Raja Mrityunjay (Naseeruddin Shah) is an aged royal who has lost touch with his subjects, his four daughters have deserted him and his estate owes the exchequer Rs. 32 crores in taxes that he hasn't paid over the years. He is virtually a pauper except for the mansion he lives in, and is absolutely adamant that he won't turn it into a hotel for the sake of revenues. The king, along with his manager Mishraji (Raghuvir Yadav), hatches an outlandish plan to fake the former's terminal illness and invites his daughter's back to the estate to compete among themselves so that a suitable successor to the throne can be found. The four daughters, Devyani (Lara Dutta), Gayatri (Soha Ali Khan), Kamini (Kritika Kamra) and Uma (Anya Singh), each having a compelling reason to return to the dysfunctional family home, agree to givecitva shot at inheriting a Rs. 200 crore property that can ease their own financial woes.
The premise is lame enough to evoke any excitement, but the lure of the talented starcast keeps one hoping that the story will create some magic. On quite the contrary, Kaun Banegi Shikharwati goes from here until the very end as a banal, slapstick comedy that fails to amuse. The princesses have to indulge in a competition called Navrasa, translating into 9 different rounds of skill exhibition that turns the series into an unexciting, repetitive and ridiculous storytelling. The idea behind all this is for the king to reunite his children through mutual love and affection, but he has absolutely no idea how they will change the fortunes of the beleaguered estate. Add to all this confusion is an undercover tax officer impersonating the prince of neighbouring Mewad and living in the mansion with the hope of discovering undeclared wealth of the royal family.
It's a bizarre story and concept. Soon after the family reunion we realise that the original objective of the Raja is not likely to be fulfilled through his daughters and therefore, the narrative goes off into a hundred different directions resulting in shallow character sketches and lack of sympathy for either situation or any of the protagonists. The multitude of talent is largely wasted, although Lara Dutta and Kritika Kamra do light upna few sequences, the former with gravitas and the latter with her clueless nature. Naseeruddin Shah is grossly over the top and appears haggard. The only sensible execution comes from Raghuvir Yadav as the King's confidante and assistant, but then you wonder why has he been serving the estate so loyally when there's nothing left in it.
