A mess of a south remake thanks to average script, while Kriti Sanon goes missing for majority of the 2nd half.


Directed by : Rohit Dhawan 

"Hum gareebo ke paas ek hi cheez thi - dukh. Woh bhi tum ameero ne le liya."

Bantu (Kartik Aaryan) and Samara (Kriti Sanon) converse with Raj at a dining restaurant in 'Shehzada', a South film remake


Spoilers ahead...


South Film Remake Starring Kartik Aaryan

Bantu has been living the life of a servant's son for 25 years until, by accident, he finds out that his father Valmiki (Paresh Rawal) actually isn't his real father. Instead, he belongs to a millionaire rich family for whom Valmiki works, the Jindals: Randeep (Ronit Roy), his wife Yashoda (Manisha Koirala), their son Raj (Ankur Rathee), and father-in-law Aditya (Sachin Khedekar). Will Bantu reveal Valmiki's lie to the Jindals, or will he keep quiet and continue living the life he has?

Shehzada's Weak Story: Similar to 80’s & 90’s Era Movies

Not having seen the original, the story of Shehzada evokes a sense of nostalgia from the 80s era (the part where, at birth, kids are replaced intentionally or not) and partially from 90s movies like Govinda's "Hero No. 1" (where he tries to sort out all the issues the family members are facing). The former part is not utilized much in the narrative, and the latter happens too easily for my liking.

Ronit Roy, Manisha Koirala, Sachin Khedekar wasted

There's just no emotional connect to any character in the Jindal family, which is sad because the trio of excellent veteran actors - Ronit Roy, Manisha Koirala, and Sachin Khedekar - are underutilised.

Is Kartik Aaryan’s Performance Likeable ?

I think I prefer Kartik Aaryan in low-budget movies (Pyaar Ka Punchnama, Akaash Vani) over this Kartik Aaryan (Shehzada, Bhool Bhulaiyaa). He may provide some laughs in these movies, but they are very few and far between. In straight words, I would say it's too early for him to take on such lead roles that demand him to shine over an average script. The action scenes felt okay; I would rather prefer him to do more such roles before dismissing him as an action hero. In the comedy scenes, he actually reminded me of Varun Dhawan.

Expected More from Paresh Rawal

Rajpal Yadav is fun to watch in the only scene he gets in the movie. Paresh Rawal is okay; you expect more from him, but it's just a non-likable character. In fact, if the tone of the movie wasn't comical, there was a case for him to go more grey in this role, which would have worked better. I would have liked him to team up with Raj, who otherwise felt too childish in behavior.

Gorgeous Kriti Sanon: Missing in the 2nd Half.

The only part that I enjoyed was the one involving Kriti Sanon, who looks gorgeous as always with a great screen presence. I feel Kriti and Kartik share very good chemistry (despite a very silly way to get them in love), which is a pity because the screenplay has Kriti missing for most of the second half.

Shehzada's Songs: Badly Placed but Provide Some Relief

The songs, while not at chartbuster level and their placement is questionable (but would you complain if the movie isn't working?), were pleasant to the ears, especially "Munda Sona Hoon Main." The reason to compose "Character Dheela 2.0" is a huge mystery to me. Neither the story has Bantu playing a playboy nor does Kartik have such a personality in real life. It just shows the lack of originality these days when a remake film requires another film's song to be remade.

Final Verdict on Shehzada

Overall, Shehzada is just another mess of a remake from the South that, even with another actor cast in the lead role, wouldn't have made any difference.

Rating: 3.5/10

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