Rajkumar review :
After Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994), Madhuri Dixit had become the numero uno heroine with even an inferior product like Raja (1995) hitting box office gold and compelling the media to call it Rani. But the year 1996 was particularly unkind to Madame Madhuri where she delivered three duds in a row : Tutu Sharma's Rajkumar, Rajiv Kapoor's Prem Granth and David Dhawan's Yaraana.
Raj Kumar had Anil Kapoor in the titular role with Madhuri playing the rival kingdom ki Rajkumari. The plot was typical 80s stuff with tadka of Arabian nights thrown in. The VFX were atrocious even for the mid 90s and strictly by comparison, I prefer Jeetendra's Haatim Tai which was the sleeper hit of 1990.
Coming to the cast, Anil Kapoor was passable as the dashing prince out to regain his lost kingdom. Naseeruddin Shah, an otherwise first rate actor, hammed outrageously throughout. As if one Naseer was not enough, we had him in a double role as the evil Maha mantri as well as his bewaqoof twin. Truly, this is his career worst!
Relying more on Madhuri Dixit's dance moves, Rajkumar had plenty of songs composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal and two numbers - "Paayal meri" and "Ankhon ke aage peeche" - became popular.
I saw Rajkumar on its first Sunday at Mahim's Citylight cinema. The soul-less dated film was too much for the audience to endure. Even Madhuri's irresistible charm couldnt save it.
Regards,
Sumeet Nadkarni.
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