Bollywood's new Raj/Rahul!

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Shahid Kapoor steps into the shoes of Shah Rukh Khan, and proves to the world that it is no big deal
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How is this for an audacious statement? "Move over, Shah Rukh! Shahid is here."

Amidst a plentitude of catcalls and boos, but why do we hear a few confident claps? Could it be true that Shahid Kapoor has indeed stepped into the throne of the "Rajs and Rahuls" that Shah Rukh is grudgingly leaving behind?

Director Aziz Mirza has gone on record that Shah Rukh Khan would have been his ideal choice for 'Kismat Konnection', if only he were a few decades younger.

And so the role of Raj Malhotra falls upon Shahid, and boy, isn't he breezy!

The young man is a dynamite on the dance floor. He is cool, confident, charming & graceful, and has oodles of attitude without an overt propensity to flaunt it. But more importantly, he comes across as a genuinely warm, sincere, human being – the sort that Bollywood’s Rajs and Rahuls are made of.

If 'Kismat Konnection' is 'Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman' meets 'Yes Boss' – and on several counts, it is – Shahid is indeed the new Shah Rukh. However, for the young actor's own brighter career, he better outgrow the phase.

The bright spot of 'Kismat Konnection' vis-à-vis Shahid's career is that the actor comes out of that trait of narcissism, which was pronounced in his earlier outings.

Then, somehow, the impression Shahid leaves behind is that he was trying a bit too much to look picture post-card perfect – with rippling muscles and all – to the extent that he failed to observe and fine-tune the actor in him.

Recall how Shahid made it a point to brush his right hand over his head in a double whammy of sorts that not only presents his bulging biceps but also his oh-so-cute, chocolate-boy vulnerability.

Well, that is almost gone in 'Kismat Konnection.'

In all honesty, 'Kismat Konnection' rides on the suave charisma of Shahid. There is a refreshing candour that he brings to script-situations that have been explored several times over in Bollywood.

Shahid's performance is not his career-best, either. There are several moments – the drunken session on the balcony, the snooker stroke, and the Mrs. Gill encounters – that push him to go over the top.

Redeeming them are several others – like when a battered Raj simply surrenders to his failures, the vulnerability as he watches his fiancée walk out, the earnestness with which he tries to convince the board on corporate social responsibility – these moments work simply because of Shahid.

In what should have been a breezy love story, Shahid is burdened with the task of romancing Vidya Balan (good as an actress – but doesn't she look like a 'Priyajee' for Shahid's youthful Raj?). He manages to pull off that one too despite the minimal chemistry between them.

So, as verdicts go, here is to Shahid Kapoor for stepping into the shoes of Shah Rukh Khan, and proving to the world that it is no big deal.