How did Majnu bhai's iconic painting from 'Welcome' land in 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3'?

Anees Bazmee's "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3" has a peculiar connection to his 2007 hit "Welcome" -- Majnu Bhai's painting of a donkey standing on the back of a horse -- and the director says he included the artwork as it belongs to him. Eagle eyed fans of the franchise noticed the painting appearing in the opening moments of the film's trailer, which was launched last week. In the trailer, Kartik Aaryan's Rooh Baba is seen fleecing people of their prized possessions.

The director said he added the painting from "Welcome" in the mix as he had painted it.

"Rooh Baba collects priceless possessions, claiming they're cursed. When my assistants were looking for valuable props for the movie, I told them to include that painting because it's very special to me," Bazmee told PTI in an interview.

"In 'Welcome', my favourite scene is the painting scene, and you can see that painting in many other scenes as well. I love it because I actually painted it," he added.

"Welcome", an out-and-out comedy featuring an ensemble cast of Akshay Kumar, Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Paresh Rawal, has become a cult comedy hit and is now a fodder for memes on social media.

Bazmee said the 2007 film was fun to shoot.

"People still love the film. Recently, someone called me and said, 'I just watched 'Welcome'.' I asked, 'Why so late?' and he replied, 'It was my 25th time.' That felt amazing."

Horror comedy "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3" is Bazmee's follow-up to his 2022 movie "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2", which introduced Aaryan as Ruhaan Randhawa aka Rooh Baba, who pretends to be a psychic.

"Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2" was itself a sequel to filmmaker Priyadarshan's 2007 movie "Bhool Bhulaiyaa", a psychological comedy, starring Kumar and Vidya Balan.

For Bazmee, "Bhool Bhulaiyaa" was a perfect movie and he deliberately decided to take a different route for its sequel.

"I loved the first film, which was directed by Priyadarshan. Everything about it was great. I didn't want to create anything too similar to that film because it was so beautifully done, and people have fond memories of it. I didn't want to touch that legacy," he said.

The filmmaker said he wanted to explore the horror genre for a long time.

"Having already made a film in the psychological thriller space, 'Deewangee', which featured a character with a split personality, I didn't want to repeat myself by working in that genre again.

"That's when I decided to take the horror-comedy route. Growing up, I heard many horror stories in my village, and I've always been intrigued by the genre. I wanted to create a horror film that could also be enjoyed by kids. So the goal was to make a film that would make people laugh while also scaring them," Bazmee said.

The threequel brings back Balan as Manjullika from the first part, while the newcomers include Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri.

According to Bazmee, Balan and Dixit, who is also playing Manjullika, the malevolent spirit from the 2022 film, are the highlights of "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3".

"I've always wanted to work with Vidya because I personally feel she is not only a great actor but also a wonderful human being.

"While planning the third part, I realized how much the audience loved her performance as Manjulika in the first film. She did such a brilliant job that people still talk about both the film and her portrayal of the character. Since she's already well-versed with the character of Manjulika, I thought that if she agreed to be part of this movie, it would be great," he said.

As a huge fan of Dixit's work, the director said he was keen to cast the actor in the movie.

"That's why I envisioned her for this movie. When I discussed the idea with others, including the actors, the rest of the team, and even my assistant, everyone was as excited as kids. They all said that the combination of Vidya and Madhuriji would work wonders. The excitement was shared by everyone involved," he said, adding that he initially narrated the story briefly to both actors to gauge their reactions.

When the two stars showed interest in the project, he gave them a full narration, Bazmee said.

"By the end of it, they both liked the story and their characters. They were very excited about the film, and that excitement continues till date," he added.

If there is a fourth part in the franchise, Bazmee said he is totally ready to bring back Kumar from the original.

"Why not? Main toh chahta hoon ki Akshay ji kare. I have a great rapport with Akshay, and if something like this happens, it will be a double delight for both us and the audience," he added.

Bazmee, also known for directing entertainers such as "Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha", "No Entry", "Singh is Kinng" and "Ready", said the success of "Bhool Bhulaiyaa" proved that the primary requirement of the audience is simply entertainment.

"They want to be entertained by a film, irrespective of the genre. Whether it is a romance, drama, horror, comedy, action, suspense or a thriller, a film should entertain the audience.

"They believe that if they're spending 2.5 hours watching a movie, the experience should be worthwhile. As filmmakers, it's our duty to ensure that entertainment is provided and well taken care of. It's the responsibility of a storyteller," he said.

The filmmaker said when the second part came out in May 2022, Hindi films were not doing well in theatres.

"It was released during the pandemic, people had stopped going to theatres. At that time, 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2' brought a ray of hope to the film industry, proving that people still wanted to return to theatres and watch films. The film's success made all of us very happy," he said.

Produced by T-Series, "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3" is scheduled to be released in Diwali on November 1.