Movie Review: Khoobsurat

The closest most of us will ever get to royalty is by attending a destination wedding at a Rajasthan palace. But Disney's Khoobsurat takes you in to the lives and luxuries of Rajasthani princely states. Through the story of a quintessential Delhi girl's tryst with a prince and his family, you too can roam the vast expanses of pure luxury. Experience the old world charm of an India mostly reserved for tourist brochures. And you can soak in all the opulence with a charming young adult romance. The likes of which are rarely seen in our cinema. It's fresh, it's fabulous and most importantly it's extremely fun.

This is supposed to be a revisit of Rekha's and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Khoobsurat from 1980. The basic premise of a young and energetic girl changing the disposition of a dysfunctional family remains the same. Only in the 2014 edition the story is ported to Rajasthan. Sonam Kapoor plays a physiotherapist hired by a Royal family. In due course, the bumbling but very charming protagonist discovers there's trouble in Paradise. The king she's treating is ailing from guilt and his family is simply forgotten what happiness is all about. The story is simplistic but it works because director Shashank Ghosh and his writer Indira Bisht focus on the right aspects. The dialogue are witty and insightful. They're contemporary and full of feeling. The characters aren't fleshed out too well. But their quirks more than make up for good entertainment.

At the heart of this classic Disney Princess tale is Sonam Kapoor. While she's no Rekha, Sonam does a good job at portraying her vivacious character. Her Mili is fun loving, bit of a misfit and almost always over inquisitive. She works on impulse and never backs out of speaking her mind. Her dynamics with the family she moves in with are very different from the way it happened in Rekha's film. While Rekha was out proving a point to a staunch matriarch in the original. Sonam's character is quite simply helping a family connect with its ability to have fun. That's the update in the story. It's a bit frivolous but in line with the times. There are no joint families and it's members don't deal with direct compromises. In stead families lose their emotional bearings as their members pursue their careers and responsibilities. Here's where Sonam's character reminds people that happiness goes a long way and so do conversations.

In the absence of a central antagonist, which was played by Dina Pathak in the original, other characters create the required drama. Fawad Khan leads the pack with a superb performance. His restraint and quiet charm are the perfect complement to Sonam's energised performance. Ratna Pathak Shah and Aamir Raza Hussain are fantastic too. But the show stealer yet again is Kirron Kher. Her comedy cameo livens up the show. Her punchy lines are flawless. Somebody hand this lovely lady a dozen awards.

Director Shashank Ghosh is no Hrishikesh Mukherjee. But he's managed to make a perfect Disney movie. It makes you laugh. It makes you go "aww" and that goes a long way in a young romance. It's definitely not as good as the original. But it's perfectly in tune with the times.