‘As much Yuletide spirit as a dead rat in the eggnog’: Eva Longoria, Danny Dyer and Pixie Lott’s festive movie is savaged by critics as Bollywood-inspired adaptation of A Christmas Carol is branded ‘the worst film since Cats’

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A new Bollywood movie, packed with famous actors, is receiving terrible reviews, with some calling it the worst film since the infamous ‘Cats’.

Christmas Karma is a fresh, musical take on the classic story A Christmas Carol. Directed by Gurinder Chadha, known for Bend It Like Beckham, it features a Scrooge-like character who is portrayed as someone who dislikes refugees.

The story centers around Sood, a wealthy British-Indian man portrayed by Kunal Nayyar of The Big Bang Theory. He’s depicted as someone who dislikes both poor people and refugees, believing they haven’t earned their positions through hard work.

Despite having a star-studded cast including Eva Longoria, Danny Dyer, Pixie Lott, Billy Porter, Boy George, and Hugh Bonneville, the film has received very negative reviews.

The film was panned so badly it even received a zero-star review from The Telegraph, which called it the worst movie since the 2019 adaptation of the musical Cats.

The Guardian gave a scathing one-star review, famously comparing the Dickens adaptation’s festive spirit to ‘a dead rat in the eggnog‘.

In a review for The Telegraph, Robbie Collin described ‘Christmas Karma’ as a well-meaning film created by kind people, but unfortunately, it repeatedly fails in cringeworthy ways.

The Telegraph gave this film its first zero-star review since the 2019 movie Cats, and it’s just as bad. Like Nativity 3: Dude, Where’s My Donkey?, it’s a truly terrible addition to the holiday season – arguably worse than anything King Herod ever did!

In a review for The Daily Mail, Brian Viner pointed out that the new musical, Christmas Karma (rated PG, 118 minutes, HIIII), released in mid-November and written and directed by Gurinder Chadha – known for the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham – isn’t the most unusual thing about it. The casting of Danny Dyer as a singing taxi driver, he noted, is even more surprising.

This is yet another adaptation of the classic Dickens tale, and unfortunately, it’s one of the least successful. It’s so bad, it feels like it should be haunted by the memory of better film versions.

In a scathing review, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian described the film as a poorly made, unconvincing Christmas offering, comparing it to something utterly unpleasant – like finding a dead rat in your eggnog.

This Christmas movie is as bad as ‘Red One’ from last year – the one where Dwayne Johnson was Santa’s bodyguard and we were all secretly hoping someone would knock Santa out.

He added: ‘It’s only November and this film has given me an overload of Yuletide nausea.’ 

According to Empire’s John Nugent, the movie’s music needs improvement. He suggests they find a songwriter more skilled than Gary Barlow, as the current soundtrack is likely to leave viewers unimpressed and frustrated.

Instead of being polished, the production feels like a low-budget Christmas pantomime – cheerfully simple but noticeably flawed. The singing isn’t always in time, the special effects look cheap and unconvincing, the projections are basic, and the acting, frankly, isn’t very professional.

Chris Wasser of the Irish Independent noted the film had an unusual cast. While Chadha’s movies often win audiences over, this one doesn’t quite succeed. The scenes referencing ‘A Christmas Carol’ are decent, and the film is strongest when it delves into Mr. Sood’s Indian background.

The show’s messy and over-the-top musical numbers are distracting, and I believe the actor playing the grumpy main character is a little too young for the role.

The musical “Christmas Karma” will be released this Friday. Actor Danny Dyer, known for his role in “EastEnders,” plays a London cab driver in the production. He was seen on set last May wearing a festive red Christmas jumper during filming.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been following the buzz around this new take on ‘A Christmas Carol,’ and it’s fascinating! Director Gurinder Chadha shared with The Telegraph that their version features a character named Sood – a wealthy British Indian man who, unfortunately, holds some really negative views, particularly towards those less fortunate and refugees. It’s a bold move to portray Scrooge this way, and I’m really intrigued to see how it plays out.

Sood believes his great wealth gives him importance and justifies his disregard for those less fortunate, feeling they haven’t earned the same success through hard work.

The director, famous for films like Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice, shared that current British politicians sparked the idea for this new musical.

She explained that ‘Christmas Karma,’ a story based in London, aims to represent the diversity of all communities and cultures in modern Britain.

Gurinder said her adaptation stays faithful to the original story and its message, and intends to show audiences how prejudice continues to be a problem in society.

Even after 182 years, Dickens’ story continues to connect with people around the world, especially in challenging times, she noted.

A Christmas Carol is a classic story about Ebenezer Scrooge, a grumpy old man who learns a valuable lesson when he’s visited by several ghosts.

He is subsequently transformed into a kinder and more empathetic character. 

Kunal, the lead actor in Gurinder’s musical, is famous for playing Raj Koothrappali on the American comedy show, The Big Bang Theory.

Boy George will be playing the Ghost of Christmas Future, and Hugh Bonneville, known for his role as Paddington, will play Jacob Marley’s ghost.

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2025-11-13 14:49