Movie Review: Hero

Ashok Galla, nephew of Mahesh Babu and grandson of Superstar Krishna, is set for his debut with Hero. With such an influential background, several stars have come forward to promote the film. It is clashing with Nagarjuna’s Bangarraju and Rowdy Boys at the marquee for this Sankranthi season. Check out our verdict of Hero.

Plot

Arjun (Ashok Galla) wants to become a movie hero. Despite attending auditions, luck doesn’t favour him. A wrong parcel changes his world upside down as he mistakenly receives a gun that was supposed for another Arjun (Mime Gopi). The protagonist Arjun realizes that villains want to kill his girlfriend Subbu’s father (Jagapathi Babu). How Arjun goes all out to save his father-in-law to-be and finally achieves his dream is the crux of the story.

Performances

Ashok Galla did a fair job. Despite being a newcomer, he managed to do well in romantic and comedy scenes. Barring climax sequence, Ashok is alright. Nidhhi Agerwal doesn’t shine much. She got a limited role. Even her chemistry with Ashok didn’t work well. Mime Gopi & his gang are reduced to comedy villains. Kota Srinivasa Rao is confined to a blink-and-miss cameo. Vennela Kishore’s episodes are hilarious. Comedian Sathya evokes some laughs. Sr Naresh as usual does justice to his part as hero’s father and also brings some relief at portions. Ajay as crooked police inspector fails to engage. His character isn’t etched well. Though there is a twist to his character, it isn’t satisfying. Actor Ravi Kishan as Salim Bhai leaves no impact due to poor writing of his role.

Technicalities

After Devadas, Sriram Adittya has attempted a comedy drama laced with crime thriller. There are several layers in Hero. But none of them worked fully. The non-seriousness treatment which worked for Jathi Ratnalu hasn’t worked here for Hero. Particularly, the pre-climax and climax portions go haywire. Probably, better treatment and some crucial changes in the second-half would have saved Hero. Remix song in retro backdrop is well-shot. Ghibran’s background music is alright. Visuals are appealing. It is evident that the makers have splurged to make the film look grand.

Thumbs Up

Twists In First Half
Stylish Making

Thumbs Down

Too Many Subplots
Second Half
Climax
Weak Villains

Analysis

Hero takes off well. But it doesn’t land well. The film suffers with the crucial second-half syndrome where director struggles while unraveling the story and connecting the dots. The non-seriousness storytelling may not work well for every script. They rarely work for films like Jathi Ratnalu. Sadly, this didn’t work for Hero at all. The whole episode of a don Salim bhai and he is aspiring to see his biopic looks out of the place. Jagapathi Babu’s flashback episode and Brahmaji’s unwanted entry in the climax portions just confuse the audiences and puts off them. Loud episodes should have been avoided.

Hero isn’t completely bad though. The first half is racy and partly engaging. There are good twists that are interconnected. But the film lacks the emotion. The love track of the lead actors isn’t well established. What made Subbu fell so deep for Arjun isn’t convincing enough. Also, Subbu not knowing her own father’s deeds raises eyebrows. Even if we forgive these and move forward, what we’re offered in the latter half only disappoints.

A don like Salim Bhai wanders everywhere as if he is not hiding from police or anyone. Yet cops couldn’t trace him and attack him unless they get to know about his whereabouts accidentally from Jagapathi Babu. This isn’t convincing. Even a don like Salim Bhai wants to see his own biopic is far from reality. The don seems to be jobless as he keeps chasing Jagapathi Babu and gives this task to two other comic villains.

Making-wise, Hero has advantages of appealing visuals. But the narration is what plays the spoilsport. The comedy and parody have dominated thus affecting the soul of the film.

Bottom-line: Hero Only In Parts

Rating: 2.5/5

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