Not that the 1995 Govinda-Karisma starrer Coolie No 1 was a brilliant film, but it had a funny vibe that was innate and very natural, so typical of most of the slice-of-life comedies of David Dhawan. A straightforward plot, comedic timing completely spot-on, and addictive music.
Dhawan’s movies like Aankhen, Shola Aur Shabnam, Coolie No 1, Judwaa, Hero No 1, were mainly those kinds of stories of middle-class poor guy-rich girls that made us understand the simplicity of the concept and its enjoyable execution. Sadly, regarding Dhawan’s new Coolie No 1 remake starring his son Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan, nothing similar can be said. To see Dhawan senior losing his touch and delivering a half-baked product that has nothing to call its own is tiring and annoying, other than
The narrative remains the same. Jaikishan (Jaaved Jaaferi), a matchmaker, is offended by Rozario (Paresh Rawal), a Goa hotelier, and the latter settles the score by marrying rich Rozario’s daughter Sarah (Sara Ali Khan) to poor station porter Rajuu Khan (Varun). There are remakes of tracks, remakes of scenes and dance remakes in between. Imitation is certainly the most genuine type of flattery, especially if it’s from your own video!
The absence of actors such as Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor, and Sadashiv Amrapurkar is a big loss for a film that is already trapped in the ’90s, even though you refrain from comparisons. Not much is left to do though!
Totally lackluster interactions and the lack of motive do not lift the level of cringe to the level necessary. There is the spontaneity and the magic of Govinda?
Then, in bizarrely uninteresting ways, there are constant imitations of Bollywood stars, and in the midst of all this unintended confusion, Sara Ali Khan proceeds to stand on the balcony in search of a salvation, not for her but for the film. Perhaps she knew what was going to happen to the movie and decided to get rid of the sets as fast as possible, or it was real what they were talking about nepotism. It is not a movie for which she would like to be remembered.
And I haven’t even touched on the issues of the disparity between generations, gender sensitivity, religious prejudice, and the acting of Rajpal Yadav.
“A dialog from Dulhe Raja of Govinda sums up the Coolie No 1 remake: “Nanga nahayega kya, nichodega kya.
It feels like an infinite tale of excruciating satire and mistimed disaster, with a runtime of 134 minutes. Bring your own baggage, please.
