After Manmohan Desai and Subhash Ghai in the 80s, the one director whose films our group of movie-freak friends enjoyed a lot in the next decade was David Dhawan and we all really waited for every new David-Govinda film quite desperately. Remembering those years I sometimes do feel, as if these lavish multiplexes promoting a more sophisticated and educated way of movie watching, have probably ruined that unforgettable & enigmatic experience of witnessing a typical David-Govinda film among all the crazy fans. And MAIN TERA HERO really transported me to those times quite honestly, as David was proudly back with his own style of entertaining cinema, presenting a new age Govinda found in his son Varun Dhawan acting in just his second film.
Having said that as the film begins, it just turns out to be another loud product aiming to please the audience, incorporating everything possible missing the desired mark. All the actors simply behave over the top including Varun and the viewer doesn't get involved with any of the characters individually in these first 10 minutes. But once Arunoday Singh and Rajpal Yadav enter the scene alone with Ileana, the whole scenario changes and suddenly Varun gets into a current generation avatar of good old Govinda surprising one and all. Without wasting any more time he starts impressing in almost every sequence and one begins enjoying the film much more than the expectations, before it says interval.
Post intermission new characters are called in to keep you entertained including Nargis Fakhri, Saurabh Shukla and Anupam Kher with his amusing echo system straight from the mountains, working instantly. The catchy tracks continue giving a boost to its overall momentum and one just feels like watching a typical David Dhawan film of the 90s featuring Varun instead of Govinda. Interestingly Shakti Kapoor also joins in towards the end to recreate the same magic but his track sadly turns out to be a more forced one in absence of the inimitable Kadar Khan.
To give the due credit, though the film is a remake of 2011 Telugu hit KANDIREEGA, it actually works because of David Dhawan's absorbingly entertaining adaptation, fast editing and many funny dialogues well written by Milap Zaveri. The father makes his talented son do many things particularly for the single screen viewers in the small centers just like he used to play with Govinda. And Varun doesn't disappoint him either grabbing the big opportunity given showcasing his comic timing perfectly.
The soundtrack by Sajid-Wajid suits a David Dhawan like a 'T' and I really missed'Chichi' a lot in songs like "Shanivaar Raati" and "Tera Dhyaan Kidhar Hai" in particular. The compositions force you to start swinging sitting on your seat itself, which was always a key feature of David's films in those particular years. The background score maintains the racy tempo throughout and the action sequences intelligently incorporate the humor factor too as required.
Performance wise, as expected Varun leads the show in style and I hope this film doesn't turn his confidence into over-confidence next. The boy unexpectedly lives every Govinda moment in the film wonderfully and David has surely found a new Govinda in his own home after so many years. Ileana looks pretty and does well in her limited scope but Nargis Fakhri is really awful with her English accent and silly expressions. As a matter of fact, now I can assume how difficult would have been for Imtiaz to get her perform in that decent way in ROCKSTAR. But then since the girls offer a good amount of skin show and kisses too, so the viewers are not going to mind the lack of acting skills as it seems. In the supporting cast, Anupam Kher is simply superb with her echoing dialogues & Rajpal Yadav successfully generates some good laughs along with Saurabh Shukla. Arunoday Singh leaves a strong impact as the tough villain trying the comic act for the first time. Plus Manoj Pahwa, Supriya Shukla, Evelyn Sharmaand Raju Kher provide a good support.
Finding the flaws, it is no doubt based on a very mindless plot and can also be cornered by calling it a product designed to promote Varun Dhawan alone. The film slows down a bit in the second half too going into some over stretched sequences heading towards a hurried climax. But the mad, crazy treatment of the director fast picks it up well in time and drags you back into the entertaining world of fun, full of many witty one liners. In short, forget about the logic, keep away the intellectual cap for a while and enjoy MAIN TERA HERO just like a 90s David-Govinda film going back in time.
In poetic verse, for some there might be less and for some there might be more, but there is entertainment in the film for sure
for everyone. So do give it a try and have a good time along with the new age Govinda and the veteran David Dhawan once again hitting the mark in the new millennium.
