'Kaun Banegi Shikharwati' is fresh, quirky, and it's thoroughly entertaining

Picture an Indian version of the Hunger Games. But instead of the elite watching the games for their entertainment, they are playing them.

Now imagine a royal gharana (family) from Rajasthan with a king whose kingdom needs an heir, for which his four daughters i.e., the princesses have to compete. Except the competition is a hoax and can be won by playing some odd “Squid-esuqe” games termed as ‘The Royal Games’.

That’s the premise of Kaun Banegi Shikharwati starring an ensemble cast of Naseeruddin Shah, Raghuvir Yadav, Lara Dutta, Soha Ali Khan, Kritika Kamra, Anya Singh, Cyrus Sahukar amongst others.

Without giving away too much of the plot, here’s a brief synopsis:

Raja Mrityunjay (Naseeruddin Shah) is a lonely king of a dwindling kingdom and a palace that he is soon to be evicted from. Desperate to protect his possession and reconcile with his estranged daughters, his advisor Mishraji (Raghuvir Yadav) spins an elaborate plan for the princesses to participate in a contest to win the crown along with a huge sum of money.

The only problem is – the daughters have held an interminable grudge not only against their father but also each other, and refuse to part of a dysfunctional family again.

However, each of them also has their own struggles and motive to play along and win the title.

Kaun Banegi Shikharwati starts off on a cheesy note but quickly picks up the pace to unravel the dark secrets of the Shikharwati family.

What’s refreshing to watch is the screenplay’s ability to explore interconnected genres. What appears as a slapstick comedy at first swiftly shifts into drama, horror, suspense, and even romance at times.

Also, it’s great to see makers experimenting beyond stories and genres these days. The treatment of the show is quite inspired, especially the introductory montages of the games where Mishraji is narrating the rules as well as chronicling a time in Shikharwati’s history.

The child in me quite enjoyed it !!

Speaking of the actors, each one deserves high praise for performing at their best.

From Shah as a lonely king clad in Adidas track pants to Dutta playing a stubborn perfectionist and a bully, a zen-like Khan as a vulnerable woman perpetually seeking validation, and Kamra as an insensitive social media influencer to Singh playing an introvert – the arcs of each character makes them likeable as well as believable. You’re not watching them as one-dimensional characters – they’re all like us.

Well, maybe a dramatized version of us.

Not to forget Yadav whose stellar performance as Mishraji or “friend” to the king, steers the whole narrative of the series.

Writers Ananya Banerjee and Simran Sahni have carefully penned the characters to ensure each lead gets equal screen space. And it’s amazing to see four leading ladies come together for a quirky show like this along with the entire ensemble. My favorite was Gayatri’s (Soha Ali Khan) stoic shaman-like daughter Padma, played by Alisha Khare.

Brilliant casting by Kavish Sinha.

Shoutout to Director of Photography by Linesh Desai for exquisitely capturing the flavor of Rajasthan and skillfully transforming the mood with all the interwoven genres (note: you’ll see what I mean in the “horror” scenes). The cinematography is top-notch.

Also, special mention to production design by Priya Suhas for creatively and cohesively elevating the visual appeal of the show.

Final Verdict:

If you’re looking for a family-friendly show this weekend, Kaun Banegi Shikharwati is worth your time. A binge-worthy series – it’s fresh, it’s quirky, and it’s thoroughly entertaining.