Review
Rajshekhar Thakur's "Shehzada" arrives as a remake of a 1985 film, and it shows—not in the way a classic homage might, but in the creaky, exhausted manner of a plot that's been workshopped to death without ever finding its soul. The first half drags you through predictable family melodrama: wealthy boy loves poor girl, parents object, tragedy strikes, child grows up seeking reconciliation. Kartik Aaryan does his usual competent-but-forgettable work, all pouty expressions and half-hearted intensity, while the supporting cast—particularly Rajom Bedi as Rajlaxmi—chews scenery like they're being paid by the decibel. Thakur's direction is flat and uninspired, treating emotionally fraught moments with all the nuance of a sledgehammer.
Where the film actually stumbles into something remotely interesting is that final act twist: Chanda abandoning Rajesh and her newborn to move in with Rajlaxmi. It's a genuinely uncomfortable pivot that could have been the film's redemption—a genuine exploration of betrayal, class anxiety, and what "family" actually means. Instead, Thakur fumbles the landing entirely. The reveal feels unearned, the emotional stakes are muddled, and by the time we're supposed to care about understanding what broke his family, you're already checking your phone. Kriti Sanon fares slightly better than Aaryan, but even she can't salvage dialogue that sounds like it was written by a greeting card factory. This is a film that mistakes melodrama for depth and length for sub
Storyline
Ratan's a lovesick rich guy who refuses to marry anyone but Janki, the daughter of a poor freedom fighter—so his snobbish parents eventually cave and let them wed. But then riots erupt, the DIG gets killed, and Rajlaxmi blames Devdutt for everything, kicking a pregnant Janki out on the streets while Ratan just watches like a coward. Janki retreats to her father's home, gives birth to Rajesh, and spends years raising him alone while nursing her wounds.
Fast-forward and Rajesh is a truck driver in love with Chanda, determined to finally bridge the gap between his mother and his absent father. When he tracks down Ratan and Rajlaxmi, she rolls out the red carpet, hoping he'll abandon Janki and move in permanently—but Rajesh refuses unless his grandmother apologizes to his mom. Rajlaxmi's too proud, so he marries Chanda anyway and they're expecting their own child when he suddenly gets arrested on a bogus charge.
Rajesh gets cleared when the real culprit surfaces, but when he rushes home expecting his wife and newborn son, he finds Chanda's completely moved in with Rajlaxmi and won't come back. Now Rajesh has to uncover what made his wife betray him and abandon Janki, and honestly, this twist hits different—it's not about forgiveness anymore, it's about understanding what broke his family apart.