Courtesy:
Glamsham
Wednesday,
September
26,
2007
Bollywood's
leading
man,
Akshay
Kumar,
breaks
controversial
new
ground
in
his
latest
film
offering,
Bhool
Bhulaiyaa.
In
a
role
that
challenges
centuries
of
superstitions
and
beliefs
that
are
held
widely
in
India
and
across
the
globe,
the
affecting
psychological
thriller,
Bhool
Bhulaiyaa,
releases
in
cinemas
internationally
on
12th
October
2007
through
integrated
media
and
entertainment
company
and
leading
global
distributor
of
Bollywood
cinema,
Eros
International.
As
Akshay
Kumar's
career
unstoppably
reaches
ever
greater
heights,
the
thespian
of
Bollywood
cinema
continues
to
display
a
fearlessness
in
mastering
film
roles
that
not
only
push
his
own
boundaries
as
one
of
Bollywood's
most
accomplished
actors,
but
also
in
challenging
the
norms
and
conventions
of
filmmaking,
as
well
as
societal
belief
systems.
Such
ambitions
are
perfectly
observed
by
his
role
in
Bhool
Bhulaiyaa.
Under
the
directorship
of
the
award-winning
Priyadarshan
and
produced
by
Bhushan
Kumar,
who
hails
from
one
of
the
Indian
film
industry's
most
respected
dynasties,
Bhool
Bhulaiyaa
teams
Akshay
Kumar
with
a
host
of
other
stars
from
the
cr?me
of
Bollywood's
new
brat
pack.
Filmed
against
the
sumptuous
backdrop
of
Jaipur,
Bhool
Bhulaiyaa
is
set
in
a
small
village
in
Rajasthan,
which
is
steeped
in
superstition
and
conservatism.
Badri
(Manoj
Joshi)
heads
a
Brahmin
family
whose
ancestral
palace
is
believed
to
be
possessed.
On
returning
from
America,
Badri's
son,
Siddharth
(Shiney
Ahuja)
and
daughter-in-law,
Avni
(Vidya
Balan)
decide
to
spend
a
month
in
the
palace,
despite
familial
objections.
As
unnatural
events
start
to
unfold
and
demons
begin
to
surface
within
the
psyche,
a
motley
crew
of
black
magicians
and
witch
doctors
are
called
in
to
perform
an
exorcism
of
the
evil
spirits.
These
age-old
conventions
are
challenged
by
the
arrival
of
a
psychiatrist
from
America,
Dr
Aditya
Shrivastav
(Akshay
Kumar),
and
friend
of
Siddarth,
who
uses
modern
analytical
techniques
to
find
a
resolve.
Within
the
traditional
conventions
of
Bollywood
filmmaking
Bhool
Bhulaiyaa
intelligently
challenges
ancient
and
deep
rooted
belief
systems
that
continue
to
influence
large
parts
of
India
and
the
developing
world.
It
astutely
blends
thrill
with
humour
as
it
reveals
undiscovered
dimensions
of
human
psychology,
and
introduces
the
arguments
of
reason
v/s
emotion
and
science
v/s
superstition.
Fuelled
high
with
entertainment
factor,
but
also
coercing
the
audience
to
question
pre
established
moral,
social
and
psychological
codes,
Bhool
Bhulaiyaa
is
sure
to
spark
debate
and
controversy,
as
it
argues
that
there
is
no
such
thing
as
spirit
possession,
but
rather
that
this
is
a
manifestation
of
schizophrenia
within
the
human
psyche.
In
relation
to
what
has
been
one
of
Akshay
Kumar's
most
challenging
roles
to
date,
that
required
a
sensitive
balance
of
humour,
with
the
challenging
of
deeply
entrenched
belief
systems,
Akshay
comments,
"I
am
extremely
excited
about
this
film
project.
From
a
filmic
perspective,
I
feel
we
have
done
a
wonderful
job
of
creating
something
that
will
appeal
to
faithful
and
regular
cinemagoers,
as
well
as
drawing
audiences
who
are
interested
in
seeing
how
the
film
opens
the
floodgates
to
a
whole
new
dimension
of
thought
and
rationale
about
the
human
condition
and
psyche.
It
challenges
pre-conceived
notions
about
sensitive
issues
and
brings
into
question
society's
perceptions
of
faith,
superstition,
science
and
reasoning."