Anees Bazmee on Akshay Kumar not starring in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2: ‘He is too big for these small things’

Filmmaker Anees Bazmee returns with yet another comedy with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, but this time, his comedy — starring Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani and Tabu — is laced with horror. The director’s last outing was the dud, Pagalpanti (2019). In this interview, the veteran writer and director talks about why he did Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, why Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan are not in his film and also gives an update on No Entry sequel that is tentatively called No Entry Mein Entry.

Anees, who is mostly known for family entertainers, has experimented with a horror comedy for the first time? So, why Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2? “To survive!” he says honestly, “If I don’t make films, what will I do? One needs to work today to keep doing something different.”
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 remains a popular film for cinegoers, so how challenging was its sequel? Anees believes that as the original film is ‘so brilliant’, the story is worth a fresh retelling. “Bhool Bhulaiyaa is a beautiful film. When someone makes a film based on an original, it is because the original film has received a lot of love, and it has a good reputation. Our Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is made in the Bhool Bhulaiyaa universe but is a completely independent even as a sequel. Why we named it Bhool Bhulaiyaa? Lening to the film’s title, people will want to watch it. When it comes to the story, it (Bhool Bhulaiyaa) was a completely different story and ours is totally different than that, we haven’t started the film where Bhool Bhulaiyaa ended. We don’t even have same characters. It is a totally fresh story.”

About retaining a few elements of Bhool Bhulaiyaa which made it iconic, Anees shared, “Of course we have brought back a few things from Bhool Bhulaiyaa. I haven’t only got Monjolika back, I’ve brought back the two songs — Aami Je Tomar and Teri Aankhein Bhool Bhulaiyaa. I’ve got the ghungroo sound too and of course the haveli and Rajpal Yadav. And I won’t call it a copy, these things have inspired us and we wanted to adapt it in our film in our own way. We have tried, then when you see our film, you’ll remember the film but also feel that it is a fresh new film.”
While Bhool Bhulaiyaa was love for its psychological thriller and story, it was also loved for the performances of its cast including Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan. So why aren’t Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan not in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2? There were also rumours that Akshay had demanded a very huge fee for the film.

Bazmee says, “Akshay is too big for these small things. Akshay Kumar cannot be replaced, and he knows that he is not replaced in this film. Akshay has a great body of work over 25 years. Akshay is doing comedy, he is dancing, he is doing action, he is doing everything, he is getting offered the kind of films he wants. So, it is a very small thing for him to do or not do Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. But of course, if he was in our film, and if our story would have permitted that, then I am sure (he would have done it). We share a great relationship and friendship. I had directed Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Welcome and Singh Is King with him. We share a great rapport and I would love to work with him again.”

Anees also confessed that making Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 was a challenging task because of the standards set the original film and the comparison that its sequel invites.
He says, “It was very difficult to make this film, and I’ll be very honest about it. Bhool Bhulaiyaa was such a huge success, so when I was asked to make this film, I started feeling the stress. As it was such a beautiful film, people’s expectations from our film are much higher, and there will be comparison too. So, I was very sure of what things I wanted to retain from the film and what will definitely not be a part of our film. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is not a psychological thriller, unlike the original.”

Anees is on a writing and directing spree. The script for No Entry sequel is ready, and Salman Khan will feature in it. He gives an update saying, “Inshallah, work on that film will also start! I guess every film takes its own time and this will start soon.”
While Anees has a great filmography in his kitty, he also confessed that he’s had a few misses, including his last film — Pagalpanti — with John Abraham. He says, “There have been times when I feel that I haven’t got as much as I deserved even after working so hard. And, sometimes it feels I got what I deserved. So, I leave it to the almighty at the end of the day.”

“I’ve done so many films in my career for which I’ve got a lot of respect and success, but then, a few years ago, I also did a few films, without naming them, which didn’t do well. It was all ‘pagalpanti’ (laughs). We did a lot of hard work there, but it didn’t bear the fruits we thought it would. But, I am at a place where success and failure does not affect me personally, from within. When you go to a party, if your pictures is a hit, you get a certain kind of warm response; a flop has a similar effect. I see it all but it doesn’t affect me,” Bazmee concludes.