The Shaukeens – One of the most entertaining remakes of its Bollywood classic

Compared to the original Shaukeen, this version is louder, more dual meaning and suits the likes of today’s society.

It doesn’t come as a surprise for the audience when they get to watch remakes of classic movies of the 70s and 80s. Many filmmakers, directors and actors have started this trend of remaking movies and this time we have The Shaukeens, a remake of the 1982 rib tickling comedy Shaukeen. Just like the original version, The Shaukeens is based on ‘almost’ the same plot and characters. However, there are a few changes in the storyline which will appeal to today’s audiences more.



It is a tale of three childhood friends, Lalchand (Anupam Kher), KD (Annu Kapoor) and Pinky (Piyush Mishra), who are in their early 60s and lust after every woman they lay their eyes on. The trio plan a fun-filled vacation to Mauritius, in order to live up their wildest and most lecherous fantasies. They reserve a guest house owned by Ahana (Lisa Haydon), a young flamboyant and ‘earth child’ kind of a girl, who is also head over heels in love with Akshay Kumar, the movie star cum serious alcoholic. She announces that she’d do anything for the person who would make her dream of meeting Akshay come true, and these words play as music to the ears of the young-at-heart oldies. The measures they overtake and endure to make her wish come true is what The Shaukeens is all about.

Photo: The Shaukeens Facebook Page

The movie rests mainly on the shoulders of its primary leads. Whether it is Akshay, Lisa or the trio of maestros of power packed performances, all of them were fantastic and did complete justice to their characters, roles and diction. The other strongest point is its flawless and witty script. In almost every other scene, there are some dialogues that were applauded and thoroughly enjoyed by viewers.

Photo: The Shaukeens Facebook Page

If I were to pick out the best performances, it would have to be the trio’s. Piyush excelled in every scene; his articulation, peculiar way of delivering dialogues and his expressions stole the show. Even his emotional outbursts were a treat to watch. Annu was another ace in the movie. His craziness, style and ‘Mr-know-it-all’ attitude is delightful and he looked at ease in performing his role. As always, Anupam delivers a good performance and does not overact, especially when it came to his expressions.

Photo: The Shaukeens Facebook Page

Lisa’s performance looks promising and her screen presence is very strong. Similarly, Akshay does exactly what he is the best at doing – entertaining the crowd, from the gallery to the critics.

Photo: The Shaukeens Facebook Page

In terms of music, some of the numbers were nice, especially Manali Trance and Alcoholic which are great to watch and listen to.





This is Abhishek Sharma’s second release after Tere Bin Laden, and his production seem very promising in terms of providing entertainment value to his movies. The Shaukeens is a great attempt and does exactly what it’s meant to do – provide entertainment to the viewers, with some fine performances. Compared to the original Shaukeen, the latest version is louder, more dual meaning and suits the likes of today’s society. However, the two productions cannot be compared to one another because it is close to impossible to provide the kind of cinema Basu Chatterji provided. Shaukeen is still a masterpiece even after three decades but The Shaukeens is a rollercoaster ride for sure.

Shaukeen (1982), The Shaukeens (2014)

In terms of the acting, script and thorough entertainment, I would rate it 4 out of 5 - an incredible fun watch!