Khoobsurat (2014 film)

Khoobsurat
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Shashanka Ghosh[1]
Produced by	Rhea Kapoor Anil Kapoor Siddharth Roy Kapoor[1]
Written by	Indira Bisht
Starring	Fawad Afzal Khan Sonam Kapoor [2]
Music by	Sneha Khanwalkar Badshah Amaal Mallik
Production company	Disney World Cinema UTV Motion Pictures Anil Kapoor Films[3]
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release dates	19 September 2014 (2014-09-19)
Running time	127 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	12 crore (US$1.9 million)[4]
Box office	39.47 crore (US$6.3 million)[5]

Khoobsurat (English: Beautiful) also known as Disney's Khoobsurat, is a 2014 Indian romantic comedy film.^[6] The film is directed by Shashanka Ghosh and produced by Rhea Kapoor, Anil Kapoor and Siddharth Roy Kapur.^[1] It stars Sonam Kapoor, Fawad Afzal Khan, Kirron Kher, Ratna Pathak and Aamir Raza Hussain in lead roles. The film is loosely based on the 1980 film of the same name.^[7][8]

Plot

Minalini 'Milli' Chakravarty (Sonam Kapoor) is a physiotherapist who works for the IPL. Her mother Manju (Kirron Kher) hopes that she will find a man someday, stating that it will be even better if the bloke belongs to royalty. As fate would have it, her services are called for by a royal family whose King's legs are failing him. Dr. Milli travels to the Sambhalgarh palace and meets the rigid Queen, Nirmala Devi Rathore (Ratna Pathak), who is not amused by Milli's enthusiasm and clumsiness. Milli finds that her casual way of living does not appeal to the royal family whose strict disciplinary rules demand otherwise. She meets Yuvraj Vikram Singh Rathore (Fawad Afzal Khan), the prince, whose distant personality makes him similar to his parents. Milli also discovers that Divya, the youngest child of the family, has an interest in acting and is planning to run away from home. Milli befriends Divya but keeps trying to convince her to not run away. The King keeps avoiding his exercises and this troubles Milli because she is determined to cure him so she turns to Vikram for help. He gives Milli the same answer that the Queen gave her, "If she cannot handle the job, she may leave." Milli gets furious and accuses the Royal Family to be stubborn, rigid and self-centered. Vikram reconsiders but the King refuses.

Just when Milli is deciding to leave, she learns the reason for the King's unwillingness to be cured from the Royal Servant Ram Sevak: ten years ago, Ambar, the family's eldest son, died in a car crash. The King had gifted a sports convertible to him and the two went for a ride. Ambar lost control of the car due to over-speeding and passed away, and the King's legs became disabled and he went into a coma for six months. Since then, the Queen changed. The Palace used to be fun and everyone would throw parties and laugh but after the accident, everybody changed. Milli shames the King into getting over his guilt and forces him to perform his exercises. The King befriends Milli and he finally agrees.

Milli gets kidnapped, and when Vikram saves her, she kisses him in her drunken state, though regrets it the next morning. The two start falling for each other. Milli confesses her love for him but Vikram refuses to acknowledge it, saying that they come from two different stocks. He is also engaged to a lady of his status Kiara (Aditi Rao Hydari). Divya runs away to try out for auditions in Jaipur. Milli informs the Queen that she knew about Divya's plans. The Queen becomes furious and Milli is ordered to leave. Divya returns and tells Nirmala that she came back because of Milli. The King surprises Nirmala by standing up, and admits that he saw Divya run away. He tells her that this is what Milli has been trying to teach them; to love life as it is. Milli however is heartbroken due to Vikram's refusal.

Vikram breaks off his engagement with Kiara and confesses his love for Milli and the royal couple gives him their blessings, telling him to go find her in Delhi. Vikram finds Milli, wins her mother's approval by proposing to Milli in her style, and hence, as the wife of Vikram Singh Rathore, Milli is given the title of the Royal Misfit.

Cast

• Sonam Kapoor as Dr Mrinalini "Milli" Chakravarty
• Fawad Afzal Khan as Yuvraj Vikram Singh Rathore
• Kirron Kher as Manju Chakravarty
• Ratna Pathak as Nirmala Devi Rathore
• Aamir Raza Hussain as Shekhar Singh Rathore
• Aditi Rao Hydari as Kiara
• Ashok Banthia as Ram Sevak
• Cyrus Sahukar as Nausher Bandookwala(Vikram's friend) (credited as Ratan Shah in the ending titles)
• Yashwant Singh as Maharaj Suraj Mann Singh
• Simran Jehani as Divya Rathore

Music

The music of Khoobsurat was composed by Sneha Khanwalkar, featuring an additional number composed by Badshah. The lyrics were penned by a range of artists including, Ikram Rajasthani, Badshah, Sunil Choudhary, Amitabh Verma and Sneha Khanwalkar. The first song "Engine Ki Seeti" released on 7 September 2014. The song features a Rajasthani folk song "Anjun Ki Seeti", which the writer, Ikram Rajasthani, has specifically re-written for the film.^[9] A promotional song titled "Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai", composed by Punjabi rapper Badshah, released on 22 August 2014. The film's soundtrack officially released on 1 September 2014.

