Kaun Banegi Shikharwati is an Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama web series that premiered on the streaming platform ZEE5 in January 2022. Created and directed by Ananya Banerjee, the show revolves around a former royal family of a fictional princely estate in Rajasthan and the four estranged daughters of an ageing patriarch who must reunite to save their ancestral palace from being claimed by the Income Tax Department.
| Title | Kaun Banegi Shikharwati |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy-drama |
| Language | Hindi |
| Director | Ananya Banerjee |
| Platform | ZEE5 |
| Release | 7 January 2022 |
| Number of episodes | 10 (Season 1) |
| Setting | Fictional Shikharwati estate, Rajasthan |
The narrative centres on Raja Mrityunjay Singh, the patriarch of the erstwhile royal family of Shikharwati, who lives in a sprawling but financially struggling palace. When the Income Tax Department issues a notice claiming dues that threaten the family's hold over the property, the Raja summons his four daughters — each leading distinct lives away from the palace — back home. He devises a contest among them to determine who is the most deserving heir, leading to a series of comic and emotional confrontations rooted in unresolved family history.
The series marked the directorial debut of Ananya Banerjee in the long-form streaming format. It was produced for ZEE5 as part of the platform's slate of original Hindi-language programming aimed at family audiences. Filming made extensive use of palatial locations in Rajasthan to evoke the visual texture of a former princely estate, with production design emphasising faded grandeur and the contrast between royal heritage and contemporary financial constraints.
The show draws on familiar tropes of Indian family drama — sibling rivalry, parental favouritism, generational misunderstandings — set against the specific backdrop of post-independence India's former royals adjusting to economic realities after the abolition of the privy purse. Comedy is generated through the clash of urban, modern lifestyles of the daughters with the eccentric, tradition-bound household of the palace.
Critical reception was mixed. Reviewers commonly praised the performances of the principal cast, particularly Naseeruddin Shah's portrayal of the patriarch, and the evocative Rajasthani setting. Common criticisms focused on the pacing of the ten-episode arc and a screenplay that some critics felt did not fully exploit its premise. The series was nonetheless noted for offering a lighter, family-oriented alternative to the thriller and crime-led content that dominated the Indian streaming landscape at the time.
All ten episodes of the first season were released simultaneously on ZEE5 on 7 January 2022, in line with the platform's standard binge-release model for original series.