Coolie No. 1 (2020 film)
Coolie No. 1 | |
---|---|
![]() Official release poster | |
Directed by | David Dhawan |
Screenplay by | Rumi Jaffrey |
Based on | Chinna Mapillai by P. Kalaimani |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Ravi K. Chandran |
Edited by | Ritesh Soni |
Music by | Songs: Salim–Sulaiman Anand-Milind Tanishk Bagchi Lijo George-DJ Chetas Javed-Mohsin Background Score: Salim–Sulaiman |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Amazon Prime Video Tips Industries |
Release date |
|
Running time | 135 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi |
Coolie No. 1 is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language comedy masala film directed by David Dhawan and produced by Vashu Bhagnani. A reboot of the 1995 film of the same name, which itself is a remake of the Tamil film Chinna Mapillai (1993), the film stars Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan, and Paresh Rawal. When a matchmaker is insulted by Jeffrey Rozario, a rich businessman, he vows to exact revenge. As a result, he makes a porter pretend to be a rich man and marries him off to Rozario's daughter.
Principal photography began on August 8, 2019 in Bangkok.
The film was set to be theatrically released in India on May 1, 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [2] Later, it was released on December 25, during Christmas, on Amazon Prime Video.
Plot
[edit]Pandit Jai Kishen brings a prospective groom's family to Sarah Rozario. But when her father Jeffrey learns that the family isn't filthy rich, he insults Jai Kishen. Jai Kishen vows to teach Jeffrey a lesson for his arrogance and pride.
On the way home, Jai Kishen bumps into Raju Coolie, a railway station porter who proudly wears his badge - "Coolie No. 1". Raju is known among his fellow porters for being heroic, recently having gotten a drug dealer Mahesh arrested. When Raju is smitten by Sarah's photo, Jai Kishen hatches a plan to get the poor porter married to Sarah and exact his revenge. With Jai Kishen's guidance and the help of his friend Deepak Mechanic, Raju poses as the prince of Singapore, Kunwar Raj Pratap Singh and wins Sarah's heart. In the process, Sarah's sister Anju falls for Deepak.
Jeffrey gets Sarah married to Raju, not knowing that he is just a poor porter. When Raju returns home with Sarah after the wedding, he pretends that his "father" Mahendra Pratap Singh has thrown him out of the house for getting married without his consent. Sarah tries to make the best out of the given situation by cheering up Raj, which makes him feel guilty.
The trouble becomes double when Jeffrey comes to town to visit his daughter and son-in-law but spots Raju as a coolie at the train station. Jeffrey creates a ruckus, saying that Raju is a fraud who posed as a rich prince and married his daughter. Spontaneously, Raju pretends to not recognise Jeffrey and shoos him away. Raju comes home dressed as Raj and explains that Jeffrey must have seen his twin brother Raju who his father threw out due to his drinking and gambling addictions. Jeffrey buys this story and decides to get Anju married to Raju, so that both his daughters will live filthy rich lives.
Raju keeps getting into trouble since he can be only at one place at one time. One such incident forces Raju, Sarah and Jeffrey Rozario to file a missing complaint for Kunwar Raj Pratap Singh. Inspector Jagjit Godbole gets skeptical of the situation and starts to believe that Raju and his twin Raj are the same person. To prevent further problems, Deepak suggests that he should "kill" Raju. Taking this suggestion, Raju tosses his "Coolie No. 1" badge into a car which he and Deepak push down a cliff, into a lake. However, when the car is recovered but no body is found, Inspector Godbole's suspicions are confirmed.
Mahesh Anand is disowned by his father, Mahendra, due to his criminal activities. To get back at him and Raju, Mahesh stabs Mahendra and frames Raju for the same. Inspector Godbole arrives to arrest him, but Raju informs him that Mahendra is still alive and needs critical medical care, following which he escapes police custody. Raju runs to Deepak, and both of them hatch a plan to pretend to be nurses to save Mahendra's life, as that is Raju's only proof of innocence. At the hospital, Inspector Godbole tells Jeffrey, Sarah, and Anju that Raju is just a porter who pretended to be Kunwar Raj Pratap Singh.
While trying to save Mahendra, Raju and Deepak bump into Sarah and Anju. Raju confesses his fraud to Sarah, and she forgives him. Jeffrey and Sarah help Raju and Deepak stop Mahesh from killing Mahendra. Once he gains consciousness, Mahendra announces that since Raju saved his life, he is like a son to him. Anju also announces her love for Deepak. When Jeffrey cries about his sons-in-law being a porter and a mechanic, Jai Kishen arrives and tells Jeffrey that it was bound to happen to someone so arrogant and proud of his wealth. Jai Kishen explains that for a happy marriage, wealth isn't needed - love is.
