace. Jacqueline Fernandez contributes to the merriment, while Yami Gautam plays with a steady hand until things take a terrible turn in the film’s final round.

Jaaved Jaffrey has a long appearance which he makes the most of. Rajpal Yadav and Girish Kulkarni make fleeting appearances that disappear in a flash. Jamie Lever and the late Amit Mistry (in probably his last movie role) play supporting roles that suffer from lack of attention from the writers.

It is somehow advantageous that Bhoot the police don’t set the bar too high. Best of all, he doesn’t take himself seriously despite summoning Abraham Lincoln before lovemaking begins. So all the movie needs to be entertaining is a passable script and a bunch of actors who know exactly what they’re in for in this tumultuous rig. He has these two things and a few more. Suddenly, Bhoot the police, powered by Saif Ali Khan, is fun while it lasts.