''Coolie No. 1'' is a 2020 Indian

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

-language

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

masala film Masala films of Indian cinema mix multiple genres into one work. Masala films emerged in the 1970s and are still created as of the 2020s. Typically these films freely mix action, comedy, romance, and drama or melodrama. They also tend to be ...

directed by

David Dhawan David Dhawan (born Rajinder Dhawan; 16 August 1951) is an Indian director of Hindi films. A member of the Dhawan family, he has directed over 42 films. The 1993 action thriller '' Aankhen'' and 1999 comedy '' Biwi No.1'' earned him two Filmfar ...

and produced by

Vashu Bhagnani Vashu Bhagnani is an Indian film producer who works in Bollywood films. His films include '' Coolie No. 1'' (1995), '' Hero No. 1'' (1997), '' Bade Miyan Chote Miyan'' (1998), ''Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai'' (2001), '' Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein'' (20 ...

. A reboot of the 1995 film of the same name, which itself is a remake of the 1993

Tamil film Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...

Chinna Mapillai ''Sinna Mapplai'' (), also spelt ''Chinna Mappillai'', is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed and co-written by Santhana Bharathi. The film stars Prabhu and Sukanya, with Radha Ravi, Anand, Sivaranjani and Visu in supporting role ...

'', the film stars

Varun Dhawan Varun Dhawan (; born 24 April 1987) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. One of India's highest-paid actors, he has been featured in ''Forbes India'' Celebrity 100 list since 2014. He has starred in 11 consecutive box-office successes b ...

, Sara Ali Khan and

Paresh Rawal Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is an Indian actor, comedian, film producer and politician known for his works notably in Hindi films, and Telugu, and a few Gujarati and a few Tamil films. He has appeared in over 240 films and is the recipient ...

. When a matchmaker is insulted by Jeffrey Rozario, a rich businessman, he vows to extract revenge. As a result, he makes a porter pretend to be a rich man and marries him off to Rozario's daughter.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

began on 8 August 2019 in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

. The film was set to be theatrically released in India on 1 May 2020, but was postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Later, it was released on 25 December, during Christmas on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

. The film got overwhelmingly negative reviews and was panned by critics and audience alike. This film is considered one of the worst films of

Plot

Pandits Jai Kishen brings a prospective groom's family for Sarah Rozario. But when her father Jeffrey learns that 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 Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., ...

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

as Raju Coolie / Kuwar Raj Pratap Singh: Sarah's husband * Sara Ali Khan as Sarah Pratap Singh (née Rozario): Jeffrey's daughter, Anju's sister and Raju's wife *

as Jeffrey Rozario: Sarah & Anju's father *

Jaaved Jaaferi Syed Jaaved Ahmed Jaaferi (born 4 December 1963) is an Indian actor, dancer, and comedian who has appeared in Hindi films and television shows. He is son of the comedian Jagdeep. He joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in March, 2014 and contested ...

as Pandit Jai Kishen / Secretary Jackson *

Rajpal Yadav Rajpal Yadav (born 16 March 1971) is an Indian actor which works in Hindi, Punjabi Marathi, Telugu and one Gujarati and one Bengali and one avadhi, comedian and film maker known for his work in Indian Film industry. His breakthrough came in Ra ...

as Pinto Mama: Sarah and Anju's uncle & Jeffrey's brother-in-law *

Johnny Lever Johnny Lever (born John Prakash Rao Janumala; 14 August 1957) is an Indian actor and popular comedian who is known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is one of the first stand-up comedians in India. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, inc ...

as Inspector Jagjit Godbole *

Sahil Vaid Sahil Satish Vaid is an Indian dubbing artist and actor who is known for his roles in ''Bittoo Boss'' (2012), ''Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania'' (2014), Bank Chor'' (2017), ''Badrinath Ki Dulhania'' (2017), ''Dil Bechara'' (2020) and '' Coolie No. ...

as Deepak Mechanic: Raju's best friend and Anju's fiancé * Shikha Talsania as Anjali "Anju" Rozario: Jeffrey's daughter, Sarah's sister and Deepak's fiancé *

Vikas Verma Vikas Verma (born 24 September 1987) is an Indian actor and model in Bollywood. His notable works include '' Raabta'' (2017), '' Mom'' (2017 film), ''Judwaa 2'' (2017) and '' Coolie No. 1'' (2020). Verma began his career as a model where he won ...

as Mahesh Anand, Mahendra's son * Manoj Joshi as Mahendra's manager *

Anil Dhawan Anil Dhawan is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films and television. He made his acting debut with the film ''Chetna'' (1970) followed by ''Piya Ka Ghar'' (1971). He is also known for his 2018 film Andhadhun. Now turned activist, Dhawan ...

as Mahendra Pratap Singh: Mahesh's father *

Bharati Achrekar Bharati Achrekar is an Indian Marathi and Hindi theatre, film and television actress. She has been a part of several films in Indian cinema and was celebrated as Mrs Wagle from the doordarshan show, ''Wagle ki Duniya''. She is currently starri ...

