#SpoilerAlert: The Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 climax was a first for India! Here's why!

While much of the film did not make sense to me, the climax of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 sure was one that took me by surprise, especially in a massy entertainer like this one!

Ever since the first Bhool Bhulaiyaa came out in 2007, all of us have been terrified of Manjulika. An entire generation grew up on that chilling image of Vidya Balan with scattered hair and kajal all over her face, holding the bed above her head. Who would've known that there would be so many versions of her one day! It all started back in 1993 with Manichitrathazu, but, ever since then, this story has been told in many languages and now there are various versions of it as well.

Many years have passed but the crux of Manjulika remains the same - someone who was wronged by a cruel king and is now out for vengeance. Instead of villainizing her, has anyone stopped to introspect on her behaviour? Manjulika was deprived of love, she was a star who was born to shine but was caged and she wasn't one to be suppressed. Unlike the previous two films, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 analyses her behaviour while giving us an unexpected climax. When Kartik Aaryan’s double role aka the prince from the 1800s took off his mask, I was left with goosebumps. 

Also Read: How does the Janta feel about the Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Singham Again Diwali box office clash? Let's find out!

It made me take a step back and wonder why, throughtout the film, I kept doubting the women to secretly be Manjulika. We've constantly demonized women as the ghost in India; tales of a white saree clad woman have made it to every ghost story on Indian television, cinema and even the ones we'd narrate to each other at sleepovers since the dawn of time. Hence, in mainstream movie franchises like Bhool Bhulaiyaa, you wouldn't have ever guessed that the hero, the face of the film, plays this character!

But Kartik’s character here stays significant because not only does he shatter our expectations, he also puts out a huge message through a massy entertainer like this. His character wanted to be a woman. He loved wearing jewelry, dresses and loved dancing to ‘Ami Je Tomar’. Giving a queer angle to such a big opener at the box office, during a Diwali break where a majority of your audience is families, is a huge risk to take. It's an ambitious climax and while not a lot of people would have understood what it really meant, I felt like it's a step in the right direction. 

Kartik Aaryan brings a certain sense of intensity and depth to Manjulika which this character needed. He carries the legacy of Manjulika and this film on his shoulders rather well! If you would’ve told me in 2007 that Manjulika would eventually be played by a man, I would’ve never believed it and I probably wouldn't even be that scared but with these changing times, our stories too need to take a progressive turn. Given that this film clashed with Singham Again at the box office which had half of Bollywood in it, I'm glad that it managed to bring something new to the table and surprise me in an already done and dusted trope! Conversations about the LGBTQIA+ community are still so far and few, especially in mainstream cinema, that stories like these make all the difference.

Have you watched this film? What did you think about the climax?

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