‘Kaun Banegi Shikharwati’ review: The bar is low but the spirits are high

The spirits are high even though the bar is low in Kaun Banegi Shikharwati, Zee5’s first web series offering for the year. It’s the latest ode to smart casting, featuring a bunch of reputable actors who sportingly chew the scenery and goof around for 10 lengthy episodes.

Naseeruddin Shah! Raghubir Yadav! Lara Dutta! Kritika Kamra! Cyrus Sahukar! And! And! Holding out the promise of a rip-roaring farce but frequently under-delivering, the comedy series ambles along on the strength of its cast and some clever writing.

Mrityunjay (Naseeruddin Shah) is the eccentric and bankrupt ex-royal of the Rajasthani town Shikharwati. He’s grandly called “King” by his loyal manager Mishra (Raghubir Yadav), but is in danger of being booted out of his beloved palace. Mishra schemes to bring back Mrityunjay’s four daughters, who have fled the palace after their mother’s death, by cooking up a story of Mrityunjay’s imminent demise.

The women have fallen out with their father and each other. Devyani (Lara Dutta) is a perfectionist businesswoman who is married to Harsh (Cyrus Sahukar) and has two sons. Gayatri (Soha Ali Khan) is a spiritual-minded dancer who has two adopted children. Kamini (Kritika Kamra) is a fashion-forward and flitty social media influencer. The youngest, Uma (Anya Singh), is a…

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