as Mrs. Rozario: Jeffrey's mother and Sarah and Anju's grandmother *

Rajat Rawail Rajat Rawail is an Indian film producer, director and actor working in the Hindi film industry. He is best known as the producer of films such as ''No Problem'' (2010) and ''Ready'' (2011). Early life and family Rawail was born and brought ...

as Mac: Bell Boy at Raju/Raj, Anju and Sarah's honeymoon hotel *

Rakesh Bedi Rakesh Bedi is an Indian film, stage and television actor. He is known for his comic roles in films such as ''Mera Damaad'' and '' Chashme Buddoor'' (1981). He has also appeared in television shows like ''Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi'' (1984), ''Shrimaa ...

as Driver and Shalini's father * Shashi Kiran as Coolie Chacha: Raju's uncle *

Hemant Pandey Hemant Pandey is an India film, theatre and television actor, most known for his role as Pandeyji in TV series, ''Office Office'' (2000). Originally from Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, Hemant Pandey got his first break in Delhi by an NGO called Janm ...

as Tambe: Owner of the South Indian Restaurant *

Farhad Samji Farhad Samji (born 5 May 1974) is an Indian music composer, writer, and film director who works in Hindi cinema. He is known for directing films like ''Housefull 4'' and ''Bachchhan Paandey'' independently. He has also made special appearances i ...

as Plumber at the Rozario Hotel * Shibesh Debnath as Vishu Coolie: Raju's fellow porter * Girdhar Swami as Casting director

Production

Development

Varun Dhawan said In a short time interview with

Indo-Asian News Service Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is a private Indian news agency. It was founded in 1986 by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the "India Abroad News Service" and later renamed. Their main offices are located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The se ...

, producer Bhangani said that David Dhawan wanted to remake the

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

film ''

'' (1993). Other sources point the

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

film '' Coolie No. 1'' (1991) as the original story. Karthik Keramulu of ''

Film Companion Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...

'' notes that the ''Coolie No. 1'' (1995) was a remake of ''Chinna Mapillai'', but also took inspiration from ''Coolie No. 1'' (1991).

Principal photography

Filming began in

on 8 August 2019, and also took place

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

, India. The filming was completed on 23 February 2020 and was scheduled for release on 1 May 2020. However, due to

the film skipped the theatrical release and was streamed on

on 25 December 2020.

Music

The music of the film was composed by

Tanishk Bagchi Tanishk Bagchi (born 23 November 1980) is an Indian music producer, composer, singer and lyricist in Hindi films. He is known for tracks like "Bolna", "Ve Maahi", "Aankh Maarey"(recreated), " Dilbar" (recreated), "Jehda Nasha" (recreated) and "L ...

, Lijo George – DJ Chetas, Javed – Mohsin and

Salim–Sulaiman Salim–Sulaiman is an Indian score composer duo consisting of siblings Salim Merchant and Sulaiman Merchant. The duo compose music predominantly for Hindi films. Life and early career Salim–Sulaiman's ancestral town is Mundra, Kutch, Gujar ...

while the lyrics were written by

Sameer Anjaan Shitala Pandey, better known as Sameer Anjaan, is an Indian lyricist, writing songs such as "Mujhe Raat Din Bas", predominantly in Hindi language films. He is a Guinness World Record holder for writing the most songs. He was awarded this hono ...

Rashmi Virag Rashmi Virag is the screen name of Rashmi Singh and Virag Mishra, an Indian lyricist duo active in Bollywood. At first, Singh and Mishra wrote lyrics themselves; in 2015, they began working as a duo. Singh won the Best Lyricist award at the 6 ...

, Shabbir Ahmed, Danish Sabri,

Ikka Inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase subunit alpha (IKK-α) also known as IKK1 or conserved helix-loop-helix ubiquitous kinase (CHUK) is a protein kinase that in humans is encoded by the ''CHUK'' gene. IKK-α is part of the IκB kinase co ...

and

. 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 Samir (variantly spelled Sameer) is a male name found commonly in the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe. In Arabic, Samir () means holy, jovial, loyal or charming. In Albanian, it translates literally as “so good” but the connotation is clo ...

were recreated for the film with the original vocals and singers being retained.

Release

The film was set to be theatrically released in India on 1 May 2020, but was postponed due to the

. But as the pandemic refused to slow down, the film was released directly on

on 25 December 2020, coinciding with Christmas.

Reception

The film was panned from critics, who rejected its irritative performances, loose writing, stale humor, and some unrealistic situations Shubhra Gupta of ''

Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...

'' rated it 1 out of 5 stars, calling it a "zero wit, no flair".

Taran Adarsh Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media. Career Taran Adarsh started his journalism career at the age of 15 with ''Trade Gui ...

Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is a Bollywood entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides ...

rated it 3.5/5 stars, calling it funny and entertaining. Writing for ''Film Companion'',

Anupama Chopra Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...

called the film "offensive and unfunny".

Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Lyall ...

rated the film 1/5 stars and called the film limp spoof of the original.

References

External links

* * {{Bollywood Hungama movie, coolie-no-1-2 2020s Hindi-language films 2020 comedy films Hindi-language comedy films Indian romantic comedy films Remakes of Indian films Films shot in Bangkok Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic Films not released in theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic Amazon Prime Video original films Indian films with live action and animation Films directed by David Dhawan