Directed by Gauravv K Chawla and Ananya Banerjee, Kaun Banegi Shikharwati, the latest big release on OTT, is streaming now on Zee5.

Starring Naseeruddin Shah and Raghubir Yadav, Kaun Banegi Shikharwati looked very promising when the trailer came out. After all, the show features really big names including Naseeruddin Shah. The veteran actor plays King Mrityunjay who has to pay 32 crores in wealth tax and has no funds to do this.

Lara Dutta, Soha Ali Khan, Kritika Kamra, and Anya Singh play the roles of princesses who are tasked with rescuing the family palace. Lara Dutta plays Devyani, a rich wife and tiger mom who likes to control every aspect of her family’s life. Soha Ali Khan plays Gayatri, who has two kids and is a classical dancer in training. Kritika Kamra plays Kamini, a cancelled social media influencer, and Anya Singh plays Uma, a gamer with crippling anxiety. They all leave their comfortable lives when their estranged father summons them after six years. The princesses are challenged to a contest with several rounds to win the throne of Shikharwati.

Kaun Banegi Shikharwati had the potential to be a laugh riot but the show is full of missed opportunities at smart humour.

Naseeruddin Shah is criminally underused in his role. One keeps waiting to be blown away by King Mrityunjay through the series. The king’s character could have been riveting to watch but the mediocre writing lets down a great actor.

Lara Dutta displays annoying spurts of overacting, Kritika Kamra is fairly intolerable in her stereotypical portrayal of a social media influencer, and Soha Ali Khan is expressionless through most of the show. The only actors who save the show a bit are Raghubir Yadav and Anya Singh.

If you’re looking for a comedy that does not require your full attention and can be watched with the family, give Kaun Banegi Shikharwati a shot. But if you’ve been looking forward to stellar performances and great writing, you will be sorely disappointed.

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