New Delhi, April 18 -- At 174 minutes, Priyadarshan's Bhooth Bangla arrives weighed down by both its runtime and its ambitions. The film, with a screenplay by Priyadarshan, Rohan Shankar and Abilash Nair and story by Aakash Kaushik, attempts to revive the director's signature blend of slapstick comedy and supernatural intrigue. What it delivers instead is a sprawling, uneven narrative that depends heavily on nostalgia while offering little that feels fresh.

Set in Mangalpur, a fictitious town near Lucknow where newlywed brides are mysteriously disappearing, the film opens with multiple story threads unfolding in quick succession. In one, Dushund Acharya's death leaves behind a fortune for London-based Meera (Mithila Palkar). Her debt-rid...