With Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’s huge success last year, there were high expectations for Kartik Aaryan’s film, which was released last Friday. Even though the opening day collection appeared to be encouraging, the weekday collection tells a different story.
Everyone expected Rohit Dhawan’s directorial to receive royal treatment at the box office. The film was supposed to be released on February 10, but it was later pushed back to February 17. Pathaan and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are two other major films in competition with Kartik’s.
Shehzada, the latest film from Kartik Aaryan, does not appear to be doing well at the box office. The film began with a modest budget of Rs 6 crore and eventually grossed between Rs 24 and 25 crore.
Movie Review
Certain films should be illegal to make in the twenty-first century. And a film in which a boy (would you call Kartik Aaryan a man, think hard) turns out good simply because his genetics are originally from a rich family, even if he was swapped at birth into a clerk’s abode, as opposed to his counterpart who, despite living in privilege, never really rises above his poor clerk family genes, should surely qualify.
Especially when the clerk who is playing a role in this baby swap is named Valmiki. He does it for all the wrong reasons and has almost no redeeming qualities. The rich Jindals, on the other hand, who have unknowingly lost their Shehzada to Valmiki, are pleasant enough people. Even if they do treat old retainer Valmiki horribly.
When it comes to the Jindals, the filmmakers splurge on acting talent, putting Sachin Khedekar (the patriarch), Manisha Koirala (his daughter), and Ronit Roy (his son-in-law) all in that corner that they clearly care more about. Then there’s Kriti Sanon, a hotshot lawyer who, for some reason, never sees the inside of a courtroom but adds some good-looking glitz to the shambles. She flits in and out of the Jindal world as a possible match for their good-for-nothing son (the same baby, originally Valmiki’s, who is now living the good life).
Raj, the poor brat, has so little to do after his foreign degree that he drives a toy car around the neighborhood. Other than Valmiki (Paresh Rawal), there is a villain who wants to do bad things with the Jindal cargo ships, which the Jindals will not allow. It leaves this man, armed with a killer umbrella and some nice clothes and cars, very angry and snarly.
Kartik has swag and delivers dialogue well, while Kriti looks stunning and does well in acting. Other characters perform admirably and complement the scenes. Kriti serves as a hammer and tongs with her limited screen time. As usual, Paresh and Ronit are a joy to watch. When it came to scene placement, the cinematography could have used some work.
The film does not appeal to a broad audience because it contains unnecessary humor. The action scenes appeared to be a formality with no zeal to make it feel. It is predictable and loses momentum in the second half due to a bad screenplay. The Character Dheela 2.0 song is unnecessary, as no one or very few people will watch it after the movie is over.
Collection
This is a significant setback for the Bollywood star, whose previous theatrical release, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, was a commercial success. The film received no benefit from the Buy-One-Get-One-Free ticket promotion, and it is unclear whether it will be shown again the following week.
Even when we consider the weekday factor, the Rohit Dhawan-directed film earned around Rs 2 crore (early estimate) on its first Tuesday, which is not a good number for a crowd pulled like Kartik. The film’s performance is so poor that even Kartik’s Box Office flop, Love Aaj Kal, performed better than this when it was released.
The film grossed Rs 11.47 crore at the box office, but it did not receive enough positive feedback to justify a larger budget. What is important to note here is that Shehzada has not received universally negative feedback. It’s been dubbed a ‘paisa vasool’ entertainer and a masala film for fans of Bollywood masala. It appears that multiple factors are to blame for its poor performance.
One of the reasons for Shehzada’s success is the Pathaan craze, which continues to captivate audiences even after a month since its release. The Shah Rukh Khan-starrer is currently earning Rs 518 crore nett in India and has grossed over Rs 1000 crore worldwide, making it one of the most successful Indian films ever.
The release of Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is another reason for Shehzada’s poor performance. Even though the collections for this Paul Rudd-starring film aren’t as impressive as they are for most Marvel films in India, the film has gained popularity among fans of superhero films.
There is a sizable fan base in the country for such films. Shehzada is an official Hindi remake of the Telugu film Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, which stars Allu Arjun, Pooja Hegde, and others. The film was released in 2020 and was well-received by audiences in the South.
Making a remake of a film that was only released three years ago, especially in the age of OTT streaming. Another significant reason why Shehzada did not perform as well as expected at the box office is that these films are readily available to watch at any time of day.
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