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By Taran Adarsh, April 11, 2003 - 16:52 IST
When you have a huge hit like GADAR behind you, the expectations from your next
film multiply manifold. In that respect, the expectations from THE HERO are
gargantuan.
THE HERO has it all – The golden combination of director Anil Sharma, writer
Shaktimaan, music director Uttam Singh and lead man Sunny Deol.
THE HERO has it all – Grand production values, breath-taking locales of the
U.S., Canada and Switzerland, opulent sets... In fact, if at all there's a
'Lion-hearted Producer Award', it should be reserved for the Shah brothers of
Time for sparing no expenses in making a film of epic proportions. Truly, the
Shah brothers are the behind-the-screen heroes of this flick.
THE HERO has it all – Fiery dialogues that would send the crowd into raptures,
references to the neighbouring country that would be greeted with cheers, like
it happened in BORDER and GADAR, and also edge-of-the-seat stunts that make you
gape in awe.
THE HERO has the looks of a hero, but unlike GADAR, it lacks the soul to make
you cry and make your heart go out for the on-screen characters. The
husband-wife-son saga in GADAR continued to haunt you even after the show ended.
Sadly, THE HERO lacks in this vital department – emotions. And the emotions
depicted Iin THE HERO are superficial.
Sunny Deol is an army intelligence officer posted in Kashmir. He has been posted
there to keep track of the terrorists' activities across the border. He falls in
love with Preity Zinta and soon, she becomes a part of his network.
Preity is sent across the border as part of a strategy, but soon the plan fails
and Preity finds herself exposed to the militants – Amrish Puri, Khalid Mohammed
and Rajat Bedi.
However, she escapes from their clutches and is saved by Sunny in the nick of
time. Sunny and Preity get engaged but during the celebrations, the militants
explode the place and Preity is feared dead.
However, Preity is very much alive and has reached the shores of Pakistan. She
is saved by Parvin Dabas, but due to a shock, she cannot use her limbs. Parvin
takes her to Canada for treatment and coincidentally, Sunny also reaches there
to accomplish his mission.
The doctor treating on Preity is none other than Priyanka Chopra, who happens to
be the daughter of Kabir Bedi, an accomplice of Amrish Puri. To have an access
to Kabir Bedi, Sunny befriends Priyanka and plans to marry her. But Amrish Puri
gets to know of Sunny's true identity. What happens next?
The problem with THE HERO lies in its screenplay. Now, that's all the more
surprising since the screenplay was the highpoint of GADAR. Writer Shaktimaan
goofs up bigtime in weaving a tale around the loves and lives of a spy, but the
outcome is not as intriguing as a James Bond flick, nor is it as captivating as
the Dharmendra – Mala Sinha hit ANKHEN.
To start with, the script relies too heavily on the nuclear bomb, sidelining the
Indo-Pak issue or for that matter the Kashmir issue completely. The writer goes
into the minutest of details explaining what a nuclear bomb is all about and how
it gets made, making the goings-on too technical at times. To be honest, the
making of a nuclear bomb or its parts hold no significance for the ordinary
cinegoer. Moreover, the dialogues in English [at several places] may not find
flavour with a sizeable chunk of the audience.
Ideally, issues such as crossborder terrorism and how the spy exposes the
neighbouring country's devious plans should've been given prominence, since the
common man can identify with these issues. Tracking the formula of a nuclear
bomb could've been a small segment in the screenplay, giving it so much
prominence was not required.
The film also lacks the romantic and emotional feel of GADAR. The romantic
moments between Sunny and Preity are far too less and even the ones that have
been depcited are not the type that would register an impact. The film has been
publicised as a love story of a spy, but the love story is hardly exciting.
Even the Sunny – Priyanka love story should've had a solid foundation. At least
there should've been some tender moments between them to justify their romance.
Director Anil Sharma takes a step forward when it comes to providing
larger-than-life visuals. The money spent is visible in every frame, the grand
look of the film just cannot be overlooked. But barring a few individual
sequences, the drama clearly lacks a hammer-strong impact.
Yes, a few sequences do linger in your memory, like the one when a militant
[Rajat Bedi] performs a thorough check of Preity, his hands moving at all the
wrong places and a helpless Preity standing bewildered.
The avalanche in the first half can also be singled out. Something like this
hasn't been depicted on the Indian screen before. The drama during the
celebrations in the second half, when Preity and Sunny come face to face, is
also electrifying.
But the drama depicted in the film is not a patch on Anil Sharma's earlier works
like SHRADDHANJALI, BANDHAN KACHCHE DHAGON KA, HUKUMAT and of course, GADAR. The
director's efforts to give something different from GADAR is laudable, but the
screenplay lets him down terribly. Even the climax, though novel in concept,
does not come across as spellbinding.
If Shaktimaan is not in form as a screenplay writer, he more than compensates in
the dialogues department. The dialogues, especially against the militants, are
clapworthy. Cinematography deserves distinction marks. The visual appeal of the
film is terrific. Action sequences are awe-inspiring.
Uttam Singh's music is a sore point. Barring the 'Dil Mein Hain Pyaar' and 'In
Mast Nigahon Mein', the remaining tracks just don't appeal.
Sunny Deol does well in a role that seems tailormade for him. He's good, not
excellent. One does miss his fiery outbursts, synonymous with the roles he
plays. He seemed to have worked hard on his get-ups and that's commendable.
Preity Zinta is competent, radiating charm all through. Priyanka Chopra's role
could've been properly developed. Yet, despite the shortcoming, the newcomer
oozes confidence.
Amrish Puri excels. Kabir Bedi is equally convincing. Rajpal Yadav is passable.
Shahbaaz Khan is fair. Khalid Mohammed is first-rate.
On the whole, THE HERO has gloss and hype as its trumpcards, but comparisons
with GADAR will go against it. THE HERO lacks in emotions, music and a taut
screenplay. At the box-office, the opening of the film is fantastic and keeping
in view the vacation period, will only add to its grand opening, giving a
respite to the drought-stricken industry. Also, with no big film scheduled for
release in the coming weeks, the film will get an open run, which should prove
beneficial to its investors.
 
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