Movie Review 'Main Tera Hero': There is something about fathers directing sons

Rating: 3 stars

Director: David Dhawan

Cast: Varun Dhawan, Ileana D’Cruz, Nargis Fakhri, Anupam Kher

David Dhawan is back and Varun Dhawan has arrived. Main Tera Hero marks the birth of this new age Govinda. Dance moves, check; histrionics, check; ear-to-ear grin, check; comic timing, double check. Add to this six-pack abs and a boyish charm, and he’s truly tera hero, at least in what we’d like to call the David Dhawan cult of Hindi cinema.

There’s something about fathers directing sons in films. Remember Rakesh Roshan’s glittering launchpad for Hrithik in Kaho Na Pyar Hai? David’s film too is a vanity project of similar proportions, where papa Dhawan is out to show the world that the erstwhile “Student Of The Year” is every bit “hero” material as well.

And he does make a point. Varun very effortlessly becomes Seenu Prasad, an idler from Conoor, who manages to stay likeable even as he kidnaps his teacher’s daughter for two extra marks to pass in his exams. That’s how Seenu makes an entry in the film and it’s enough to get a fair idea of what’s to come. He drops out of college only to get admission in another one, and this time he makes a promise to himself that he will get a degree.

But when he falls for the college hottie Sunaina (Ileana D’Cruz), his father’s prophesy, ‘yeh degree nahi, third degree layega’ begins to ring ominously true. The rest of the film is packed with David Dhawan essentials --- a story (or the lack of it) that plays out in a fancy villa where swimming pool is a must, along with foot-tapping music, a set of goons who are unintentionally funny and one liners, that are sometimes witty, sometimes tacky, like for instance “Tere aagey toh Dennis bhi menace nahi lagta.” (Yeah, I know). But somehow when they all come together, they manage to entertain. Just laugh. Don’t ask yourself why.

David indulges in a lot of Bollywood jokes. From Katrina Kaif’s questionable Hindi, to Ranbir Kapoor’s Barfi smile, not much is spared. Varun even does a bhajan version of Ranbir’sBadtameez Dil, which is one of the highlights of the film. His six-packs and Nargis Fakhri’s never-ending curves keeps the X-factor high. Ileana’s sweet girl act balances it out.

There are a few generous lip locks too. But what binds the film together is Varun’s relentless energy. From romantic scenes, to dance steps, to action sequences, this actor packs a punch, pun totally intended. He has the best lines and he justifies why. In fact, he even manages to elevate some average lines just by way of dialogue delivery. The supporting cast comprising Anupam Kher, Saurabh Shukla and Rajpal Yadav among others remains rock solid. Kher’s “echoes” are a laugh riot. Arunoday Singh does his bit as a comical villain, while Shukla’s slow speech accelerates the fun.

Keeping things largely distanced from logic, David clearly plays to his strengths. He knows nobody comes looking for any semblance of realism in his films. So he keeps it shamelessly mindless and there is nothing wrong with that. Full marks to his leading man Varun for carrying an improbable plot to the finish line, making it a fun one-time watch. This hero is here to stay.