Akshay Kumar Reveals Son Aarav Was Terrified Of Vidya Balan For 6 Years After ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’
Akshay Kumar revealed that his son Aarav was so terrified of Vidya Balan’s Manjulika in ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’ that he avoided her for six years.
As the countdown to the release of the highly anticipated horror-comedy ‘Bhooth Bangla’ begins, lead star Akshay Kumar has been sharing intriguing behind-the-scenes stories and personal anecdotes from his long-standing collaboration with director Priyadarshan. However, it is a recent revelation about his son, Aarav, and the 2007 cult classic ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’ that has caught the internet’s attention. During a promotional event for ‘Bhooth Bangla’ in Delhi, Akshay Kumar recalled the profound – and somewhat haunting – impact that Vidya Balan’s iconic portrayal of Manjulika had on his son.
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According to the Bollywood star, Aarav was so terrified after watching the psychological horror-comedy that his fear of Vidya Balan lasted for more than half a decade.
‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’, released in 2007, is widely regarded as a masterpiece of the genre, largely due to Vidya Balan’s chilling performance. While audiences praised the film, a young Aarav found the experience far more visceral.
Speaking with Hindustan Times, Akshay shared, “I was talking to my son, and he told me, when he saw Bhool Bhulaiyaa for the first time, he was scared of Vidya Balan for six years. Whenever she came home, he refused to meet her, didn’t look into her eyes; he could see Manjulika in her. He had developed a problem with her.”
The actor further explained that he had to put in significant effort to help his son separate the actress from the character. “I actually had to nurture him and tell him that she wasn’t Manjulika, she was Vidya, and she is a nice person. But he was never convinced. For six years, she was scarred,” Akshay added.
The conversation naturally pivoted to Akshay’s upcoming release, ‘Bhooth Bangla’, which marks his reunion with Priyadarshan after 14 years. Akshay was quick to draw a distinction between the “psychological” horror of their previous collaboration and the “fantasy” elements of the new film.
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“Bhool Bhulaiyaa was a psychological thriller. When it starts, you can see she is possessed, and later learn that it's a mental problem,” Akshay noted. In contrast, he described ‘Bhooth Bangla’ as a “horror fantasy” akin to a Disney movie, specifically designed to be accessible to children. He explained that the film provides a clear backstory for its supernatural elements, such as the character Vadhusur, making it a different experience from the grounded, eerie tension of the 2007 hit.
A few weeks back, Akshay and Priyadarshan also spoke to SCREEN about ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’ kickstarting the horror comedy universe.
Director Priyadarshan said, “Bhool Bhulaiyaa faced its set of challenges, fortunately we were working with a very powerful studio. When you do a certain kind of experiment, and the producer has the power to take the film forward, we are more confident that what we are doing will definitely work. Something unusual is always attractive. That time, it was an unusual attempt, and I was very positive about the film. We were confident, and the film worked well, only to become a trend later.”
Akshay Kumar also added, “I just went with faith and trust, I didn’t want to question him.” Priyadarshan added, “And you should remember the main protagonist, Akshay Kumar, enters only three scenes before the interval.”
Akshay continued, “I just asked him, he said, ‘Please do it, it is great, you will enjoy it.’ I just went ahead; I didn’t even know the script. I learned about it much later. There are very few people in this industry that I trust and go ahead with.”
With ‘Bhooth Bangla’ slated to hit theatres this Friday, fans are eager to see if the duo can recreate the magic that once turned a psychological thriller into a nationwide phenomenon – and apparently, a childhood nightmare for Aarav.
