DesiPundit

Bachchan goes the gamut from crotchety spirit to caring grandfather-figure, his raggedy-man guise and mottled-Kabuki makeup gradually giving way to the actual human being we know and love. And Siddiqui brought out for me some of the most endearing aspects of childhood. When Bhoothnath says he’ll eventually become a star and asks Banku to watch out for him in the skies every night, Banku can’t help but ponder about a technicality: but what if there’s a cloud? After all these years of children acting like adults in our films, how refreshing it is to find them being kids again.

Baradwaj liked Bhoothnath but felt it came apart at the end. Meetu agrees that “the first half-second half syndrome strikes again“. She particularly disliked the use of religious issues in the second half.