Hundreds of films have created magical adventures through road trips, Atithi Bhooto Bhava is simply desolate, observes Deepa Gahlot.

The main actor of Hardik Gajjar Atithi Bhooto Bhava is a stand-up comedian, but his jokes don’t always land.

The situation is pretty similar to the movie, which had rom-com potential but got lost.

First of all the old-fashioned title, which gives away the plot of the film and is not even catchy.

Shrikant (Pratik Gandhi) cohabits with stewardess Netra (Sharmin Segal), but their day begins with bickering over trifles.

She thinks he doesn’t care enough, he’s amazed at her fretfulness.

And then there’s old chestnut – he forgets her birthday. Which is almost impossible in the social media age.

After drinking his heartache with fellow comedian Suchi (Divinaa Thackur), he stumbles back out of the pub and a Sikh man clutches at him.

Maakhan Singh (Jackie Shroff) calls him “Daarjee” (grandfather) and claims to be the spirit of Shrikant’s grandson from a previous birth. He parks himself in his house and watches Singh is king at full volume!

How do you ward off an intruder that no one else can see or hear?

A bigger budget film would have used some nifty special effects for comical effect.

He has to be content with Shrikant’s annoyed expression and the ghost’s unreasonable demands.

Shrikant, Netra and Suchi are forced to take a road trip to Mathura at Maakhan’s urging because he wants to see Manju, the love of his life. (Don’t ghosts have the ability to zoom through the ether or something?)

Hundreds of films have created magical adventures through road trips, Atithi Bhooto Bhava is just plain dull.

It picks up almost towards the end and has some emotional moments and a predictable feel-good end.

The film thrives on Jackie Shroff’s sparkling screen presence.

He gave the younger cast a few tips on how to turn on the charm.

This is the essential fuel for rom-coms.

Atithi Bhooto Bhava Stream to ZEE5.

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