Aishwarya Rai and Katrina Kaif lost this blockbuster franchise of Rs 600 crore, were replaced by…

Aishwarya Rai, Katrina Kaif

With the blockbuster success of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Kartik Aaryan transitioned himself from a star to a superstar. The movie also celebrated the return of Vidya Balan into the franchise as OG Manjulika. Till now, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 has already grossed Rs 300 crores worldwide and has become the highest-grossing film of the franchise, beating Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’s lifetime collection in 9 days. 

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is the third instalment of the iconic horror-comedy franchise that started with Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007). The first film of the franchise was the Hindi remake of Mohanlal’s Manichitrathazhu, and it was directed by Priyadarshan. In this film, Vidya Balan plays the central character of Manjulika and she is supported by Shiney Ahuja, Manoj Joshi, Paresh Rawal, Asrani, and Ameesha Patel. In this film, Ameesha Patel plays a mysterious girl, Radha, whom Akshay Kumar falls for. Interstingly, both Vidya and Ameesha were not the original choices for their respective roles. 

Bhool Bhulaiyaa was originally offered to? 

Before Vidya Balan, Aishwarya Rai was offered the role of Avni/Manjulika. Priyadarshan approached Rai to cast her in the lead role. But the actress was rejected due to date issues. Similarly, before Ameesha Patel, Katrina Kaif was considered for Radha. However, after meeting the actress, the director decided to cast another girl, who would fit the part. And that’s how Ameesha and Vidya came on board for the film. 

Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchise worth is…

As far as the collections are concerned. Bhool Bhulaiyaa reportedly earned Rs 84 crores worldwide. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, when released in 2022, earned Rs 266 crores worldwide. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, released on November 2024, has already surpassed lifetime of BB2, and till now earned over Rs 300 crores worldwide, and it will continue to run strong in cinemas. By this calculation, Bhool Bhualiyaa franchise is worth Rs 600 crores.

Also read: Kartik Aaryan’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 all set to become a bigger hit than Ajay Devgn’s Singham Again: Here are the numbers

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