A new Bollywood-inspired Christmas film boasting an impressive all-star cast has been met with a brutal reception from critics, with some labelling it the worst movie since the disastrous 2019 adaptation of 'Cats'.
'Christmas Karma', directed by Gurinder Chadha of 'Bend It Like Beckham' fame, is a modern musical retelling of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. This version features a British-Indian protagonist named Sood, portrayed by 'The Big Bang Theory' star Kunal Nayyar, who is a wealthy man that despises poor people and refugees, believing they haven't worked as hard as him.
Scathing Critical Reception
Despite featuring well-known names such as Eva Longoria, Danny Dyer, Pixie Lott, Billy Porter, Boy George, and Hugh Bonneville, the film's first reviews have been overwhelmingly negative.
The Telegraph awarded the production zero stars, a rating it hasn't given since 'Cats'. Critic Robbie Collin wrote that the film, made with good intentions, constantly finds 'new and spine-twistingly embarrassing ways to fall on its face'. He compared it to 'indigestible seasonal tat' and called it 'among the worst things to happen to Christmas since King Herod'.
The Guardian was equally harsh, bestowing a single star with a headline stating the adaptation has 'as much Yuletide spirit as a dead rat in the eggnog'. Peter Bradshaw described the movie as 'leaden, unconvincingly acted and about as welcome as a dead rat in the eggnog', adding that it gave him an 'overload of Yuletide nausea'.
Technical and Artistic Failings
Other publications echoed the sentiment. Empire's John Nugent criticised the film's soundtrack, suggesting you 'need to hire someone better than Gary Barlow to write the songs'. He noted the film had an 'end-of-the-pier Christmas panto feel', plagued by constant sloppiness including out-of-sync singing, noticeable green-screen effects, janky CGI, and somewhat amateurish acting.
The Irish Independent's Chris Wasser found some merit in the exploration of the main character's Indian heritage but concluded that the 'hokey, cluttered musical gets in the way'.
The film, set for release on Friday, also features Danny Dyer as a London cab driver. Director Gurinder Chadha stated her inspiration came from modern British politicians and that the film is a celebration of all of modern Britain's communities and cultures, aiming to highlight how prejudice still exists in society today.
