Khoobsurat Movie review - Engaging fun 

Ameet Bhuvan

Let’s get this straight, this version of the Hrishikesh Mukherjee classic is not a patch on the original. Rekha’s Milli and the film was another class another age that Bollywood sadly seems to have buried and forgotten about completely. Accepting this fact and then watching Disney’s Khoobsurat is good for you, since there are things in this new version which are fun and done well; just that in comparison it all falls flat. 

 
Sonam Kapoor is a physiotherapist who comes to Sambhalgarh to cure its ageing king. The kings uptight 
wife amazes the freespirited Milli (Sonam) while his wildly good looking son interests her. Her hippie ways clash and contrast with the strict military like rules of the palace and what ensues is a romantic comedy that is fluffy and light. 
 

Director Shashanka Ghosh manages to remold the essence of the old classic film into Disney’s staple princess fantasy story. There is exuberance and extravagance in every frame, every song and even in the way these characters live their lives. They are rich, have no cares in the world and seem to exist in a weird planet where worries were weeded out long ago. Aiding him in creating this utopia is Sneha Khanwalkar with her amazingly oddball tracks that work brilliantly, giving the only heft that the film can boast of. 
 

The ensemble cast especially Ratna Pathak Shah and Kirron Kher (in yet another over the top mother role) add spunk to their parts and manage to not make them too much of a caricature. This brilliance though stops there, for the lead pair doesn’t really have the same gravitas in their presence. 
 

Make no mistake, Sonam and Fawad are perhaps the most good looking pair on screen these days and share an electrifying chemistry. Yet, Fawad is saddled with a role which only requires him to wear expensive bandhgalas and walk around playing pretend busy in his palace. As for Sonam, she is herself in the film - loud, garrulous, screeching and all the time dressed in clothes right off the ramp. 

 
Milli in this new version is imagined as a free spirit who spreads cheer wherever she goes. Problem is, Sonam over does the cheer bit, almost coming across as a cuckooed out demented soul who doesn’t 
know when to shut up. She looks pretty, acts irritatingly goody and spunky. There is absolutely no depth or layers to her portrayal of Milli. She is though the most snazzily dressed physiotherapist you would ever come across. 

If you are ready to overlook the fact that Khoobsurat circa 2014 is nothing like the original film and yet 
tries to mangle the original films plot, there is fun to be had here. Like the clashes between Sonam and Ratna or Sonam and her mothers skype calls. Thankfully, these fun bits are judiciously used throughout the movies running length and one does not really die of boredom. Khoobsurat is a decent watch, more so cause not much was expected of it in the first place. 

Rating: 3/5