This Two-Hero Film Disappoints In The 2nd Half!. Review on Heropanti

Whenever we hear of a girl eloping with a boy she loves as her parents are dead against their marriage, we most of the times side with the eloping pair and denounce the parents and family members for forcing their child into marriage and not respecting her wishes. What we don’t realize most of the times is what the family members of the girl go through after the elopement. Yes, they did err but somewhere, all they wanted is that their daughter should be happy, within the norms of the society. Heropanti tells a story of one such father who is shattered after his daughter runs away from her marriage with her boyfriend and the resulting consequences. The film could have been a decent entertainer, something on the lines of R…Rajkumar. But while the first half is breezy, the second half drags, the interest dips and these factors take away the impact created by the initial hour.

The story of the movie: Chaudhary(Prakash Raj) is an authoritarian man living somewhere in the ‘jaatlands’ of North India. His daughter Renu(Sandeepa Dhar) runs away with her boyfriend Rakesh(Devanshu Sharma) minutes before her marriage is scheduled to take place. Chaudhary, his family and their henchmen then go all out in searching for their daughter. They kidnap his friends – Jitesh(Jatin Suri), Karan(Karan Chhabra) and the dashing Babloo(Tiger Shroff) – assuming that they would know about Rakesh’s whereabouts. But it seems they have no idea about the same. Meanwhile, Babloo realizes that Dimpy(Kriti Sanon), the girl whom he has fallen in love with at first sight, resides in Chaudhary’s village. What he doesn’t know is that she is the second daughter of Chaudhary.

Heropanti has few rough edges in the first half but yet, one doesn’t mind as its entertaining and convincing as well to an extent. The film picks up with Tiger Shroff’s rocking entry and fight sequence. The fun moments between Babloo and his friends and the NRI Kiki(Raashul Tandon) are held captive makes for a great watch. Also the conversations between Babloo and Dimpy have its moments. The Mohali scene, where Tiger displays his parkour moves, is too good. The intermission comes at a dramatic juncture. The second half begins well and the much-loved Whistle Baja makes a great impact when seen in theatres. But soon, the film starts dragging and one begins to lose interest. As a result, the goofs that one might not have noticed earlier begin to bother viewers. How is Babloo able to free himself from captivity everytime and enter Chaudhary’s house and even take Dimpy out for a ride in Delhi? What exactly is the purpose of holding Babloo and his pals captive and why are they taken to each and every place where Rakesh and Renu are expected to be hiding? How is Babloo able to find out that Renu is taken to the under-construction building by the goons? The scene at the busy Delhi chowk where Chaudhary breaks down in front of his daughters is damn impactful. But it’s abruptly cut off and hence, the impact immediately withers away. The finale sequence begins well(Chaudhary trying his best to stop Babloo from completing his ‘mission’). But then comes an action sequence which is well shot but is straightaway a reminder of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’s fight scene. And once again, the impact withers away.

The first thing one might notice as soon as Tiger Shroff makes an entry is that he’s incredibly dashing! What’s more, he can not only fight and dance well but is also a very fine performer. Heropanti makes one realize that he’s not worth the ridiculing memes and jokes on social networking sites and hopefully, a section of viewers might actually feel guilty for spreading and creating ‘jokes’ on him. The actor is here to stay and hope he signs well-scripted films. He deserves it!

Kriti Sanon is beautiful and blessed with a great body and performance-wise, she’s first rate. She appears confident and delivers a splendid performance. A great discovery for sure! Prakash Raj is a big surprise in the film. He doesn’t play the typical villain that he has essayed in half a dozen films in the past 1 ½ years. Instead, his part is very well sketched and the fine actor gives a master performance. In fact, one can say that Heropanti is a two-hero film, with Prakash Raj being the second important male character in the film! Sandeepa Dhar does very well in the special appearance. Devanshu Sharma doesn’t get much scope. Karan Chhabra, Jatin Suri and Raashul Tandon add to the fun quotient in the film, especially Raashul Tandon with his ‘What is the position’ one-liner! Sugandha Mishra(Shalu) is very cute. Vikram Singh(Rajjo) was much publicized as the desi Stallone but hardly contributes anything to the film. His fight with Tiger is in fact forced in the script. Samar Singh(Bhuppi) and Prashant Singh(Sukhi) are apt for the villainous roles. Sunil Grover is there for a scene and brings the house down! The actor playing the fat baldie also raises laughs. Others provide able support.

Music is fine and goes well with the narrative, though Raat Bhar track didn’t serve any purpose. The best is undoubtedly Whistle Baja. In fact, the signature Hero tune is used throughout the film which makes for a great watch. The songs are well-shot, especially Rabba, picturized in Kashmir. Co-incidentally, after Highway, it’s the second consecutive film of Nadiadwala that hasn’t been shot abroad. Action scenes are terrific without a shred of doubt. Production values are topnotch. Hari Vedantam’s cinematography is fine. Manan Sagar’s editing could have been better. The film is remake of Telegu hit Parugu and the story(original by Bhaskar and adapted by Sanjeev Dutta) is actually very good and could have for made for a fine film. But sadly, Sabbir Khan’s direction spoils it, more so in the second half. The film gets tad too long and the mistakes in the narrative are too profound to be ignored. And it’s very disappointing, since the director handled the first half so well.

On the whole, Heropanti has an entertaining first half but the second half ruins it all. The film has way too many cinematic liberties, which begins to bother viewers especially in the second half. Moreover, after a point, the film drags and the DDLJ-style fight in the climax fails to make the desired impact. But Tiger Shroff delivers a very fine performance proves his worth as an all-round performer. Another actor who surprises is Prakash Raj, who gets to do something hatke after repeating himself in almost half a dozen films. Watch the film only for these two actors. Or else, don’t hesitate in giving it a miss!