Rating: 3.5
Until sometime back, the masala film space was dominated by Sanjay Dutt, Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn and Govinda. Subsequently, Shah Rukh Khan stepped in. Just when you thought that the young brigade would look the other way, abstaining from non-stop entertainers, Ranbir Kapoor green-lit BESHARAM, Shahid Kapoor gave his nod to R… RAJKUMAR and Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor gave the go ahead to GUNDAY. Now Varun Dhawan, a relative newcomer, opts for the tried and tested genre in his very second outing — MAIN TERA HERO. Interestingly, he teams up with his father, David Dhawan, a veteran at masalathons, who has worked with the above-mentioned seniors [except SRK].
David Dhawan’s filmography tilts heavily towards remakes and the veteran’s latest endeavor MAIN TERA HERO is a remake as well — of the immensely successful Telugu film KANDIREEGA [2011]. A lot is riding on MAIN TERA HERO, since it teams up the father and son Dhawan for the first time. Will Dhawan Sr.’s magic wand work again, like it did in the past?
Let’s enlighten you about the premise of MAIN TERA HERO. Seenu [Varun Dhawan] is terrible in studies. When his father [Manoj Pahwa] cites instances of Seenu’s friends enrolling in various universities and emerging toppers, Seenu decides that he too would enroll in a university and make his parents proud. Seenu encounters Sunaina [Ileana D’Cruz] in the university and it’s love at first sight for him. However, Angad [Arunoday Singh], a cop, is also in love with Sunaina and intends marrying her, much against her wishes.
Seenu throws a challenge at Angad that he will win Sunaina’s heart and as luck would have it, he makes Sunaina falls in love with him within three days. Just when everything seems to be sailing smoothly for the couple, Sunaina gets kidnapped by a don based in Bangkok [Anupam Kher], whose daughter Ayesha [Nargis Fakhri] — whom Seenu had saved from eve teasers — is in love with Seenu.
Seenu is in a dilemma. What happens next?
Watching a David Dhawan movie is akin to having your fav fast-food, which may not be high on nutrition [read meaningful content], but you relish it with glee since it whets your appetite. And MAIN TERA HERO does that to you. Packed with just about every mass-friendly ingredient available on the shelf, which the hoi polloi laps up with delight, David designs an entertainer that keeps you amused for most parts. Sure, there’s nothing you haven’t watched before, but the trick is to keep the viewer completely absorbed in the proceedings and David has mastered the art since decades.
Writer Tushar Hiranandani adapts KANDIREEGA for the Hindi movie audience, making sure there’s no room for boredom for most parts. The twists in the tale, the aimed-at-masses humor, the witty and comical dialogue [Milap Zaveri], which are one of the highlights of this film, the assorted characters with over the top acts, the appropriate situations for songs and action pieces… the packaging of MAIN TERA HERO is just precise — a formula that seldom goes wrong, if handled correctly.
In addition, David presents Varun as the *young* mass-friendly hero. He makes Varun do stuff that sends front-benchers into raptures, which includes Varun flaunting his torso and flexing muscles. Moreover, David, very smartly, makes Varun slip into the shoes of his peers by making him do stuff that had worked big time with Sanju, Salman, Akshay and Govinda in the past. And Varun carries off the antics adroitly.
The sole blemish I can point out is the excessive length towards the post-interval portions, with a few sequences appearing stretched without any reason. The entire episode involving Shakti Kapoor also appears forced, while the journey to the culmination could’ve been taut and crisp.
The soundtrack [Sajid-Wajid], much like David’s earlier ventures, fits the genre of the film seamlessly. ‘Palat’, ‘Besharmi Ki Height’ and ‘Shanivaar Raati’ are foot-tapping compositions. Action sequences are well orchestrated.
