Ghosts must be crazy...

...or so you should believe if you want to make some sense out of Jhony Antony's Mammootty starrer "Ee Pattanathil Bhootham". Honestly, the film which did not work for most people I knew, did work fairly well for me because I am a sucker for fantasies. Once in a while it helps if a movie can transport you to another world where you look at things with the amusement you would normally associate to a 8- year old kid!

It has an exasperating first half, no doubt and features a 50- something 3- time national award winning iconic superstar attempting something very juvenile, something that he has not had to do even in the earliest part of his career, but if you discount all that, you will be in for a fairly enjoyable second half. The mimic in Mammootty comes alive when he dubs for the Bhootham and when the Bhootham tries to explain the difference between a Bhootham and a Pretham to the surprised superhero Jimmy (played again by Mammootty), it starts making sense to you as well. The climax where the Bhootham says he is too young to marry Kavya Madhavan brings a chuckle though its the scriptwriter duo trying to make a dig at Mammootty who refuses to be paired with leading ladies who have crossed 30.

Unfortunately for the film, the circus camp which the premise is based on does not provide a backdrop that is entertaining enough and the graphic shots that show Mammootty driving the bike is utterly kiddish- the kind even kids would refuse to accept. The supporting cast does not have much to do but all are good at their respective places. The bhootham Mammootty being captured inside the bottle and turning the vile wizard into a hippopottamus at the circus are good tricks but to what extent Bhootham will work with kids of this generation generously fed on a diet of GI Joe's and Transformers remain to be seen...

If you still have that child in you, Ee Pattanathil Bhootham might amuse you in parts. Others can safely stay away...