Rajeev Khandelwal is back this time in a Sherlock Holmes inspired movie that is a desi take on whodunit that is plagued by paranormal encounters and mysterious deaths. Check out if Samrat & Co. is worth a watch.
Rating: 3/5
Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal,Gopal Datt, Madalasa Sharma, Girish Karnad
Director: Kaushik Ghatak
Story: Samrat Tilakdhari aka STD (Rajeev Khandelwal) is the desi Sherlock Holmes, and is well known for his brilliant analytical mind and martial abilities. No one can offend his intelligence and he only takes up challenging cases. A deserted haveli in Shimla gives Samrat a chance to battle a villain, who might have supernatural powers. Now Samrat needs to solve the puzzle before it’s too late.
Why you should watch Samrat & Co.: The film is a formulaic ‘whodunit’ thriller, Rajeev Khandelwal is perfect in his role and fits it perfectly.
Why you should miss Samrat & Co.: Inspired to be desi Sherlock Holmes but ends up looking like its cheap copy. The script lacks punch and Samrat’s one-liners are annoying. Also an animated Shimla is funny and weird to watch. The film seems stretched and crawls towards a predictable climax. While it’s a bold move by conservative Rajshri productions to take this leap from family dramas to thrillers, but the effort was half-hearted.
Music Review: Along with the film the music is also out of the box, different and entertaining. Much like previous Rajshri films their is good music, dance numbers, but with a twist. The music by Aashiqui-2 duo Mithoon and Ankit Tiwari are back with great music. ‘Tequila Wakila’ is decorated with lovely Spanish style background music. The love ballad ‘Shukr Tera’ (by Mithoon) and is well supported by Arjit Singh. ‘O Humnavaa’, is a great new sufi inspired love song kudos to the composer.
