‘An Action Hero’ Review: An Unexpectedly Good Action Comedy That Could Have Better Character Arcs
Ek baar toh dekhna banta hai!
Have you watched a movie without watching the trailer, just the name and maybe the poster? Sometimes the experience can be surprising and well, sometimes disappointing. But, Ayushmann Khurrana’s An Action Hero surprised me in every good way possible which was unexpected. Like most of us, I too had the impression that I was probably signing up for an action-packed movie with an intense storyline, and well, I was partially right there. However, little did I know, that I am going to laugh my heart out while watching an action genre. Here’s how Anirudh Iyer’s An Action Hero, produced by Aanand L. Rai turned out to be one of the most unexpectedly good films for me, despite some flaws.
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Cast
Firstly, let’s talk about the small lead cast in An Action Hero! Ayushmann Khurrana plays the role of the action-hero, superstar Maanav, who is honest with his work but has the worst kind of fate. Another lead character, Bhoora Singh Solanki has been played by Jaideep Ahlawat, the fierce and angry gangster from Haryana. Jitender Hooda as a typical Haryanvi policeman leaves a significant mark on the viewers’ minds with his little screen time.
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Plot
The movie starts by introducing us to Maanav’s character who has been arrested in London and the Indian RAW agents come to meet him. They want Maanav to speak the truth about his side of the story, and “Sacch tez maanga hai toh kardwa toh lagega hi!” Maanav maintains a calm demeanour and sits down to tell the story that even RAW agents, like the audience, had difficulty believing. But we really enjoyed listening to it. Cut to the times, when Maanav was shooting for the climax of his film and had to bring out his anger for the scene. And, on the other side, Bhoora Solanki’s younger brother, Vicky was waiting outside to get a picture with superstar Maanav which does not happen even after a long wait. Now, that’s when his ego gets hurt, and he follows Maanav. Both of them have a brief feud and accidentally, Vicky dies. All the chaos starts from here, but photo leni thi! In just one night, Maanav’s life changes entirely. Once, the actor who was praised by the nation becomes a fugitive. Ayushmann’s character, Maanav is on the run, and just wants to protect himself, but of course, Bhoora Solanki cannot let him go without taking revenge for his brother’s death, so he follows Maanav to London. As the movie progresses, the real and reel life of our action hero Maanav blurs out and all his action skills, come in handy to keep him alive in real life. Now, how he gets out of this difficult situation to prove himself innocent and not a murderer, is fun and interesting to watch, with some really unexpected twists.
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What Was Good?
Well, I have to say that the comical moments in the movie were the best part. One moment, you are witnessing a thrilling hand-combat between the characters, and the next moment you are rolling on the floor laughing. The dialogues written by Neeraj Yadav are brilliant. The sarcastic one-liner moments can hit you in the film when you are least expecting it. They are clever and deliver the point just right. There were satires made on media, the underworld, film industry, and the audience could not stop clapping at them. The love-hate relationship between Ayushmann and Jaideep’s characters creates some of the most enjoyable moments in the film. Jitender Hooda grabs the attention of the viewers in all his scenes. The storyline keeps you engaged and entertained, and actually is quite unpredictable.
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What Did Not Work?
Well, I will always have one complaint with commercial films and that is the unnecessary placement of item numbers. This is one part that makes me lose interest in films. And even An Action Hero disappointed me on this level. Also, another thing that I noticed is that there were no female characters in the film, except for the two well-known divas Malaika Arora and Nora Fatehi who appear in the item numbers. The movie also disappoints you when it comes to character development. So, go without expecting any depth in the storyline or characters. Even the cameos in the film do not have any impact and it could go without them too.
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Also Read: ‘An Action Hero’ Trailer: Ayushmann Khurrana Pairs Up With Jaydeep Ahlawat To Serve A Dark Crime Comedy!
Verdict
An Action Hero is impressive in terms of cinematography, humorous dialogues, and action scenes. The comic timings of the actors shine in the film. The action-comedy blend is the surprise that you were not really expecting. So if you want to watch a light-hearted movie to laugh till your stomach aches, then An Action Hero is the movie for you. I repeat again, do not expect logic and realism!
