Mehmood's brother Anwar Ali reacts to Akshay Kumar's Bhoot Bangla: 'Mehmood sowed the seed of horror comedy 60 years ago' - Exclusive

Akshay Kumar announced his next film Bhoot Bangla, directed by Priyadarshan, but not many know that comedian Mehmood had acted in and directed a film with the same name almost six decades ago. Anwar Ali, Mehmood's brother, shared his thoughts on the legacy of the horror-comedy genre today.
Speaking to ETimes, Anwar Ali said, "The seed of the current horror comedy genre in the Indian film industry was sown some sixty years ago by the undisputed entertainer of his time, namely Mehmood, by way of his super hit film Bhoot Bangla which ran to house full theatres for as long as I could remember!!"
He added, "In an era when out of the box jargon was yet to be coined, computers were embedded in an infant’s astrological chart waiting to be invented some twenty five years later and VFX was as distant as a black hole in space, Mehmood was using that one single resource available to him, a heady mix of mind, melody, comedy to churn out one blockbuster after an another all in a continual effort to reach out to his fans in gratitude for their love and adoration of his craft."
Anwar also praised director Priyadarshan, saying, "Priyadarshan is a fantastic filmmaker who adds his signature style to comedy.It would be interesting to see his next."

Sharing details about the film, Akshay took to Instagram and wrote, "Thank you for your love on my birthday, year after year! Celebrating this year with the first look of 'Bhooth Bangla'! I'm beyond excited to join forces with Priyadarshan again after 14 years. This dream collaboration has been a long time coming... can't wait to share this incredible journey with you all. Stay tuned for the magic!"

The film marks the on-screen union of Akshay and Priyadarshan after 14 years. The two have earlier worked on projects such as Hera Pheri, Garam Masala, Bhagam Bhag and Bhool Bhulaiyaa. It is expected to be released in 2025, with shooting set to begin soon. Ektaa R Kapoor is producing Bhooth Bangla under the banner of Balaji Telefilms Ltd.