Filmmaker Anees Bazmee’s directorial Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is in theatres now. Starring Kartik Aaryan, Triptii Dimri, Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan, the horror comedy, initiated by Bhushan Kumar, brings back the tale of Manjulika. While the star-studded cast adds to the maker’s confidence, Bazmee says that right from the film’s scripting stage, he had great hopes.

“This star cast is such that you feel confident by signing them on. But even before that, we had the confidence that we were working on something beautiful and special, and all the people joined us because they loved the story that we narrated to them. They loved their characters, too,” says Bazmee.

The first Bhool Bhulaiyaa released in 2007, while the second one, led by Kartik Aaryan, released in 2022 and was a blockbuster. Now, bringing the third instalment of the franchise does make the filmmaker want to give an even better version.

Speaking about the USP of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Bazmee says, “I think it’s tough to mention one USP. Ek toh the talented cast — Kartik, Vidya, Madhuri ji and pandits ka trio (actors Sanjay Mishra, Ashwini Kalsekar and Rajpal Yadav). Then, bahut khoobsurat kahaani hai, it’s a new kind of horror. It surprises you at so many places. And above all, Madhuri and Vidya ji ke saath khoobsurat gaana hai, Ami Je Tomar 3.0. There are a lot of USPs.”

Bazmee recalls how the movie evoked a positive feeling since day one. “When we shot the first scene and edited it, we got a good feeling. We felt it was looking good and everyone was in their character. The first two-three days of shoot were crucial, because everyone was coming together for the film after playing different characters [in different films]. For instance, Kartik did Chandu Champion. Vidya was in her character since day one. When we took the first shot of Madhuri, everyone on the set clapped for her,” he says.