The producers felt that the film lacked a soulful love song and upon the request Of Rhea Kapoor, music composer Amaal Mallik came up with the song Naina, which is sung by his brother Armaan Malik & Sona Mohapatra.

Box office

Domestic

Khoobsurat opened to a slow start at the box office, with occupancies ranging from 15 to 20-percent at multiplexes and single screens across India.^[10] The film earned about 27.4 million (US$430,000) on its opening day. Due to positive word of mouth, Khoobsurat showed 30% growth at the box office, earning 37.4 million (US$590,000) on the second day of release. It showed further good growth on the third day, collecting 50.5 million (US$800,000). The film netted a total of 115.3 million (US$1.8 million) during the first three days of release,^[11] with Box Office India describing the weekend collections as "low", however noted it's trending as "good" .^[12] The film remained steady throughout the rest of the week, netting 191.0 million (US$3.0 million) in India alone.^[13] Remaining steady on its eighth day of release, the film collected 15.3 million (US$240,000), and a further 24.4 million (US$390,000) on its ninth day, being declared as a "hit" by various media outlets.^{[14][15][16][17]}

Overseas

Khoobsurat performed fairly well overseas, owing primarily to the Pakistani audience.^[18] As of 21 September 2014, Khoobsurat earned 11 crore (US$1.7 million)^[19] in Pakistan, 30.6 million (US$490,000) in the USA and Canada, 36.9 million (US$590,000) in the UK, 69.3 million (US$1.1 million) in the United Arab Emirates, 3.5 million (US$56,000) in Australia, 0.90 million (US$14,000) in New Zealand and 4.70 million (US$75,000) in Malaysia. In the first two days of release, it has netted a total of 250.0 million (US$4.0 million) in the overseas markets.^[11]

Awards

• Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – Fawad Afzal Khan
• Stardust Award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Romance - Sonam Kapoor

Critical reception

Khoobsurat garnered generally positive reviews from most reputable critics.^[20][21][22]

Koel Puri of India Today gave the film 4/5, saying "[the film] is no path breaker but for the fact that I just can't fault it, I still have a smile plastered on my face and I'll probably go see it again... tomorrow".^[23] Subhash K. Jha also gave a 4/5 and said, "Hrishida won't recognise this as his "Khubsoorat". But he won't disapprove of what has been done to his work".^[24] Rachit Gupta of Filmfare gave the film a 4/5 and said that, "director Shashank Ghosh is no Hrishikesh Mukherjee" though manages "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"^[25] Saibaal Chatterjee of NDTV also gave a positive review, giving the film a 3.5/5 and saying, "in the end, Khoobsurat is a pretty good show. It is both funny and flashy, but its many flourishes are delivered in measures that religiously avoid excess".^[26] Srijana Mitra Das of Times of India gave the film 3.5/5 and said, "This delightfully roguish romance tickles everything fun-loving inside you ... that's what makes it so khoobsurat."^[27] Rajeev Masand of CNN IBN gave a rating of 3/5 and wrote, "Khoobsurat is for those seeking comfort in the familiar, it's a pretty satisfying watch."^[28] Sarita A. Tanwar of DNA India gave the film 3/5 and said it "is sure to connect with the hearts of girls of all ages".^[29] Sonia Chopra of Sify also gave the film a 3/5, and said "this film has little of the gentle nuance of the Hrishikesh Mukherjee-directed original, but it's still pretty good fun. This Bollywood-Disney fairytale combo is worth a shot".^[30] Raja Sen, of Rediff gave the film 3/5, and compared it to candy, saying "wrapped in bright plastic and frequently too sweet for your own good, they act as sunny, unsurprising treats that lead to sticky, syrupy smiles".^[31] Andy Webster of the New York Times also wrote positively, saying "Bollywood films have appropriated Hollywood genres and imagery for years, but Mr. Ghosh, using a pleasing pastel palette, deftly achieves a particularly Disney-like polish. And he avoids making-of-a-royal pitfalls: Ms. Kapoor’s character never abandons her humor for refinement. Twice, Mili says that she was raised to speak up for herself. Not a bad characteristic for a future Rajput princess".^[32] However, a critic at Bollywood Hungama disagreed and gave the film 2.5/5, and said, "overall, Khoobsurat is likeable in parts with good performances and stunning visuals; however the weak script is an 'ugly' hurdle this film will face at the box-office".^[33] Sweta Kaushal of Hindustan Times also gave a negative review, giving the film a 1/5, and said "the film could have been more tolerable".^[34]

References

External links

• Khoobsurat at the Internet Movie Database
• Khoobsurat at Bollywood Hungama