Shehzada Review: Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon starrer rides on performances, comedy and action

Movie Name: Shehzada

Director: Rohit Dhawan

Cast: Kartik Aaryan,Kriti Sanon

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Plot

Directed by Rohit Dhawan, Shehzada largely revolves around Bantu (Kartik Aaryan), whose destiny takes him away from his well-to-do family soon after his birth. He is brought up by a jealous employee Valmiki (Paresh Rawal), working for his family’s company. He makes no attempt to provide Bantu with any paternal love and the basic necessities of life. Though the protagonist finds love and solace in Samara (Kriti Sanon), and soon also discovers about his real family. Now how wins them back, and makes a space for himself in the Jindal empire is for you to see in the film.

What’s Hot?

The first half of the film has the right amount of comedy and action, which is neatly arranged in the narrative, not leaving the drama far behind. One of the most important elements of a story is to keep the viewers hooked from the word go, and this Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon starrer manages to do that with a dramatic sequence right at the beginning of the film. The comic scenes that follow are elevated by Kartik’s dialogue delivery and one liners, which are penned by writer Hussain Dalal.

Actionn sequences choreographed by Anal Arasu are unique, and Julius Packiam’s background score helps to make them even more impactful. Cinematographers Sudeep Chatterjee and Sanjay F. Gupta’s lens brings the world of Rohit Dhawan’s Shehzada alive, while Suresh Selvarajan’s production design adds a lot of value to the overall look and feel of the movie.

What’s Not?

While the first half of the film manages to entertain, the second half lacks speed. Editor Ritesh Soni could have probably focused on that portion a little more.

Performances

Kartik Aaryan’s portrayal of a flamboyant yet an innocent Bantu works in the favour of the film. He plays the part to the T, and his performance proves that the actor had a blast essaying the part. Kriti Sanon effortlessly brings her character to life, and her chemistry with her Luka Chuppi co-star really works for the movie. Sachin Khedekar, who plays Bantu’s maternal grandfather, has the most endearing role in Shehzada, while Manisha Koirala and Ronit Roy, who plays his parents, live up to their parts. Ankur Rathee’s portrayal of Raj adds to the overall humour of the film. However, I do feel that Ali Asgar was under utilized, and should have been given more screen time.

About the movie

Bantu is hated and neglected by his father Valmiki ever since he was a toddler. Samara, his boss is the first person to show him affection and love until he discovers that the Jindals are his biological parents and not Valmiki. Bantu then decides to seek the love of his biological parents and protect them from the threats they face.

By Grace Cyril: Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon's film Shehzada is struggling to bring the audience to theatres. The action masala film hit theatres on February 17 with high hopes of success, however, that doesn't seem to be the case here. Ever since its release, Shehzada is seeing a decline in its collection. Shehzada is the official Hindi remake of Allu Arjun's Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo. While the original one was a huge success, the same can't be said about the Hindi remake. Shehzada also faced stiff competition from MCU's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Shah Rukh Khan's blockbuster Pathaan and the recently released Selfiee starring Akshay Kumar. It looks like the film's theatrical run will see an end soon.

Final Verdict

Overall, the actors’ performances, and the comedy and action sequences elevate the entertainment quotient in Rohit Dhawan’s Shehzada.