The movie revolves around the latest entrant of Bhoothworld – Kailash Nath – who is the butt of all jokes for his inability to scare a kid. Known as Bhoothnath (Amitabh Bachchan), he requests the highest ranked officer to return to Earth and redeem himself by scaring a bunch of kids, so that he earns his respect back. Instead of just redeeming himself, Bhoothnath ends up in politics and the second half deals with the election campaign, and its aftershocks.

The hero in the film is the street-smart Akhrot (Parth Bhalerao) who is perfectly cast opposite the legendary Big B. He is the one who convinces Bhoothnath that since he is already dead, no one can kill him and that’s what makes him the perfect candidate for the violent little constituency that he stands from. It is Akhrot’s ability to complement Big B in each and every scene that makes him one of the better additions to Bollywood this year. He is a star in the making and if he doesn’t say yes to useless films, he will go on to play a long innings in Bollywood.

As for Big B, he is the only actor after the great Dilip Kumar for whom roles are still being written. He dances around when the mood demands, gives a lecture on the importance of the vote that becomes a sensation, and doesn’t go overboard like his colleagues in Satish Kaushak’s Gang of Ghosts. He was all fun in Bhoothnath, but here he is seen as a mature (and patriotic) bhoot.

And then there is Boman Irani who plays Bhau, the construction magnate-turned-politician, who leaves no stone unturned to humiliate his opponent. The scene where he beats himself up in the presence of journalists put a smile on every face. He remains calm throughout the film (except for a few moments) although his henchmen are easily the worst assembled in any film.

Sajay Mishra as the lawyer has some aces up his sleeve, and it is he who keeps the heroes (Bhoothnath and Akhrot) on the right track with his valuable advice and words of wisdom. Shah Rukh Khan (Barku’s dad from Bhoothnath) reprises his role for an important scene whereas superstar Ranbir Kapoor and Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap play themselves in guest roles. The music is as forgettable as it can be but it doesn’t disrupt the flow of the narrative which targets the kids in first half, and becomes interesting for the elders in the second.

The dialogues are the highlight of the film. The audience bursts into laughter when it hears Big B’s character compare cartoon characters to politicians whereas all turn serious when he declares ‘Jo vote nahi dete woh apni awaz logon tak pahuchana nahi chahte.’ Bhootnath returns as an entertaining social commentary even if not as the best film ever made.

*CINEMATIC SUICIDE
**FORGETTABLE
***WATCHABLE
****COLLECTIBLE
*****AWARD-WORTHY