Khoobsurat : Disney Princess in Bollywood setup
Disney is famous for its fairytales, RomComs and Family entertainers. This goes well with Indian Audience.
The vision of Disney matches with the needs of Indian Family Audience. Disney comes up with its princess fairytale style format movie for the first time in Bollywood setup with Sonam Kapoor as the first Disney Princess in India.
Mili (Sonam Kapoor), a physiotherapist who works with IPL cricket players, gets an assignment to treat a Royal Family Member (Aamir Raza Hussain). He is reluctant to get treated as he has lost zest for life. Mili is his 40th physiotherapist after he purposely made the earlier ones quit their job. Mili is appointed by Nirmala Devi Rathore to treat her husband who is a disciplinarian. However, Nirmala Devi detests the frank and open urban girl in Mili who thinks she has a right to get into others business.
Mili finds out that Rajasab does not wish to get treated because of his dysfunctional family. No one talks in the family apart from business and have very artificial relationships. Prince Vikram Rathore (Fawad Afzal Khan), their son is a successful businessman does not believe in emotional connect and is always buried in business duties. His sister has suppressed desire to become an actress which is a big no no for her strict mother. In such family discords, Mili comes as a fresh breeze of air and changes everything. Eventually, she falls in love with the Prince and they both live happily ever after.
The story follows similar format of Disney Fairytales where a girl from normal background gets introduced in a Royal family and with her loving heart and extrovert ways changes everyone in the family for better. It matches a lot with “Princess Diaries” sans the family connection. Story is credited to D. N. Mukherjee which is further developed into screenplay by Indira Bisht. Dialogues are written by Juhi Chaturvedi. Story, Screenplay is predictable and has nothing very different to offer. However, if you know what you are getting into before entering the theatre and you like this format, you’ll be fine with the script. The writers did good job in setting up the Disney fairytale format in Indian context.
Shashanka Ghosh, who has directed quirky and different movies like “Waisa bhi hota hai part 2” and “Quickgun Muruggan”, gets to direct a very regular potboiler movie. He does justice to the subject while sticking to the basics and playing to the gallery. There is nothing unique and different in the treatment but he does deliver the product with finesse.
On the performances side, we get a strong cast which keeps the audience connected. Sonam Kapoor does her part with ease owever looks artificially chirpy and bubbly at times. At some places, I found her unsuitable for the teenage kind of expressions extracted out of her. After all, Sonam has a Diva image. Surprise package of this movie is Fawad Afzal Khan, who is the latest import from Pakistan and already popular as a heartthrob of girls, due to his serial ‘Zindagi Gulzar Hai’. He definitely knows his craft and does impressive job as the hard nosed businessman who warms up to funny ways of Mili and becomes mellow and loving Son, Lover and a better person in whole. He is the guy to look forward to. In supporting cast, Kirron Kher and Ratna Pathak does good job. Aditi Roy Hydari is ok in her small role. Overall a good job by casting director Nalini Rathnam.
Technically, the film superb. It has great visuals captured by Cinematographer Tushar Kanti Ray. Production design by Shruti Gupte is eye catching and so are costumes by Uma Biju, Karuna Laungani, Raghavendra Rathore. Film Editing by Bakul Matiyani is swift and sharp. Music By Sneha Khanwalkar is unique and good.
To sum it up, this is a lite entertainer for teenage and family audience with predictable plot.
Recommendation : If you love RomCom and lite entertainers and can live with predictability, this can be a good time pass. Others expecting a lot from movies shall skip it.
