Horror comedies shone this year when many promising Hindi movies tanked at the box office. While Munjya became a sleeper hit, Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor’s Stree 2 became the highest grosser of the year so far. Just a few days away is another horror comedy, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, led by Kartik Aaryan. Does director Anees Bazmee feel the pressure of matching up to the humongous box office of Stree 2? He has a different perspective.

“Luckily, people are watching horror comedies a lot these days. Naturally, we will benefit a little from that [Stree 2’s success]. But in the end, it doesn’t matter which genre you make your film in. It has to be an entertaining movie,” states the director.

Bazmee promises that the franchise’s third instalment, which also stars Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit-Nene and Triptii Dimri, delivers on that count. While Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 has his single-minded attention at the moment, the director will move on to No Entry Mein Entry soon. The comedy, a sequel to Salman Khan’s hit No Entry (2005), brings together Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh and Arjun Kapoor.

“I will be working with a wonderful cast. Once Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 releases on November 1, I will put all my energies into No Entry Mein Entry. If all goes well, we will go on floors next February-March.”

Crafting the sequel 20 years after No Entry is an exciting prospect. But there is another reason why the director is looking forward to the comedy—it gives him the opportunity to explore the genre with the current crop of actors. “A lot of the new-age actors have amazing comic skills. I love Varun’s comic timing,” says Bazmee, happy to team up with him. In fact, the director has two actors, besides Dhawan, with whom he wants to collaborate.

“The same stands true for Ayushmann [Khurrana] and Rajkummar! Rajkummar is a very good actor. I have liked his work even in films that haven’t worked at the box office. I think if a film is made with these three actors, the audience will see them in a new avatar.”