Hero (2015 Hindi film)

Hero
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Nikhil Advani
Produced by	Salman Khan Subhash Ghai
Written by	Nikhil Advani Umesh Bist
Based on	Hero by Subhash Ghai
Starring	Sooraj Pancholi Athiya Shetty Aditya Pancholi
Music by	Songs: Amaal Mallik Meet Bros Anjjan Sachin-Jigar Jassi Katyal Background Score: Sandeep Shirodkar
Production company	Salman Khan Films
Distributed by	Eros International
Release dates	11 September 2015 (2015-09-11)
Running time	2 hrs 12 mins
Country	India
Language	Hindi

Hero is an Indian romantic action film directed by Nikhil Advani and co-written by Umesh Bist, a remake of Subhash Ghai's directed 1983 film of the same name, which starred Jackie Shroff. The film launched star kids Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty, son of actor Aditya Pancholi and daughter of actor Sunil Shetty respectively in lead roles. Aditya Pancholi has an important role in the film himself.

The film was released on 11 September 2015 worldwide.^[1]

Plot

Sooraj Kaushik is a gangster from Mumbai who meets Radha Mathur, daughter of the city's Chief of Police, IG Shrikant Mathur, during a party. Sooraj, under instructions from his gangster father, Suryakant 'Pasha' Ranade, kidnaps Radha because Shrikant brought evidence against Pasha in court, and kidnaps Radha in the guise of a police officer, by telling her that he received instructions from the police to take her away from city as there is a threat that Pasha and his gang will kidnap Radha unless they move for some time. During these days they slowly fall in love. One day the police tracks them and Sooraj and Radha escape but Sooraj is shot in the arm when trying to jump over a broken bridge and they both fall in water. Later they are rescued by a colony of monks but the world thinks both are dead. Sooraj, who was badly injured, remained unconscious. Radha talks about her love for him she finds Sooraj is awake. Later he confesses Radha that he had kidnapped her. Radha has however fallen in love with Sooraj. Radha asks Sooraj to surrender and Sooraj is sent to jail for 2 years. During that time Radha's brother Dheeraj asks her to go to Paris.

One and a half years later, the court reduces Sooraj's sentence on grounds of good behaviour. Sooraj is out of jail and is ready to start a new life with Radha but to live a life he needed to earn. So he starts a fitness centre for living with support from Radha and Dheeraj. Then Dheeraj introduces Ranvijay, who is a smuggler, and a helper of Pasha but shows them that he is innocent. He is liked by Radha's family and Shrikant decides to tie Ranvijay and Radha into the knot. But Ranvijay, being Pasha's henchman, intends to break Radha's and Sooraj's love. Radha and Sooraj tell Radha's family about what happened, how they met and how they fell in love, but her father still refuses to accept Sooraj as he was a goon. One night Ranvijay stabs Sooraj, who loses consciousness.

Later, in the morning, Pasha arrives intending to kill Radha and Sooraj but seeing their love for each other, leaves them unharmed. But Ranvijay still holds a grudge against Sooraj. A fight ensues and Ranvijay is shot by Radha's father. Radha's father then accepts Sooraj and they get married and live a happy life.

Cast

• Sooraj Pancholi as Sooraj Kaushik
• Athiya Shetty as Radha Mathur
• Aditya Pancholi as Suryakant 'Pasha' Ranade
• Tigmanshu Dhulia as IG Shrikant Mathur
• Sharad Kelkar as Dheeraj Mathur (Radha's Brother)
• Anita Hassanandani as Ruchi Mathur (Dheeraj's Wife)
• Vivan Bhatena as Ranvijay Shekhawat
• Chetan Hansraj as Changhezi
• Randeep Kumar Jha as Rathudi
• Anil Mange as Salim
• Trishaan as Gangu
• Ashish Verma as Mangesh

Production

In May 2013 it was announced that Subhash Ghai is all set to remake 1983 version of the film Hero, which will be re-edited and re- written.^[2] On 6 August 2013 it was announced that Nikhil Advani is all set to direct and re-write the script for the film, which Salman Khan is producing.^[3] On 19 September 2013 news confirmed that Khan has announced to launch his own production house Salman Khan Productions, which will debut by producing the remake Hero film. On 7 January 2014 news revealed that Khan has set the film to start production on 18 February, and the film will be released on 12 December 2014.^[4][5]

