Namo Bhoothathma 2 review: A ghastly affair of 11 ghosts that intolerably haunt for over two hours

Planning to make a horror-comedy movie? Then, here are a few mandatory elements that are needed to make one.

First, find a haunted house located in a remote area. It is a must. Then, find a thrown-away toy that kind of looks creepy. The rest is to hire a few actors and makeup artists and all other essential technical teams.

The end product would be a real horror to watch which depends on whether one can bear it or not. After watching Namo Bhoothathma 2, one may find a resemblance to the above-shared formula.

Now, let’s check why Namo Bhoothathma 2, directed by choreographer-turned-director V Murali, is an intolerable experience. Well, it is watchable only for the sake of brilliant Kannada actor Komal Kumar who plays the protagonist.

Synopsis

Like 99.99 percent of horror films, this one too has a haunted house as its epicentre where the horror-comedy drama unfolds.

It kicks off with a horror scene which eventually turns out to be a prank video shot by the creative head (Komal Kumar) working at a local television entertainment channel.

Furious over being pranked, the two rowdies ransack the TV channel office and even beat up the employees in the absence of the hero and his sidekick (Govinde Gowda).

The two leave the office with a stern warning that the pranksters be handed over to them.

Fearing further consequences, the head of the TV channel sends his two pranksters along with two other employees to a haunted house for a few days until the matter cools down. The four soon arrive at the said location, thus setting the premise for ghosts to take over.

What follows next is a silly and intolerable experience, which even supernatural elements, if exist, would find boring to the core.

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Only saving grace

Komal Kumar, the younger brother of “Navarasa Nayaka” and Rajya Sabha MP Jaggesh, is the only saving grace of this film. If not for him, the movie is 10 times more torturous to bear.

It is his comic timing and presence on the screen that makes sense, especially the message that the director intends to share cinematically in the end.

Choreographer-director Murali made his directorial debut with Namo Bhoothathma (2014). It is a remake of the Tamil film Yaamirukka Bayamey (2014) which, in turn, was a remake of the Korean dark comedy film The Quiet Family (1998).

A majority of the humour written for Namo Bhoothathma 2 to evoke laughter is no less than a laughing stock by itself. This is solely because of the done-to-death jokes that keep making a comeback in the form of sleazy and sexist references as comedy.

Distasteful scenes like that of a character who says, “Shall I rub you?” (while talking to a domestic help) and then swiftly changes it to referring to his golden ring, are in abundance.

🎬🔥 Shivanna Unveils “Namo Bhootatma 2” 🎥🍿

The wait is finally over! Karunada Chakravarthy Shivanna talks about the much-anticipated movie “Namo Bhootatma 2” 🎥✨ Gear up for a thrilling cinematic experience as the movie hits theatres near you tomorrow! Don’t miss the… pic.twitter.com/5dFrksnseH

— A2 Music (@A2MusicSouth) August 3, 2023

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Verdict

There are two things to look out for Namo Bhoothathma 2.

Firstly, Komal Kumar’s presence and acting. The other one is the climax which talks about the effects of serious pranks. We suggest that you skip this, if not for the aforementioned two reasons.

Adios ghosts!

(Views expressed here are personal.)