An Action Hero - An Absolute Fun Ride !

Right at the beginning of the film Action Superstar Manaav is shooting an action scene in Haryana, The scene requires him to be angry, after all “Bhai ke khoon ka badla lee raha hoon”  - but he just can’t seem to get angry. “gussa hi nahin aa raha” he says to his manager.

The scene perfectly foreshadows the rest of the film as Bhoora played by the magnificent Jaideep Alhawaat goes all out against manaav to take revenge for his brother’s death and not being able to get angry is a problem he doesn’t have.

An Action Hero is a story about Maanav – A Youth Icon. A Superstar. An Action Hero. Maanav is at the peak of his career when a stray incident involving a local politician’s younger brother gets out of hand. Manaav is now on the run, with each passing moment, every option, every resource he has is vanishing, just as his public persona in hands of the judgemental media. As the walls close in on him. He has no option to become a “Real life Action Hero” to survive and get back his life.

The best part of An Action Hero is how it manages to follow the beats of a typical action thriller, while at the same time not being a typical action thriller. Let me try to explain

Don't want to read - watch the video instead

Let’s take the example of our hero - Manaav

-          Just like a typical action hero, he is strong, fearless and stylish. But he doesn’t have a rousing back story – of hasn't grown up on the trenches, lost everything and fought his way to the top. He is infact privileged and acts like a narcissist jerk throughout.  He doesn’t have a strong motive.  – he is just surviving.

-          In fact all of this is given to Bhoora, Jaideep Alawaat’s character – who plays the antagonist – A self-made man, who has come up the ranks and created a clout for himself. A clout that is challenged along with his ego, when an actor kills off his younger brother.

In a typical sense, he is the hero of the movie.

Come to think of it every aspect of the film encompasses this duality. Right from its casting – Having Ayushmann Khurana who is the eternal boy next door “raja beta” play a badass action hero is in itself a statement. It is meant to put you off initially. Yeh Kaise Action hero. Then throughout the film, it works hard to prove itself wrong and make you believe. Yes, He hero hai!!

Even the style of action has this duality built-in… It's equal parts larger than life and equal parts real.

As I said earlier. This dichotomy that the movie exists in – of being formulaic and not at the same time is its biggest strength. Something that I haven’t seen done – not at least in Indian cinema.

Writer Neeraj Yadav and Director Anirudh Iyer must be applauded for cracking this balance and getting the tone… the surr – just right.

Some of the cleverest bits in the film is its use of humor – As a movie, no character, and no situation is written to be funny. The role of the comedian is played by the Indian News Media. Their reactions to the events unfolding in the screenplay give you the necessary comic relief that a taut thriller like this needs. 

 Ayushmann Khurrana completely reinvents himself in this film. The role is a far cry from the typical “raja beta desh sudharega” high-concept moral films. 

But the man who almost steals the show from right under his nose is Jaideep Alwaahat – a terrific actor who finally finds his groove after the brilliant patal lok. In a slightly underwritten role, his presence elevates the movie and gives it the credibility that it uses fully.

What I also liked in the movie is – there is no family or unnecessary love angel, which distracts us from the narrative. It’s a chase thriller and it is relentless from start to finish.

However, despite all these good things, the film is not completely without flaws

The last act, where a most wanted underworld don appears feels inorganic as if it is done only so the climax can happen the way it happens.  Introducing him earlier would have added another layer of thrill to the chase and the climax would not have felt so convenient.

The logical flaws – there are too many to count. In any action thriller – there is always a heightened sense of danger, a heightened sense of urgency and therefore a heightened sense of reality. There is a suspension of disbelief that you as the audience are willing to accept. The filmmaker has to respect that. However, showing your hero beating the crap out of UK police and outwitting them – again n again n again is stretching that.

These slight problems aside – All in All – An Action Hero is an absolute fun ride at the cinemas. A thoroughly engaging nontypical chase thriller. It will give you the laughs, the kicks, the rush and the high. Exactly what a good movie is supposed to do.

If it is one movie you plan to watch in theatres this weekend – let it be this one.