Kaun Banegi Shikharwati
RATING
Introduction
Finally the weekend is here with plenty new releases although the big weekend biggie RRR which was supposed to release this weekend has been postponed indefinitely. But there are other stuff to watch and review, so lets get started. First up I finished watching the new Hindi series Kaun Banegi Shikharwati on Zee5. Although its trailer was lukewarm(yes, I did watch its trailer for a change), I was hopeful as the series had a stellar cast. Does the series fare better than its trailer, lets find out.
Story & Screenplay
Kaun Banegi Shikharwati follows the story of a former king who decides to unite his estranged daughters with an outrageous plan. Focus on the word Outrageous because the story is indeed outrageous and ridiculous. It is packaged as a comedy but even at a grassroot level the humour is missing. This is perhaps my first trigger moment of the new year as far as reviews are concerned. It is criminal to handpick a stellar cast for the story that is just so bad and drab that it could end up giving you a headache. The screenplay is firstly just so lengthy that it deflates you instantly. Standing at a daunting 10 episodes ranging from 30 to 45 minutes each is no child’s play. But you still want to give the series a chance because of its starcast. After some initial promise, the screenplay begins to nosedive. The games which are introduced lack any remote bit of excitement. Not only are the proceedings boring but also ridiculous. The writing tries to pack in a lot but it eventually ends up saying nothing. Is it a sports drama? A comedy drama? A heartfelt family drama? What drama is it? None of the above! The twist in the tale late in the day raises a bit of hope but the series nosedives even further from there. By the time the series ended, it ended up giving me a headache that wouldn’t subside even after a paracetamol. And it pains me to write this piece because I feel sorry for the cast. The screenplay is a royal mess!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are bordering on being irritating which eventually say nothing. You could argue that yes you do not have that sense of humour to appreciate this drama, my retort to that would be I am glad I don’t! The music is probably the best part of the series. The soundtrack was pretty good and a good break from the drama. The BGM was alright. The cinematography was good capturing a few frames pretty well. Directors Gauravv Chawla and Ananya Banerjee have made a hash of an already mediocre script. There is almost no excitement or entertainment in the series and a part of the blame goes to the direction as well.
Performances
I feel bad for the stellar cast as they are made to act in a certain way which does lessen their prowess. Varun Thakur is decent in a non comedic role. Anurag Thakur does a fairly good job too. Cyrus Sahukar tries really hard as Harsh. Anya Singh gives it her all but somewhere it didn’t connect. Soha Ali Khan is nicely restrained. Lara Dutta Bhupathi is slightly over the top. I really liked Kritika Kamra here. Even veterans like Naseeruddin Shah and Raghubir Yadav cannot save this sinking ship. I also feel bad because all of them were given different traits in a hope that it would contribute to an interesting watch. Instead, the repetitive nature of it made the proceedings irritating.
Conclusion
Kaun Banegi Shikharwati is a royal royal mess! Probably my first trigger moment of the new year 2022. Available on Zee5.