Fans have been anticipating the arrival of the Shehzada of Bollywood after the Shahenshah and Badshah. While the movie has already been released, we still doubt Kartik Aaryan is officially Shehzada. Also, we ponder if he would want to be associated with the movie in the long run of his career. Given that he is one of the producers here, he would have to. But I’m not sure if the audience would want to recall viewing the movie or if it had any lasting effects!
Ala Vainkunthapurramuloo, starring Allu Arjun and Pooja Hegde, has an official remake in Shehzada. The Telugu version of the movie included several troubling elements, such as a song that was entirely devoted to the female lead’s thin legs, the male lead ogling at it in a way that made you uncomfortable, or him being friends with a man who had previously harassed his sister. For the purpose of simplicity, several sections have been completely eliminated, and numerous characters have been eliminated. Yet, the movie only succeeds in hanging in the middle of the pack in its attempt to blend in. It doesn’t end up being a unique or refreshing movie, and it falls short of the entertainment value of the original. Everything that gave Bantu his swag and caused the audience to cheer him on while simultaneously applauding and hooting has been chopped up into pieces.
But isn’t that a lot of comparison I’m already making? Let’s examine Shehzada only from the standpoint of a recent release. The story centres on Raj (Ankur Rathee), the son of the wealthy and powerful Jindal family’s employee Valmiki, who is switched at birth with Bantu (Kartiq Aaryan), the family’s Shehzada (Paresh Rawal). This was not a balidan; rather, it was Valmiki’s avarice to see his kid grow up in a lavish lifestyle. But is it really possible to take a diamond’s lustre away? Will Bantu be able to find his actual family and establish himself as the asli Shehzada as a result?
Shehzada Official Trailer | Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon | Rohit Dhawan | Bhushan Kumar
The modified script was written by Rohit Dhawan, who also directed the movie. In the past, he has produced enjoyable movies like Dishoom. But in this instance, he just can’t handle the matter. He most likely attempted to make his movie clearer, but in the process, he neglected to concentrate on the fun. The first section drags, while the second half of the movie picks up speed. The plot, however, lacks the components that would give the movie consistency or engage the viewers. Always feeling removed from what is happening on film is the audience.
The film’s jerky editing, which in my opinion is its major problem, is also partly to blame. Especially in the first half, the scenes rush from one to the other and ruin the overall viewing experience. Not only that, but the movie’s characters even make allusions that aren’t revealed! Spoilers follow. For instance, Valmiki questions why the doctor is insisting so hard on seeing Bantu when the day before he barely wanted to see him! The entire section when the doctor disliked Bantu and refused to see him has vanished, though.
The terrible soundtrack and the mediocre tunes just made things worse. There were several gems, not necessarily mentioning the original, such Butta Bomma, Ramullo Ramulla, and, of course, Sitarala Sirapadu. They are swapped out for tracks that seem superfluous.
Another issue with the movie is that it puts much too much emphasis on Kartik Aaryan, which renders all the characters in his immediate vicinity unmemorable. Perhaps only Paresh Rawal, with his outstanding performance, is able to give his character more depth. Everyone else is a total waste, including Manisha Koirala, Ronit Roy, and even Kriti Sanon. Sunny Hinduja had the potential to be the fearsome antagonist the movie needed, but he was not given enough time to even fully develop his persona.
Regarding Kartik Aaryan, it will be quite difficult for him to embody a role that was previously played by Allu Arjun. Although the actor gives a sincere performance and does a respectable job, it is hard to match the swagger that the Original star exhibited. He is decent, but the movie shows that he has to work on a lot of things, especially if he wants to try acting. Even Kriti Sanon’s romantic aspect has suffered as a result of the actor being given less screen time. His comedic timing continued to be on point.
Kriti Sanon is endearing and gorgeous in the movies. She has a lot of potential as an actor, and we just wish the movie would have given her more to work with.
Hussain Dalal wrote the dialogues, and no, it is not like Brahmastra. In this instance, things really go in his favour.
However, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits, and if I had to choose between Shehzada and Ala Vaikunthapurramullo, I would choose the latter. I would appreciate the songs, the action, and Allu Arjun’s swag more than the latter.