That's one of the reasons why his 45th directorial venture COOLIE NO. 1 is looked forward to. However, this time, Dhawan Sr is competing with himself. 25 years ago, in 1995, he helmed a film - starring Govinda and Karisma Kapoor - which was loved not just for its humour, songs and drama, but just about everything. It's a film that stays fresh in our minds to date. Naturally, when he attempts to remake the much-adored entertainer, the updated version is bound to be judged minutely, perhaps with a magnifying glass.

25 years ago, David Dhawan produced a massy hit starring Govinda and Karisma Kapoor. Much has happened in the intervening years but David Dhawan seems to be stuck in a time loop. That can be the only reason why he attempted to remake the film with his son Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan. The film looks and feels as if it was made in the '90s. The only change is the added gloss.

Veteran filmmaker David Dhawan's 2020 version of 'Coolie No. 1' featuring his star son Varun Dhawan and promising new-age actress Sara Ali Khan falls flat on many levels. As a viewer, expectations from his masala pot-boiler were sky-high, but unfortunately, over-the-top acting and bizarre dialogues just kill the vibe.

I make my daughter watch Hindi film classics right from Mughal-E-Azam to Amar Akbar Anthony to Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. I believe if today's generation has to understand India of different eras they must watch yesteryear movies. I did include Coolie No 1 among the list of movies for my now college-going daughter.

Raju Coolie is an orphan who gets selected by Jai Kishan (Javed Jaffrey) to marry Sarah Rozario (Sara Ali Khan), the rich daughter of a Goa hotelier, Jeffrey Rozario (Paresh Rawal). This happens after he gets badly insulted by Rozario. Raju Coolie falls in love with Sarah at first sight and marries her after masquerading to be the scion of a billionaire family.

In Coolie No. 1, the heaviest load carried by Varun Dhawan is the burden of legacy. Dhawan's latest project has been directed by his father, the 1990s hitmaker David Dhawan, and is a remake of the 1995 comedy of the same name. That film itself was a remake of the 1993 Tamil production Chinna Mapillai, which in turn borrowed a major plot device from the 1970s classic Gol Maal.

With the passage of time, people's taste and preferences change and it is necessary for us to keep up with the change, otherwise we may fall behind. What audiences loved 25 years ago, it is not necessary that they will welcome it with open arms several years later, but Coolie No 1 director David Dhawan seems to be unfussed about it. Few minutes into the film and you will know that the Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan-starrer film is still stuck in the 90s.

The portions in which Varun Dhawan is not trying to act like Govinda are the funniest bits of the movie. I know the complexities around remakes, but no matter what Varun could've done, criticism was inevitable. He is a good actor, and he has proved that multiple times now. His substantial screen presence and comic timing is overshadowed hy the fact of this film being an outrightly horrendous remake of the original.

David Dhawan at his peak is a hard act to follow. The master of madcap cinema, whose favourite playing field remained farce and the ridiculous, Dhawan had the uncanny ability to make every scene a rib tickler. With generous help from Kader Khan's laugh-a-minute dialogues and the nimble-footed Govinda's spot-on comic timings, you were never given a chance to examine the script - there wasn't any - or the lack of coherence.

A Christian heroine who makes the sign of the cross in the middle of regular conversations, a Christian Dad who says "Oh maaaaan" more often than the definite article, a supporting character with a stutter, another with a debilitating lisp, a third who does a 'South Indian' impression with a sing-song accent, a 'South Indian' server at a dhaba who goes "Aiyyaiyyo" at the drop of a hat, a hero who does a kinnar imitation during a song and dance routine - the list of Stone Age stereotypes and politically incorrect clichs from pre-2000 Bollywood that Coolie No. 1 regurgitates could fill a page.

Back in 1995, director David Dhawan got his favourite actor to play a happy-go-lucky coolie who falls for a rich girl. Her arrogant papa who wants 'only prince-no pauper' for his beloved 'beti' is the obstacle, but no Bollywood daddy can stand in the way of true love, and loud comedy and song-dance, can they?

Director David Dhawan and his screenplay writer Rumi Jaffrey do not alter the script in this remake of their 1995 blockbuster with the same name, but this 2020 version has everything glossed over. And the scale is bigger but definitely not better. Varun Dhawan slips into not only Govinda's shoes but also spoofs his way to glory, imitating almost every iconic actor of our times.

Not that the Govinda-Karisma starrer Coolie No 1 of 1995 was a great film but it had an inherent and very natural funny vibe to it, so typical of most of David Dhawan's slice-of-life comedies. A simple storyline, absolutely spot-on comic timing, and addictive songs.

David Dhawan is not called the director of the masses no. 1 for nothing. His 'no. 1' series back in the 90's have had been hits with the hero of masala no brainers - Govinda. This 25th December, it's like celebrating the 25th anniversary of the comedy COOLIE NO 1 with its new-wine-in-old-bottle remake of the same name. The cast headlined with the namesake Govinda of current times - Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan supported by Paresh Rawal, Jaaved Jaffery and Sahil Vaid.