Bhooth Bangla (transl. Haunted Mansion) is a 2026 Indian Hindi-language comedy horror film directed by Priyadarshan and produced by Akshay Kumar, Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor under Balaji Motion Pictures and Cape of Good Films. The film stars Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Jisshu Sengupta, Mithila Palkar, Rajpal Yadav, Tabu, Wamiqa Gabbi, and Asrani.
It marked Priyadarshan's second Hindi-language horror comedy film following Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), both of which star Kumar, Rawal, Yadav, Asrani, and Manoj Joshi. Bhooth Bangla was theatrically released on 17 April 2026. It received mixed reviews from critics, grossing ₹247.28 crore worldwide to become the sixth highest-grossing Indian film of 2026 and the third highest-grossing Hindi film of 2026.
Plot
At a storm-battered railway platform in Mangalpur, stranded travelers listen to an old mystic narrate the legend of Vadhusur, a demon who had been granted immortality by Lord Shiva, and could only be killed by his own hand or bloodline. Betrayed and killed by a celestial apsara during their wedding ceremony, Vadhusur's ghost wanders the world in search of revenge. Vadhusur still exists as a vengeful spirit. He feeds on newly married women and haunts the local Acharya Palace. Years later, Dushyant Acharya (Guruji) fakes his death and leaves the estate to his grandchildren Arjun and Meera. Arjun decides to restore the palace for Meera’s wedding despite warnings from local caretaker Shantaram. On his way he encounters a writer named Priya who is looking for her missing sister and saves her from an accident. Soon after Arjun arrives, he is briefly electrocuted in the palace bathroom and killed temporarily, but Priya revives him with CPR.
As the wedding approaches, Guruji's dark secrets are revealed. Guruji had constructed an automated device that played sacred mantras to keep Vadhusur dormant, but his son Madhav, out of jealousy for a woman named Yashodha, sabotaged the device, causing it to play in reverse. In the process, Madhav becomes partially possessed as Vadhusur's physical vessel. Vasudev was made to step aside and Yashodha’s real love brought up her son Arjun as his own which means Arjun is actually Madhav’s biological son and has the bloodline of Vadhusur. Meanwhile a priest sent to help warns that evil grows in darkness and suggests the wedding be completed in the day and the couple cross the Ganges before sunset. However, Guruji arranges Meera’s marriage in the palace so that he can use her as the 13th and the final sacrifice required to fully resurrect Vadhusur and free Madhav.
The groom’s family insists on an auspicious nighttime wedding, despite Arjun’s objections. Possessed electrician Sunder shuts down the generator, plunging the palace into darkness, and Madhav abducts Meera to a subterranean temple. Vasudev and the priest go inside a sealed-off prayer room to restart the sacred mantra device and weaken the demon while Arjun confronts his biological father. Arjun uses his bloodline to impale Madhav with a lightning-charged branch from the apsara’s sacred tree, destroys the ritual, kills the corrupt Guruji, and saves Meera who awakens with no memory of the terror. Arjun angrily confronts the groom's priest for forcing the wedding at night and after the ordeal declares that birth charts are written by humans, not gods. Moments later, the clip from their earlier visit to the temple shows that 'Priya' is none other than the ghost of her murdered twin sister, Chitra. Back at the platform, the mystic reveals himself to be an aged Arjun and explains that he got the ability to see spirits after being electrocuted earlier and has spent the past 24 years performing rituals to bring peace to the soul of his biological father.
Development
Bhooth Bangla was officially announced in September 2024 with a motion poster revealed by lead actor Akshay Kumar on his 57th birthday, marking his seventh collaboration with director Priyadarshan, 14 years after Khatta Meetha (2010). The film is produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor under Balaji Motion Pictures in association with Akshay Kumar's production company, Cape of Good Films. The film's screenplay was written by Rohan Shankar, Abilash Nair and Priyadarshan. Rohan Shankar also wrote the dialogues, while the story was developed by Aakash Kaushik.
Bhooth Bangla is a horror-comedy based on Indian mythology and black magic, with inspiration drawn from ancient texts such as the Vedas and the Mahabharata.
Casting
Following the film's announcement in September 2024, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, and Asrani—longtime collaborators of director Priyadarshan were confirmed as part of the cast. In October 2024, Wamiqa Gabbi was confirmed as the female lead.[citation needed] In January 2025, Tabu and Mithila Palkar were added to the cast, with reports stating that Palkar would portray the sister of Akshay Kumar's character, which was later confirmed by Kumar in his television game show Wheel of Fortune. Palkar later revealed that Kalyani Priyadarshan had recommended her to director Priyadarshan, which helped her secure the role. In March 2025, Jisshu Sengupta was confirmed to have joined the cast, with the announcement made by the makers on his birthday.
Filming
Principal photography began in December 2024 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The production later moved to Jaipur, Rajasthan in January 2025 for its next shooting schedule. Portions of the film were shot at several locations, including Galtaji temple, Sisodiya Rani Bagh and Chomu Palace, a location previously used by Priyadarshan for his 2007 film Bhool Bhulaiyaa.