On 10 February 2014 it was reported that Ghai original director of the film has approved the script re-written by Nikhil Advani and his co-writer Umesh Bist. Ghai said "I think they've done a fantastic job of contemporizing my script to suit today's tastes". ^[6]

Casting

On 14 August 2013 news told that Govinda and Vinod Khanna will also star in the remake film.^[7] On 25 October 2013 Ghai said "Yes, Salman may make a special appearance but he will primarily be working as the producer of the film" ^[8] and he will be singing the title song of the film. On 9 February 2014 it was confirmed that Athiya Shetty will make her acting debut in the remake film opposite to Sooraj Pancholi.^[9] Pancholi's father Aditya Pancholi, a lead actor of the 1980s and 1990s, was also cast in the film.

Filming

On 19 September 2013 it was announced that both young actors Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty are currently undergoing training to start the film's production.^[10] On 7 January 2014 Khan set the film to start shooting on 18 February.^[4] Later Nikhil Advani began the principal photography of the film on 16 February 2014 at the Gateway of India.^[11][12]

Aside from producing the film, Salman Khan was also the editor.

Critical reception

Mohar Bash from Times of India gave 3* to the film stating that "Sculpted as a full throttle masala entertainer, Hero is plot-heavy. And while you are well acquainted with the story, Nikhil and Salman's sensibility works as midas touch, giving the film a different texture. It is slick and never allows its viewers to feel restless. For its 132 minutes' crisp runtime."

Bollywood Hungama gave 2/5* to the film stating that "On the whole, HERO fails the litmus test of rehashing a classic for the Generation Next. It appeals in very small measures and is not an ideal weekend entertainer. If you a die-hard Salman Khan fan, you may want to patronise, else avoid."

Koimoi gave 2.5/5* to the film stating that " Hero is a complete throwback of the 'Ek Gunda Ek IG Ki Beti Se Kaise Pyaar Kar Sakta Hai' era. Nikhil Advani misses out on presenting a completely entertaining plot. All the elements seem scattered and hence there is neither enough romance nor action nor drama. The screenplay is a little hotchpotch and that is what affects the film badly." Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN gave 2/5* stating that "This is lazy, indifferent filmmaking, and a colossal bore for most of its running time. A video featuring Salman Khan singing the terrific title track at the end is too little too late. I'm going with two out of five."

Indian express gave 0/5* to the film stating that "This stale story is transported to 2015 for reasons best known to the filmmakers. If you are giving us a brand new pair, what is to stop you from giving us a brand new plot? And if you do have to remake that 80s show, why can't you do a better job?"

Martin D'souza from Glamsham gave 0/5* to the film stating that "This film is just an extended promo for two star kids of the industry who have got the backing from Salman Khan, Subhash Ghai and Eros International; not necessarily in that order."

Vishal Thakur of the Hindi daily Hindustan gave the film a 1.5/5 rating and criticised the film's plot and acting.^[13]

Box office

India

The film netted ₹6.85 crore (US$1.0 million) on its opening day.^[14] On its second day the film collected ₹6.62 crore (US$980,000) to take its two-day total to ₹13.50 crore (US$2.0 million).^[15] Its first weekend collection stand at ₹21 crore (US$3.1 million).^[16] On its fourth day the film collected ₹3.03 crore (US$450,000) nett.^[17] The film collected ₹2.45 crore (US$360,000) on its fifth day of release.^[18] The film collected around ₹30 crore (US$4.5 million) nett in its first week.^[19] The film collected ₹1.56 crore (US$230,000) nett in its second weekend.^[20]

Soundtrack

The music for Hero is composed by Amaal Mallik, Meet Bros Anjjan and Sachin-Jigar while lyrics are by Kumaar and Niranjan Iyengar. This is perhaps the only film till date where Advani has not worked with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, though they were at parallel with Advani's successive release, Katti Batti. The first song Main Hoon Hero Tera in Salman's voice, composed by Amaal Mallik was released on 9 August 2015 and it received more than 55 million views.^[21] The full audio album was released on 14 August 2015. The music rights have been acquired by T-Series.

References

External links

• Hero at the Internet Movie Database