Name: Phone Bhoot
Cast: Ishaan Khatter,Katrina Kaif,Siddhant Chaturvedi,Jackie Shroff,Pulkit Samrat,Varun Sharma,Katie Holmes,Manjot Singh
Rating: 2 / 5
Plot
The premise of Phone Bhoot revolves around two primary characters – Major (Siddhant Chaturvedi) and Gullu (Ishaan Khatter) – who have partnered on multiple failed business ventures and now get an ultimatum from their families to be serious about life. This is when they encounter a ghost – Ragini (Katrina Kaif) – who comes up with a business plan of helping the disturbed souls of the world get ‘Moksha’ aka. Salvation. What are the challenges that the trio encounters on this spooky adventure? Does the plan work? The entire mystery unfolds in Phone Bhoot.
What works?
There is an attempt to treat the horror genre with an element of spoof and this unique aspect does work in the first 30 minutes of the film. But as the story proceeds, the same aspect of industry jokes and spoof elements get repetitive. The film makes an attempt to churn out situational humor riding on dialogues with references to films and series, which is not everyone’s cup of tea. Both Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ishaan Khatter deliver a fine performance and their chemistry is one of the major highlights of the film. Katrina Kaif does well and has a strong screen presence. Watch out for the meta reference to the Slice Advertisement – it’s sure to evoke laughter. Sheeba Chaddha is funny but doesn’t have a big enough role.
Phone Bhoot rides on a wafer-thin plot, but that’s not the biggest issue with the film. What doesn’t work is the fact that the film is just not funny enough as most of the gags and one-liners land flat. Of course, the film has 5 to 7 genuinely funny moments, but they aren’t enough to hold attention for 2 hours and 17 minutes. The comedy aside, the screenplay doesn’t have the horror or even thrilling elements, and the whole purpose of Katrina teaming up with Siddhant and Ishaan doesn’t come full circle. Jackie Shroff’s character is poorly written, and it’s more of a disservice to his 40-year career in the industry. It doesn’t take time for us to realize how hard the makers are trying to evoke laughter. It's a film that never takes itself too seriously (entering the spoof space) and that’s where the issue lies – some drama and emotion would have brought in much-needed depth in the screenplay.
Performances
Katrina Kaif is the star attraction of Phone Bhoot, carrying the story on her shoulder and she does well as Ragini. She has a strong screen presence and it’s difficult to not speak of her spectacular dance moves in the two songs. Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ishaan Khatter are like Ram and Shyam, Amar, and Prem, sharing extremely comfortable chemistry on screen. They got the conviction to deliver in the silliest scenario and they make an attempt to bring flavor to the on-screen madness. Jackie Shroff plays a version of himself in a poorly executed character. Sheeba Chaddha has a brief role, and her episode of ‘Moksha’ with Katrina Kaif is funny.
Final Verdict
Phone Bhoot fails to deliver as a film – it’s neither scary nor funny – and ends up being a forgetful affair. Some of the gags and dialogues work in isolation, but that’s all about it. The world of spoof cinema won’t have many takers at the box office.