The film's production design was handled by art director Sabu Cyril. In April 2025, the makers shot the climax portions of the film in Hyderabad, where a large palace set was created at Ramoji Film City.
The film was shot extensively in multiple locations including London, Jaipur, Kochi, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad. Principal photography was completed in May 2025, with the shooting of a song sequence featuring Akshay Kumar and Wamiqa Gabbi, with choreography by Pony Verma. M. R. Rajakrishnan worked as the film's sound designer.
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack album was composed by Pritam, with lyrics written by Kumaar. The music rights were acquired by Zee Music Company. The first single titled "Ram Ji Aake Bhala Karenge", was released on 26 February 2026. The song's music video was choreographed by Ganesh Acharya. Its lyrics drew comparisons to those of the song "Bhooter Raja Dilo Bor" from Satyajit Ray's 1969 film Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne. The second single titled "Tu Hi Disda", was released on 24 March 2026. According to reports, singer Arijit Singh, who had earlier announced his exit from playback singing, approached the makers to perform the track, saying that he felt a strong connection with the composition and believed he could bring the required emotional depth to the song. The third single titled "O Sundari", was released on 14 April 2026.
Marketing
As a part of the film's promotional campaign, several visual assets and motion posters were released ahead of its theatrical release. The first motion poster was unveiled in September 2024 to officially announce the film. In February 2026, the makers shared an additional motion poster featuring lead actor Akshay Kumar seated on a throne. Later that month, Kumar and Wamiqa Gabbi commenced the publicity tour in Nashik, Maharashtra, beginning with a college campus event that included an aerial entry and interaction with students. The makers held a fan screening of the teaser on 11 March 2026, one day before its official unveiling on 12 March. Ahead of the trailer launch, large cutouts of Kumar holding lanterns were installed in cities such as Delhi and Jaipur. The official trailer was released on 6 April 2026.
Theatrical
Bhooth Bangla was theatrically released on 17 April 2026. The release was subsequently delayed to avoid a box office clash with Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Paid preview night shows were held on 16 April 2026. It was initially scheduled to release on 2 April 2026, before being postponed to 15 May 2026, and later preponed to 10 April 2026.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 17% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.6/10.
A critic from Bollywood Hungama rated the film 3.5/5 stars and highlighted "BHOOTH BANGLA is a fair entertainer that works best for its humour, performances and old-school Priyadarshan-style chaos. While the first half is highly enjoyable and packed with laughs, the second half loses some steam due to an underwhelming backstory and an overlong climax." Dhaval Roy of The Times of India rated the film 3/5 stars and wrote "While the first half of Bhooth Bangla is thoroughly entertaining and keeps one hooked, a crisper narrative and a shorter runtime would have made this horror comedy far more effective. However, the screenplay turns messy, and both the creatures and some of the set pieces come across as gimmicky in places, especially toward the climax. The film’s length also feels plodding, especially in the second half, which loses steam and sharpness."
Sana Farzeen of India Today rated the film 2.5/5 stars and opined "The much-anticipated Bhooth Bangla, starring Akshay Kumar and directed by Priyadarshan, falls short of delivering the expected blend of horror and comedy. The film struggles with outdated humour, weak storytelling, and lacks the excitement audiences hoped for." Taher Ahmed of Deccan Herald rated the film 2.5/5 stars and opined "‘Bhooth Bangla’ has all the teeth, but unfortunately none of the bite. While logic is often flexible in such films, here it feels more forced than forgiven. The film checks all the right boxes, albeit only on paper. The second half drifts away from horror and leans into comedy, but not in a way that works. What stands out more is the underutilisation of its characters, many of whom feel limited despite their potential."
Nisha Srivastava of The Sunday Guardian reviewed the film and noted "While Bhoot Bangla aims to entertain with a mix of horror and comedy, it struggles due to repetitive humour, weak storytelling, and underdeveloped characters. The story does not flow smoothly and often feels like a collection of random scenes put together without strong logic. It lacks a strong core that stays with the audience after the film ends." Lachmi Deb Roy of Firstpost rated the film 2.5/5 stars and opined "All about Akshay Kumar; wish there was more of Tabu and Jisshu Sengupta in a typical Priyadarshan film. It’s time for Akshay to evolve as an actor. He has proved it yet again: it is time for Bollywood to stop obsessing over stars."
Radhika Sharma of NDTV rated the film 2 out 5 and noted "Bhooth Bangla should serve as an example: if you wish to sell nostalgia, at least respect the audiences who have now grown up. Give them something to hold onto besides a dilapidated story structure that can't stand on its own, even on the foundation of nostalgia." Shubhra Gupta from The Indian Express rated 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "A couple of crucial slips never let the film recover. First off, the age shows: the supremely-fit Akshay was in his prime in ߗ now he is distinctly older than anyone else in the frame – Sengupta has to resort to heavy grey dye, but no way does he look to be Akshay’s dad; Palkar’s character is happy to marry into a family which is heavily superstitious — they get her married to a tree — that’s right, in ߪ and the worst is Gabbi’s cringey romantic track, with all that forced pouting."
