How Did Avni Lift Bed In 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa' Without Any Superpowers? Reddit Wants To Know

Bhool Bhulaiyaa, released in 2007, explored the theme of mental illness in a manner Hindi cinema goers hadn’t ever witnessed before. Avni, played exceptionally well by Vidya Balan, is instantly obsessed

with the legend of Manjulika during a visit to India. She is deeply interested yet unfazed by the horror stories of Bengali dancer’s spirit haunting her husband’s ancestral palace in Varanasi. While the family and townspeople avoid the third floor, Avni’s curiosity gets the better of her, leading her to break the seal and enter the cursed room. Unnatural events begin occurring after this breach, forming the premise of Bhool Bhulaiyaa.

Written by celebrated Neeraj Vora and directed by Priyadarshan, the Malayalam remake went on to become one of the biggest hits of the year. Starring an ensemble cast of Vidya Balan, Akshay Kumar, Ameesha Patel, Paresh Rawal, Asrani, Rajpal Yadav, Manoj Joshi, Shiney Ahuja, among many others, Bhool Bhulaiyaa‘s brilliant cocktail of horror and comedy with its iconic gags and dialogues is still afresh in the memories of fans after 18 years since its release.

So it should come as no surprise to anyone that the movie recently kick-started a deep conversation among Bollywood fans on Reddit when a user posed a curious question about a pivotal scene.

Avni So Strong

Avni’s husband Siddharth (Ahuja) doesn’t take the news of his wife being diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder by psychiatrist Aditya Shrivastava, too well. Still in denial, Siddharth finally believes Aditya’s story after witnessing his wife transform into Manjulika.

In this iconic scene, an enraged Avni lifts the super-heavy bed with one hand, leaving everyone bamboozled, including Reddit.

But How Did She Gain Unnatural Powers?

“It was concluded in the movie that Avni had identity disorder, a psychological issue where she could assume identity of Manjullika and forget her original identity. If it was really a case of only psychological disorder, how could Avni have superhuman strength to lift a wooden bed using only one hand?” a user on Reddit’s r/Bollywood asked.

How Avni could lift the bed single handedly?
byu/ticktacktoe21 inbollywood

Reddit Goes On a Wild Ride

Several theories were chalked up by Reddit as soon as the question was posed. If Avni did not possess supernatural powers, given she wasn’t possessed by Manjulika how could she lift the bed all by herself and with a single hand, no less?

“your body has crazy strength its your brain that limits it. If we used the strength we have we will tear our muscles and break our bones and to stop this from happening brains limits it, (sic)” a user reasoned.

“Hysterical strength,” wrote a second.

According to Healthline, hysterical strength could be exhibited by humans triggered by a life-threatening situation. There were verified reports of humans exhibiting “supernatural” bursts of strength it added, but the website also noted that such feats were “nearly impossible” to replicate.

“Hysterical strength refers to extraordinary displays of human strength, typically prompted by a life threatening situation. One of the most commonly cited examples is that of a parent lifting up a vehicle to save a trapped child,” an excerpt on the American website for health information read.

Also Read: Indigo Flight Makes History In Antarctica? Truth Behind Viral Instagram Post

“This unusual reaction to a dangerous situation is believed to be caused by the body’s stress response, which triggers a rush of the hormone adrenaline.” It added that hysterical strength was typically triggered as the body’s response to stress, known as the fight or flight response.

A Symbolic Callback

A Reddit user pointed out the opening sequence of Bhool Bhulaiyaa where workers were tasked with cleaning the palace before Avni and Siddharth’s arrival, and complained about the weight of the bed.

“This scene is such a great call back to a sequence at the very beginning. Men, who were cleaning up the mahal for siddharth’s visit, complained that the bed is too heavy to be moved just like that. Few men with great body strength are required to even move the thing, (sic).”

The user further wrote that it was Manjulika’s “grief and fury” that made Avni achieve the impossible.

“And, as Avni who embodied Manjulika’s grief and fury here, does the impossible, it just adds incredible layer for the audience. Post this scene, we see Avni break down, like her self getting divided into two, one is aware but not so much and the other ‘possessed’ and Siddharth couldn’t recognise the woman he fell in love with also understanding her despair. Brilliant character writing, (sic).”