This year’s Christmas release stars Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan in David Dhawan’s Coolie No.1 as a romantic lead. Is this a remake of the 1995 film starring Govinda – Karisma Kapoor?
Raju comes to Sara played by rich girl Sara Ali Khan, played by Varun. Their marriage seems like an unlikely alliance, but Javed Jaffrey plays the matchmaker, whose entire score is with Sara’s father, played by Paresh Rawal. He presents Coolie No. 1 Raju as a billionaire and the two get married. But when does the truth come to light?
Coolie No.1 is big, it has fan sets, stylish attire and of course a lot of money spent on production. But none of the big bucks spent actually translate into a spectacular entertainment. For one, the storyline worked on in 1955 actually fits in 2020. Even if you have to suspend disbelief, the film feels like a spoof.
Govinda’s comic timing made all his engagements with David Dhawan fun, no matter how ridiculous the plot. Varun Dhawan who was fully convinced in the remake of ‘A Judwaa’, Coolie no. 1 seems under belief. The jokes fall flat and he is trying hard to be funny.
Sara Ali Khan has played promise in her debut film arn Kedarnath and while she is enjoying the quintessential Bollywood heroine in this one, the performance is definitely not worth talking about. Sara enjoys ‘Thumka’, but is really over-the-top in the parts where she has to be emotional.
The rest of the supporting cast – Javed Jaffrey, Paresh Rawal and Johnny Lever – none of them really tickles Strange Bone. Wanted dialogue, humor and return. The song and dance sequence also fail to move you and make you groove.
The remake should be remade to make it relevant to today’s audience. We cannot implement the formula that worked just 25 years ago and will ensure that it works thats why, Coolie number 1 disappoints on too much counts.