Cast
[edit]- Varun Dhawan as Raju Coolie and Kunwar Raj Pratapsingh (Dual role)
- Sara Ali Khan as Sarah Pratapsingh (née Rozario): Jeffrey's daughter, Anju's sister and Raju's wife
- Paresh Rawal as Jeffrey Rozario: Sarah and Anju's father
- Jaaved Jaaferi as Pandit Jai Kishen / Secretary Jackson
- Rajpal Yadav as Pinto Mama: Sarah and Anju's uncle and Jeffrey's brother-in-law[3]
- Johnny Lever as Inspector Jagjit Godbole[4]
- Sahil Vaid as Deepak Mechanic: Raju's best friend and Anju's fiancé[5]
- Shikha Talsania as Anjali "Anju" Rozario: Jeffrey's daughter, Sarah's sister and Deepak's fiancé[6]
- Vikas Verma as Mahesh Pratapsingh: Mahendra's son
- Manoj Joshi as Mahendra's manager
- Anil Dhawan as Mahendra Pratapsingh: Mahesh's father
- Bharati Achrekar as Mrs. Rozario: Jeffrey's mother and Sarah and Anju's grandmother
- Rajat Rawail as Mac: Bell Boy at Raju/Raj, Anju and Sarah's honeymoon hotel
- Rakesh Bedi as Driver and Shalini's father
- Shashi Kiran as Coolie Chacha: Raju's uncle
- Hemant Pandey as Tambe: Owner of the South Indian Restaurant
- Farhad Samji as Plumber at the Rozario Hotel
- Shibesh Debnath as Vishu Coolie: Raju's fellow porter
- Girdhar Swami as Casting director
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]Varun Dhawan said In a short time interview with Indo-Asian News Service, producer Bhangani said that David Dhawan wanted to remake the Tamil film Chinna Mapillai (1993).[7] Other sources point the Telugu film Coolie No. 1 (1991) as the original story.[8][9] Karthik Keramulu of Film Companion notes that the Coolie No. 1 (1995) was a remake of Chinna Mapillai, but also took inspiration from Coolie No. 1 (1991).[10]
Principal photography
[edit]Filming began in Bangkok on 8 August 2019,[11][12] and also took place Goa, India.[13][14] The filming was completed on 23 February 2020 and was scheduled for release on 1 May 2020.[15][16][17] However, due to COVID-19 pandemic the film skipped the theatrical release and was streamed on Amazon Prime Video on 25 December 2020.[18]
Music
[edit]Coolie No. 1 | |
---|---|
Soundtrack album by | |
Released | 22 December 2020[19] |
Genre | Feature film soundtrack |
Length | 21:57 |
Language | Hindi |
Label | Zee Music Company (All Songs) Tips Music (Husnn Hai Suhaana & Mirchi Lagi Toh) |
Official audio | |
Coolie No. 1 - Full Album on YouTube |
The music of the film was composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Lijo George – DJ Chetas, Javed – Mohsin and Salim–Sulaiman while the lyrics were written by Sameer Anjaan, Rashmi Virag, Shabbir Ahmed, Danish Sabri, Ikka and Farhad Samji.
Two of the popular songs from the Coolie No. 1 (1995) - "Husn Hai Suhana" and "Main Toh Raste Se Jaa Raha Tha", originally composed by Anand-Milind and written by Sameer were recreated for the film with the original vocals and singers being retained.[20][21][22]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Teri Bhabhi" | Danish Sabri | Javed – Mohsin | Dev Negi, Neha Kakkar, Javed–Mohsin | 3:22 |
2. | "Husnn Hai Suhaana New" | Sameer Anjaan | Recreated by: Tanishk Bagchi Original: Anand-Milind | Chandana Dixit, Abhijeet Bhattacharya | 4:27 |
3. | "Mummy Kassam" | Shabbir Ahmed, Ikka | Tanishk Bagchi | Udit Narayan, Ikka, Monali Thakur | 3:32 |
4. | "Mirchi Lagi Toh New" | Sameer Anjaan | Recreated by: Lijo George – DJ Chetas Original: Anand-Milind | Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik | 5:22 |
5. | "Tere Siva" | Rashmi Virag | Tanishk Bagchi | Renessa Das, Ash King | 3:07 |
6. | "Coolie No. 1" (Title Track) | Farhad Samji | Salim–Sulaiman | Raj Pandit | 2:07 |
Total length: | 21:57 |
Release
[edit]The film was set to be theatrically released in India on 1 May 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]
But as the pandemic refused to slow down, the film was released directly on Amazon Prime Video on 25 December 2020, coinciding with Christmas.[1]
Reception
[edit]The film was panned by critics,[23] who rejected its irritative performances, loose writing, stale humor, and some unrealistic situations.[24] Shubhra Gupta of Indian Express rated it 1 out of 5 stars, calling it a "zero wit, no flair".[25] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated it 3.5/5 stars, calling it funny and entertaining.[26] Writing for Film Companion, Anupama Chopra called the film "offensive and unfunny".[27] Hindustan Times rated the film 1/5 stars and called the film limp spoof of the original.[28]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Coolie No. 1, Durgavati, Chhalaang among films to release directly Amazon Prime Video India". First Post. 9 October 2020. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Coolie No 1: Varun Dhawan shares first-look posters on Sara Ali Khan's birthday". India Today. 