Coolie No 1 Review: A Stale Watch

 Image Courtesy- Amazon Prime

Plot :

After being insulted by a rich businessman named Rosario, pandit Jai Kishen teaches him a lesson by getting his daughter married to Raju - a Coolie posing as a millionaire. Soon Raju’s real identity is exposed but he cooks up a story of having a filthy rich twin. One lie leads to another and things start to go out of hand.

Cast:

Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan, Paresh Rawal, Javed Jaffery

Review :

Back in 1995, director David Dhawan directed a movie in which a happy-go-lucky coolie who falls for a rich girl. The Govinda starter though filled with cheesy dialogues and catchy songs became a blockbuster hit. It was a hit enjoyed by the masses quarter-century ago and filmmakers have failed to realize the world has moved on. Like Sadak 2, Coolie No 1 is another example of a yesteryear director dishing out outdated content hoping it'll have the same success.

Its high time Bollywood filmmakers realise stories relying on wafer-thin plots barely work in 2020. Of course Coolie No 1 had the potential to become a mindless funny entertainment to end this year on a happy note but it fails to do so. The main problem with this movie is it has nothing new to offer. Every scene resorts to done-to-death tropes in Bollywood.

All the elements in Coolie No 1 are over the top and glossy. The dialogue writers have tried too hard to inject comic relief. They use puns for comic relief not realising that though the visuals are flashy and modern, the jokes are stuck in 1995. Yes, the film still uses body shaming and pokes fun at a character who stutters.

If one thing is commendable its Varun Dhawan's energy and dashing screen presence. Paresh Rawal too performs appropriately. Sara Ali Khan's sole purpose is to play the romantic interest of the protagonist and comes dressed in skirts, wears stilettos, dances and leaves.

Highlights:

Varun Dhawan fully carries this movie on his shoulder with absolute panache. His sparkling energy is the only reason that makes Coolie no 1 watchable.

Stumbling block:

An age-old boring storyline with cringe-worthy puns for comic relief fails to strike a chord. Having a run time of almost 3 hours the movie seems like running forever.

Rating - 1.5/5