Shehzada

About the film

Shehzada (transl. Prince) is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Rohit Dhawan. A remake of the Telugu film Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020), the film stars Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala and Ronit Roy.

Principal photography began in October 2021 and ended in January 2023 with filming held in Mumbai, Mauritius and Delhi. The music was scored by Pritam. Released on 17 February 2023, it was a critical and commercial failure.

Plot

Valmiki and Randeep start their careers as clerks in the company of Aditya Jindal. Randeep, who marries Jindal's daughter Yashoda "Yashu," becomes wealthy while Valmiki remains poor. On the day of the birth of both their children, Randeep's son appears to be dead. When nurse Sulochana informs Valmiki about this, he pities Randeep and offers to exchange his baby with the dead one since the Jindals have done so much for him.

However, after switching them, Randeep's child begins to cry, having not died after all. Valmiki, sensing that his son would have a better life growing up in a rich family, prevents Sulochana from switching the babies back and accidentally pushes her off a ledge. Sulochana goes into a coma, keeping Valmiki's secret from coming out.

25 years later, Raj, raised at Jindal's house, is timid and innocent, while Bantu, raised by Valmiki, is street-smart and outspoken. Valmiki, who favours his own son, Raj, treats Bantu badly. Bantu gets a job at a law firm headed by Samara, who is impressed by his knowledge and quick-wittedness. Meanwhile, Raj returns from his studies abroad. Jindal sends Raj to reject Sarang, a powerful man who offers to buy their company's shares but deals with drugs. Randeep watches the deal from a restaurant where Samara has a meeting. When the client misbehaves with Samara, Bantu interferes. Randeep is disappointed by Raj's inability to say no to Sarang but beams at Bantu and Samara when they defend themselves against the rowdy client. Following this, Raj becomes engaged to Samara but she and Bantu have fallen in love.

Production

The film was announced on 12 October 2021. Principal photography began on the next day i.e. 13 October 2021 in Mumbai. The next schedule took place in Delhi. After many sequences were shot in Mauritius, filming wrapped up on 10 January 2023.

Soundtrack

All the songs are composed by Pritam while the song "Character Dheela 2.0" from the 2011 film Ready has been recreated by Abhijit Vaghani and Pritam. The lyrics are written by Kumaar, Mayur Puri, Shloke Lal and IP Singh. The background score was composed by Julius Packiam.

The first single titled "Munda Sona Hoon Main" was released on 16 January 2023. The second single titled "Chedkhaniyan" was released on 24 January 2023. The third single titled "Mere Sawaal Ka" was released on 2 February 2023. The fourth single titled "Character Dheela 2.0" was released on 9 February 2023. The song, "Character Dheela 2.0", is a remix of the song "Character Dheela" from Salman Khan-starrer Ready.

Release

Shehzada was released on 17 February 2023. Initially the film was scheduled for theatrical release on 4 November 2022 but was delayed due to production.

The digital streaming rights of the film were acquired by Netflix for ₹40 crore. On the platform, the film premiered on 14 April 2023. Goldmines Telefilms who also previously dubbed and released Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo in Hindi bought the telecast rights and aired the film on their TV channel on 24 October 2023.

Reception

As of 17 March 2023, the film has grossed ₹38.33 crore (US$4.0 million) in India and ₹9.1 crore (US$950,000) overseas for a worldwide gross collection of ₹47.43 crore (US$5.0 million).

Shehzada received mixed reviews from critics.

Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com wrote: "Kartik's No Allu Arjun" and went ahead to add on that: "It's nearly not enough to make an already brainless movie a better one." Rahul Desai in this review for Film Companion wrote: "A Kartik Aaryan Entertainer that forgets to entertain" whereas another critic labelled Aaryan as a "Royal Bore" synonymous to the film title. Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in stated: "Rehash of Telugu hit is catnip for Kartik Aaryan fans" Dhaval Roy of The Times of India gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5, stating "With campy humour and action, this is just a mass entertainer". Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV stated: "Take Kartik Aaryan Out, There Might Not Be Much Left. The obsolescence of the film's essence is difficult to shrug off."

Key details