Bollywood’s tradition of sleek, sub-two-and-a-half-hour entertainers may be getting a notable exception this year. The highly anticipated horror-comedy Bhooth Bangla, starring Akshay Kumar and directed by Priyadarshan, is reportedly shaping up to be one of the longest films in the actor’s recent career — with an estimated runtime close to 2 hours and 50 minutes. …
Akshay Kumar’s Bhooth Bangla Set to Break Runtime Norms in His Career
Bollywood’s tradition of sleek, sub-two-and-a-half-hour entertainers may be getting a notable exception this year. The highly anticipated horror-comedy Bhooth Bangla, starring Akshay Kumar and directed by Priyadarshan, is reportedly shaping up to be one of the longest films in the actor’s recent career — with an estimated runtime close to 2 hours and 50 minutes.
If the runtime holds true when the final cut and censor certification are complete, Bhooth Bangla will stand out among Akshay’s recent filmography, where the majority of his releases have tended to stay under 150 minutes. Industry insiders point out that such extended runtimes for mainstream Bollywood films are becoming less common, especially in the post-pandemic era when audience preferences have shifted toward tighter storytelling and faster pacing.
The film re-unites Akshay and Priyadarshan after a long gap of more than a decade — a collaboration that once delivered hits and memorable comic experiences in the past. With Bhooth Bangla, the team appears to be aiming for a full-bodied cinematic experience that blends traditional horror-comedy elements with broader entertainment value, giving more screen time to character arcs, songs, and narrative beats.
Leading up to its theatrical release, the film has also generated buzz over its ensemble cast — including actors like Tabu, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav and Wamiqa Gabbi — and its mix of comic timing and spooky fun. All this has sparked curiosity about whether the nearly three-hour runtime will pay off in terms of storytelling and audience engagement.
As trade estimates suggest, the extended length might give the filmmakers greater space for building scares, comedic beats, musical sequences and plot developments — potentially making the project feel more like a “big-screen experience” than a tightly compressed genre film.
The movie is scheduled to hit theatres in April 2026, amid industry speculation around its official release strategy and promotional build-up.
