Shehzada Review: Kartik Aaryan's film is a complete family entertainer that is true to its genre

Director: Rohit Dhawan

Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Sunny Hinduja, Ronit Bose Roy, Ankur Rathee, Sachin Khedekar and others

Where: In theatres near you

Rating: 4 stars

Director Rohit Dhawan, elder son of legendary filmmaker David Dhawan, brings his third outing Shehzada after Desi Boyz (2011) and Dishoom (2016), which is a wholesome family entertainer. Headlined by nation’s current heartthrob Kartik Aaryan, the film is a remake of the 2020 Telugu blockbuster, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo.

Bantu (Kartik Aaryan) is neglected by his father Valmiki (Paresh Rawal) ever since he was a child. His world turns upside down when he realises that he was exchanged at the time of his birth and he is the actual son of the wealthy Jindals. Bantu then decides to seek love from Jindal family and save them from any threat they face without revealing his real identity.

Rohit Dhawan has always tried to take the legacy of his father forward, who has made some prolific comic capers in the 90s, which are the biggest reference points in Shehzada. From tonality to the characters, from missing logic to the action-comedy genre, Shehzada has everything to fill the void of a bonafide family entertainer in theatres.

The film has some great one-liners by dialogue writer Hussain Dalal that surely tickles your funny bone. Rohit has very well adapted the original screenplay by writer-director Trivikram Srinivas. However, comparisons are bound to happen but Shehzada won’t disappoint you either as a standalone film. It is extremely high on emotions with a tinge of south-flavoured action blended consciously.

Kartik Aaryan, an outsider actor in every possible way, paved his own path successfully and Shehzada is just another testimony of his ability as an artist. He is funny, confident and doesn’t need any introduction as a great dancer. His leg movements in almost every song are fabulous. With this film, he joins Varun Dhawan and we have definitely found our Salman Khan and Govinda of this era.

Kriti Sanon as Samara, who plays Bantu’s boss and later his girlfriend, has nothing much to offer in this film but she looks stunning throughout. She does her part with honesty — some naach-gaana and romance with the lead guy. Their banter is cheesy. Probably, for the first time, Paresh Rawal will let you feel disgusted about himself since his character demands that. Manisha Koirala is a treat to watch. Ronit, Sachin and Sunny are convincing.

Ankur Rathee, who upped his game on OTT, marks his big screen debut with Shehzada and has done a fantastic job. He has improvised the role from the original character so well. He holds his arc with sincerity. Comedy veterans Rakesh Bedi and Rajpal Yadav steal the spotlight with merely two scenes each.

Overall, Shehzada is quite entertaining and doesn’t cheat you at any cost. Although, Rohit Dhawan’s film never over-promised, it also did not under-deliver. No matter what, Maa and family logic always do wonders!