To begin with, if a person is eager enough to either appreciate or criticize HERO just because its produced & presented by Salman Khan then that would be a faulty way of watching or rating the film unarguably. So let us keep 'The Salman factor' associated with the project aside and consider this as an important debut venture of a young 'industry' couple willing to win over the audience through their honest efforts.
But moving ahead, the second hurdle HERO is bound to face inevitably is the comparison with its original musical gem HERO (released in 1983), that is still fresh in the minds as well as in the precious collection of Hindi film music lovers all over the world. The present version of HERO largely follows Ghai's classic in the first half and therefore cannot avoid the comparisons drawn by the viewers, being an official remake coming after 32 long years.
However, respecting the makers as well as the debutants relying a lot on the film, I would like to keep the comparison for the later part of the review and begin with the film as a fresh release presented with a major publicity campaign. So as a love story with the catchy title HERO, introducing two youngsters from the families belonging to the industry itself, what can be the first thing expected from the film by the excited viewers?
The very first thing has to be some kind of novelty in the project in terms of storyline, execution, sequences, action, conflicts, the loving chemistry and the soundtrack making it a worth watching experience for all. But sadly Nikhil Advani's HERO has got nothing to offer in these crucial departments and the film simply remains a lazily or rather unintelligently made project relying too heavily on the person promoting it from the front having a gigantic fan following. In fact watching the film progressing so boringly on a badly written script with nothing engrossing at all happening in those two hours, one is forced to assume that maybe it's the case of too many cooks spoiling the dish as the saying goes. Probably too much interference coming from all corners (Shettys, Pancholis & Khans) turned the film into an unentertaining mess that was supposed to be a remake of a highly enjoyable and hit movie of the 80s. Commencing on a very poor note following the typical Bollywood format and a below average party song, HERO fails to make any kind of impact within its first 20 minutes itself and then everything happening so quickly defying all the logics simply puts the viewer off before the intermission only. Post interval it even stops following the original and goes on with its own clichéd and mediocre plot with no sense of time-gaps or logical justifications as such.
To say the least, there is no depth found in either the two persons loving or the others opposing their love right till the climax. As a result, you never feel like watching an intense love story with a lot of conflict involved. The film begins and keeps delivering the same seen before sequences one after another without caring about the people sitting in the theater having spent their hard earned money and time. In other words, HERO of 2015 can easily be presented as a perfect example of most irresponsible film made in the present times playing with two young careers.
Also its a film having the most inappropriate people chosen as the cast, who fail to establish any kind of connect with the given roles be it a father, an uncle, a bhabhi, a mother or the villains. So where Tigmanshu Dhulia falters big time in playing the father (despite being a gifted performer), the rest of the actors simply play their roles as another usual assignment signed to earn some quick bucks. And as it is said, nothing can hamper a film more badly than a wrong casting.
A fine cinematography and action accompanied by some mediocre writing, sloppy editing and dull dialogues keep affecting the film at various points. Like its really amusing to notice an inspector suddenly giving the instructions from a helicopter, who was just doing the same at the ground in exactly the previous shot. Moreover a scene showing the girl praying to BUDDHA considering him as a GOD, clearly reveals how much less the writers as well as the youngsters know about the enlightened soul and his views about the existence of God.
A big letdown in the music department too, the only likable track remains the Salman Khan number that has been arranged well with a catchy hook line working fine. But God knows when the music directors would understand that by only calling in Rahat Fateh Ali Khan to render a track doesn't ensure you a hit song always.
Coming to the two debutantes, Sooraj certainly has got a decent screen presence with a solid physique to display, particularly in the actions sequences and Athiya Shetty looks pretty in some specific scenes only to put it honestly. However as far as the performances are concerned, they both got to thank their 'surnames' much more than the inherited talent, that needs to be accepted as a harsh truth at this particular point of time (as nobody knows what fate or luck has in store for them in the coming years).
In few words, Nikhil Advani's film quite brutally and shamelessly murders Ghai's HERO, particularly while adapting its fabulously written characterizations. And thus cannot be recommended for anything at all.
