Hero

Director PS Mithran’s debut movie, ‘Irumbu Thirai’ was one of last year’s hits. The director also went onto prove that he can marry today’s modern issues with commercial mass masala with an engaging underpinning screenplay. His latest Sivakarthikeyan starrer, ‘Hero’ has also taken a pertinent societal issue as its premise - our educational system.

The screenplay was right on the money when the movie started. The lines from Aathichoodi “Karkai Nandre Karkai Nandre, Pichai Puginum Karkai Nandre” gave the hint on what we are about to witness for the next 160 odd minutes. Also, in here, PS Mithran has tried to fuse in the dogmas in the current educational ethos with superheroic elements!

The movie had a great premise and has taken a dig at the current educational system and the focus was more on the pedagogy or the method of imparting education. The unnecessary dogmas surrounding the significance of a degree without getting qualified in the true sense was a major win for the film in terms of its content.

However, can a film stand on its own with the content alone? What about the plot that is supposed to be airtight? And, what about the screenplay that is supposed to be engaging throughout? And, what about the unnecessary commercial compromises that a star like Sivakarthikeyan demands?

The movie’s first half was more about the introduction of characters and the plot points were well established. The interval block arrives in style and gives the movie its high point with Arjun doing the honors. Arjun’s role as that of a mentor was much more impressive than Sivakarthikeyan’s.

After watching the movie, I realized that the superhero element was just a gimmick and the movie could have been a lot better with Sivakarthikeyan playing a normal role. Here too he doesn’t have any supernatural powers or larger than life stuff, but the superhero element stood out as an unnecessary addition.

Abhay Deol as the new-age Bollywood villain talks smoothly with venom and had a consistent expression throughout. The dubbing artist was much more expressive in emoting than the actor. Kalyani Priyadarshan appears in the first half as the typical star film’s heroine and then disappeared for the rest of the movie.

We forget the presence of people like ‘Robo’ Shankar as he was notably calm and was not given the leash to score. Ivana in the supporting role was impressive, though she sounded a bit ‘reel’ with her Malayali accent. Azhagam Perumal was in his elements in the usual old-age dad’s role. However, his ‘nellai’ accent and expressions added authentic flavors to the masala.

Songs were mostly offbeat, except for the hero title track. However, Yuvan’s background score was satisfying. Other technicalities were convincing as well. Credits to the dialogue writers who have done a commendable job in picking the right lines to create the most impact. Whistles fly when SK asks the parents to ponder into their children’s ‘rough’ notebook instead of the ones for specific subjects. Also, Abhay Deol’s line like ‘if a guy says A for Apple, he is my product. But if he says A for Aeroplane then he is my competition’.

The movie with its compelling premise could have scaled greater heights had there been clarity for certain roles. For instance, we know Abhay Deol runs an educational institution, but what else does he do? Getting in touch with the oil cartel and negotiating with them was a far fetched plot point. The movie also walks on the edge of morality when it portrays its lead as someone who prints fake certificates for a living and the other main character as a dacoit (read it as Robinhood) who steals from the corrupt educational institutions to help needy students.

Towards the climax the movie steadily drifted away from the ‘believability’ zone and was busy catering to Sivakarthikeyan’s action gimmicks. Also, the proceeding went into a preachy zone where a person like Samuthirakani would have made merry.

The movie is a one-time watch for its premise and the impactful lines that call out for a much more robust pedagogy that equips the youth to handle the current day challenges with practicality and emotional intelligence.

Verdict: Average

Rating: 2.5 / 5