Movie Review: Hero

Movie Review: ‘Hero’

Rating: 3/5

Director: Nikhil Advani

Cast: Sooraj Pancholi, Athiya Shetty, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Vivan Bhatena

Director Nikhil Advani takes his shot at remaking a classic Subhash Ghai film from the 80’s and giving it a an updated 2015 spin with Salman Khan Productions ‘Hero‘.  The plot is simple and in some ways predictable as the 2 main characters meet, sparks fly followed by a song and dance sequence and dont forget to throw in the feuding families, tearing apart the love birds – a typical storyline which gives you an 80’s flashback.

See trailer of the film ‘Hero’

‘Hero‘ opens in true fashion of a film which is made to launch a new star. From the very first frame Sooraj Pancholi fills up the screen with this charm and sex appeal, flexing his muscles and showing off the tattoos. There will be a lot of “oohs and aahs” from girls (and a few boys) when he rips that shirt apart and makes his stunning entry.
Sooraj Pancholi plays Sooraj Kaushik, a mobster with character, who is indebted to his godfather Pasha, whom he lovingly calls ‘Baba’.  There is a certain ease about him which leaves a lasting impression. Sooraj will definitely be lapped up after Hero by other filmmakers who would hopefully give him diverse roles.

Athiya Shetty plays his love interest Radha, the daughter of Inspector General of Police Shrikant Mathur, played by Tigmanshu Dhulia.  Shetty might bear an uncanny resemblance to Sonam Kapoor, but she breaks that early on in the film.

While their on-screen chemistry is perfunctory, Sooraj and Athiya seem earnest and promising. They make a sincerely charming and self assured pair.

Tigmanshu Dhulia, as the troubled top cop, delivers as best he can, but seems a gross misfit in the ensemble cast.  Vivan Bhatena, as the antagonist Prince Rannvijay Shekhawat, makes his presence felt in a small, but well-defined and executed role. His impish, wicked demeanour grows gradually till it explodes during the action scenes in the climax.

The problem lies with the script. It just isn’t innovative or fresh enough. Advani plays safe and doesn’t offer anything new. The story sort of reaches a stale mate in the second half. The introduction of Vivan Bhatena as the villain of sorts seems like an added distraction to shift focus from the lack of a cohesive plot.  Advani also stays true to the “flashback” style with the films “Rich Girl – Poor Boy” undertone.

The fight and the dance sequences are well-choreographed. And the background score is perfectly synchronized with the visuals in terms of beat and tempo. But unfortunately, the songs don’t match the simplicity and finesse of the original and they lack the encore factor.

The cinematography works in the first half, especially in the scenes up north. Pancholi and Shetty have great chemistry which works in making their story favorable. Aditya Pancholi, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Vivan Bhatena and Chetan Hansraj are the supporting pillars to the love story. Nikhil Advani impresses in scenes where Sooraj and Radha are speaking through their eyes rather than words.

With excellent production values, Nikhil Advani’s film, though technically advanced, is poorly executed in terms of writing. The characters, without much thought given into their background stories, are shallow and underdeveloped. The screenplay is ridiculously flawed and confusing at times. While most of the scenes are superbly dramatic, they unfortunately do not create an emotional impact.

Overall ‘Hero’ is somewhat better some other recent films to hit the big screen.  If your urging that “Romeo and Juliet” sort of film then head out the the box office to see what all the ghype it about.