Director Anees Bazmee On Akshay Kumar's Absence In Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3: "Dying To Work With Him"

Still from a video on X. (courtesy: Delightfulstar1)

After the success of the first two Bhool Bhulaiyaa movies, the creators are gearing up to film the third instalment of the franchise. The upcoming Anees Bazmee directorial will once again feature Vidya Balan (the OG Manjulika), who was not a part of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. However, Akshay Kumar, who starred in the first instalment and was also not a part of the second film, will not star in the upcoming film either. Explaining why, director Anees Bazmee told Zoom, "No, Akshay is not a part of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. I am dying to work with him, but unfortunately, I have not been able to script a film where we could work together. In future, certainly yes."

Anees Bazmee further spoke about Vidya Balan's involvement in the project. He said, "Look, Vidya had agreed to do a 3-day role in my film Thank You. I remember calling her, and she taking no time to give her nod of consent. I don't know why, but I can never forget that gracious gesture. It all started from there, and here I am today, ready to go on the set."

Regarding the start date of filming, the director said, "Well, we definitely start in March, but I haven't finalised the exact date yet."

On Monday, the male lead of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Kartik Aaryan shared a special announcement on Instagram regarding Vidya Balan's participation in the project. He posted a video featuring clips of Vidya Balan from the first instalment and snippets of himself from the second. The iconic song Ami Je Tomar played in the background added extra excitement to the announcement.

In the caption of the joint post, Kartik Aaryan wrote, “And it's happening. OG Manjulika is coming back to the world of Bhool Bhulaiyaa. Super thrilled to welcome Vidya Balan.”