12 August 2019. Archived from the original on 12 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ "Rajpal Yadav joins cast of 'Coolie No. 1' remake". www.msn.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ Taneja, Parina (20 July 2019). "Johny Lever joins Sara Ali Khan and Varun Dhawan in David Dhawan's Coolie No. 1". www.indiatvnews.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ "Varun Dhawan welcomes Sahil Vaid in Coolie No 1: Back with my all-time best friend". India Today. 2 October 2019. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Veere Di Wedding's Shikha Talsania in Coolie No. 1. Varun Dhawan has the best welcome message". India Today. 2 September 2019. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Remake of Coolie No. 1 a new film: David Dhawan". Outlook. 3 July 2011. Archived from the original on 28 December 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
Initially, he thought of me as a kid and one day, called me out of the blue to ask if I had seen the Tamil film Chinna Mapillai, and that we should remake it.
- ^ Palat, Lakshana N. (12 August 2019). "Judwaa 2, Coolie No 1. Why is David Dhawan remaking his films? Are we back to the 90s?". India Today. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ^ "'Coolie No. 1' review: The same, only much worse". Mintlounge. 25 December 2020. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ "Prabhu, Venkatesh, Govinda, Shashi Kumar... Is Varun Dhawan Coolie No 1 or 5?". Film Companion. 9 December 2020. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ "Coolie No. 1: Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan's comedy goes on the floors in Thailand". Firstpost. 7 August 2019. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan's Coolie No 1 kicks off in Bangkok. Watch video". India Today. 7 August 2019. Archived from the original on 8 August 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Varun and David Dhawan are doing all things Goa on Coolie No 1 shoot. Ranveer Singh approves". India Today. 19 February 2020. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Sara Ali Khan, Varun Dhawan Have a Blast as They Shoot for Coolie No 1 on Beach, Watch BTS Video". News18. 20 February 2020. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Coolie No 1 wraps up: Varun Dhawan cuts a healthy cake, Sara Ali Khan bids Goa goodbye". Hindustan Times. 21 February 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Coolie No 1: Varun Dhawan Wraps The Film And Celebrates It With Pancakes". NDTV.com. 21 February 2020. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Sara Ali Khan thanks Varun Dhawan after Coolie No 1 wrap: Will miss irritating you constantly". India Today. 23 February 2020. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Varun Dhawan calls Joe Biden 'hamare naye dost' in his 'Coolie No 1' look". DNA India. 8 November 2020. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Coolie No. 1 – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Jiosaavn. 22 December 2020. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ "Coolie No 1: Motion poster of David Dhawan's remake, starring Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan, unveiled". Firstpost. 11 August 2019. Archived from the original on 31 October 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ "David Dhawan's Wife and Varun Dhawan's Mom Karuna Launches 'Coolie No. 1'". Archived from the original on 13 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ "'Coolie No. 1' remake: Makers to recreate 'Main Toh Raste Se Jaa Raha Tha' and 'Husn Hai Suhana' songs for the film". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/coolie_no_1_2020)
- ^ "Despite negative reviews, Varun Dhawan's Coolie No 1 creates viewership record on Amazon Prime". Lokmat English. 4 January 2021. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ "Coolie No 1 review: Zero wit, no flair". The Indian Express. 25 December 2020. Archived from the original on 25 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ Hungama, Bollywood (25 December 2020). "Coolie No.1 Review 3.5/5 : Varun Dhawan & Sara Ali Khan's COOLIE NO. 1 is atypical David Dhawan entertainer — crazy, outrageous and over the top — but funny and entertaining". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 25 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ Chopra, Anupama (25 December 2020). "Coolie No 1 Starring Varun Dhawan And Sara Ali Khan Is Offensive And Unfunny". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 25 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ "Coolie No 1 movie review: Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan's film is limp spoof of the original". Hindustan Times. 25 December 2020. Archived from the original on 25 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.