Varun steals the show with an act that’s sure to multiply his fan-following by heaps. Not just in metros, but beyond metros. The film offers Varun abundant scope to play to the gallery, own every sequence he features in. His energy levels coupled with his self-assured act and striking looks fall wonderfully in place here. He’s terrific, the show belongs to him, no two opinions on that! Ileana pairs off very well with Varun and does a reasonably good job. Nargis Fakhri looks great, but needs to polish her acting skills. Anupam Kher is in super form. His mafioso act with reverberating dialogue is sure to be loved by the junta. Saurabh Shukla is superb, especially towards the latter part of the film. It’s a delight to watch Arunoday Singh in a mass entertainer. He seems most comfortable in the given space. Rajpal Yadav manages to raise a few good laughs. Evelyn Sharma, Manoj Pahwa, Raju Kher and Supriya Shukla are just right. Shakti Kapoor is wasted.
On the whole, MAIN TERA HERO is a wild, wacky, madcap entertainer that has the unmistakable stamp of the master of entertainers — David Dhawan. An over the top plot, humor quotient and performances are three aces the film stands on. The film should work well with admirers of typical Bollywood masalathons, also because Varun Dhawan pulls off the act with flamboyance and bowls you over with an uproarious act in this zany entertainer. Go, have fun and laugh out loud!
Tags: Critics Reviews David Dhawan Ileana Main Tera Hero Nargis Fakhri Reviews Taran Adarsh Varun Dhawan
Jal Movie Review by Taran Adarsh
3.5
At a time when indie cinema is gradually but definitely making a mark in India, it’s heartening to note that spanking new stories concerning rural India are being backed by Studios and getting showcased at prime multiplexes. I earnestly feel, a number of stories with a rustic backdrop, highlighting the lives and tribulations of those residing in the countryside, ought to be given exposure. If there’s an audience for masalathons that are aimed at the hoi polloi, there’s an audience for realistic/inspiring cinema targeted at the more discerning viewer as well.
I must confess, the stunning theatrical trailer of JAL was the hook for me to look forward to the film. Since JAL has made the rounds of the festival circuit, a section of the film industry *might* write it off as a ‘festival film’, with minimal/zilch ‘commercial prospects’. But let me correct those who think that way: JAL is *not* art house cinema. Sure, it narrates a rustic tale, but it is as much ‘commercial’ as a commercial film would be. The only difference is, this is *not* a no-brainer.
Conversely, there’s a tiny section of viewers who feel that just because a film has won acclaim at festivals, it is unblemished, flawless and faultless. The question is, does JAL work as a standalone film?
First, the premise! Set in the Rann of Kutch, JAL narrates the story of Bakka [Purab Kohli], who has the knack for discovering water in the desert. The story takes a turn when an animal activist, Kim [Saidah Jules], shows up at the village. She seeks Bakka’s help to find water for the dying flamingos. A pump is installed to trace water for the flamingos, but there’s no concern for the thirsting villagers. It is at this juncture that the drama begins, with the devious Puniya [Mukul Dev] hatching a conspiracy to destroy Bakka.
An attention-grabbing premise, JAL encapsulates varied emotions and human traits in its narrative, besides highlighting the all-pertinent issue of water scarcity. Girish Malik, who makes his big screen directorial debut with this film, wastes no time to introduce his characters and the problems they face, creating a tale that packs fact and fiction wonderfully. Aiding Girish in creating a stunning canvas on screen is the DoP [Sunita Radia], who captures the parched land brilliantly on celluloid.
The story unravels slowly initially, gathering speed only towards the post-interval portions. The serpentine turn of events, the captivating drama and the episodes leading to the culmination are enthralling and camouflage the minor aberrations that you encounter at times.
With the kind of opulence and magnificence director Girish Malik puts on display in JAL, the film doesn’t come across as one made by a debutant. His command over the subject matter and the craft is incredible. The connect with the issue is tremendous as the film rakes up ecological and environmental issues, besides drawing your attention to the natives and the location. You ought to have abundant courage to choose a subject that defies the stereotype and for that alone, Girish needs a pat on his back.
One has witnessed the Rann of Kutch in several movies, but the director and DoP make sure they paint a spectacular image on canvas. The dehydrated land, the scorching heat, the desiccated stretch, the twisters leave you awestruck. Another aspect that deserves brownie points is the background score, which enhances the dramatic and emotional impact of the movie.
Hiccups? Like I pointed earlier, the story takes it own time to unravel initially. In addition, the slow pacing [first half] as well as the run time [slightly above 2 hours] could’ve been shortened for a hammer-strong impact. However, these are passing clouds in an otherwise sunny film.
It’s hard to to take your eyes off the actors, since each and every act in JAL is natural to the core. The effort is all the more laudable since the actors must’ve worked in extreme conditions, faced dust storms, yet attained the level of perfection that’s rare. Purab Kohli, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Kirti Kulhari, Mukul Dev, Yashpal Sharma, Ravi Gossain, Rahul Singh, Gary Richardson and Saidah Jules, each actor slips into his/her part effortlessly. The septuagenarian, Habib Azmi, brings about the much-needed humor with a class act.
On the whole, JAL makes a rock-solid impact. It’s poignant and powerful and I suggest, you take time out to watch this truly gripping fare.
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Main Tera Hero Movie Review by Rajeev Masand
Rating: 2
April 04, 2014
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Ileana D’cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Arunoday Singh, Anupam Kher, Saurabh Shukla, Rajpal Yadav
Director: David Dhawan
David Dhawan’s comedies, the best of them, have been cheerfully low-IQ enterprises, constructed around predictable plot lines involving lookalike protagonists, mistaken identities, cheating husbands, and triangular love stories. When Dhawan was at the top of his game, one or any of these standard ideas would have been enough for him to bang out a film filled with non-stop laughs.
But Main Tera Hero, starring the filmmaker’s son Varun, is a series of forced contrivances. The humor feels labored and manufactured, never arising spontaneously from the situations. It’s a shame because you’d think Dhawan Sr would know exactly how to make these tropes work. We have Seenu Prasad (Varun), the resident enfant terrible who falls for campus cutie Sunaina (Ileana D’cruz). But their romance hits a speed bump when Ayesha (Nargis Fakhri), the daughter of a don, takes a shine to our hero.
Dipping into his vault of tried and tested formulas, David embellishes this basic premise with an ill-conceived kidnapping subplot, and throws in various characters to thicken the mix: a second suitor for Sunaina’s affections in the form of a hot-headed cop (Arunoday Singh), Ayesha’s dim-witted trigger-happy dad (Anupam Kher), and sundry sidekicks (Saurabh Shukla and Rajpal Yadav, both in good form). The bimbo count is raised by the presence of Evelyn Sharma, surprisingly effective in a small role as the don’s trophy girlfriend.
Little of this sadly flies because the dialogue feels stilted, and there’s an overdose of those English puns in Hindi lines. “Jabse main pampers mein thi, mere dad mujhe pamper karte aaye hain,” Nargis says at one point. There are countless references to other films, gratuitous cameos (Shakti Kapoor) that add little value, and an overall feeling of “haven’t-we-seen-enough-of-this-nonsense-already?” that hangs over the film.
Expectedly Main Tera Hero is meant as a showcase for the many talents of Dhawan Jr, who can dance, fight and contort his face and body with remarkable flexibility. A scene in which he evades Saurabh Shukla while all along trailing right behind him is vintage Govinda. Meanwhile his lack of inhibitions – both when it comes to losing his shirt repeatedly and performing outlandish gags – is evocative of a younger Salman Khan. Those actors did some of their best comic work with David Dhawan, and Varun too is easily the biggest strength of this film. Nargis Fakhri, cleverly used, inspires a few laughs, but Ileana D’cruz is purely ornamental.
There are the odd touches here and there that call to mind David’s sharp wit – explaining why Anupam Kher repeats the last bit of every sentence he utters, Saurabh Shukla says: “Manali ki vaadiyon mein inka janm hua tha” – but the film needed more of such inspired lunacy.
I’m going with two out of five for Main Tera Hero. Watch it if you must for its catchy songs, a few good laughs, and a leading man who really tries.
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