Heropanti Review

Positives:

• The entertainment quotient of the film is high
• Tiger Shroff masters his action and dancing in Heropanti
• Kriti Sanon and Prakash Raj shine
• The action choreography and cinematography are in unision.
• The music

Negatives:

• The predictability of the script
• The bang bang action won’t work well beyong the youth segments
• Tiger Shroff can’t act
• The costume designs are unrealistic
• The attempts at a social message come across as convoluted and manipulative

Rating: 

Lately, when it comes to newcomers in Bollywood it has mostly been about star kids and television stars taking a step up to the world of films. So with Heropanti we have another star kid making his debut. This time it is Tiger Shroff, the son of Jackie Shroff, being provided with the mega launch. The publicity campaign has been relentless around this film. Does it all work out for the lead actor and for the film? Let’s find out.

Story: Heropanti is a remake of the 2008 Telugu hit film Parugu starring Allu Arjun which has been remade in almost half a dozen other languages. Heropanti tells the story of Bablu (Tiger Shroff), a wisecrack and a daredevil, who gets caught up in a mess because he helps his friend elope with the daughter of a powerful village lord Chaudhary (Prakash Raj). The twist in his life arises when he falls in love with the younger daughter (Kriti Sanon) of Chaudhary. This leads to a series of chases and action set-pieces that give Tiger Shroff ample opportunities to exhibit his chiseled body. Heropanti also serves as the umpteenth derivation of the evergreen blockbuster Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge.


Heropanti Movie Review

Screenplay and Direction: Director Shabbir Khan (who debuted with the intrepid Kambakkht Ishq) is entrusted with the responsibility of remaking the Telugu hit for Hindi audiences. Shabbir is a smart adapter as he adds North Indian elements like the Haryana honour killings. If only he had chosen to make the film a little less predictable. The biggest issue with the Heropanti script is that it doesn’t jolt the viewer with a sudden dose of surprise or unpredictability. Everything happens as it is meant to happen. But thankfully, Shabbir gets the pacing of the film right as Heropanti chugs along at a swift pace.

Heropanti being mainly an action film (specifically focusing on martial arts) hits the right notes when it comes to cinematography and action choreography. The action set-pieces catch the viewer’s attention because of the fine execution. The editing is decent. But the costume designs seem very unrealistic. The music of Heropanti is good with more than one hummable track being a part of the soundtrack. Whistle Baja, and Rabba shine.

Acting: As has already been mentioned, Heropanti works less as a film but more as an advertisement for the skills of Tiger Shroff. He gets to do almost everything that is required of a Bollywood actor in Heropanti – dance, romance, comedy and action. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) Tiger Shroff seems to be more at ease doing his action and dancing scenes than he is in scenes which require him to be expressive. He needs to work harder if he has ambitions of becoming a big superstar. Kriti Sanon, however, is like a breath of fresh air. She sails through her scenes with élan. It helps that she is a looker. Prakash Raj is the main antagonist in the film and does a fine job as expected. He shows his range in emotional scenes.

Conclusion: Heropanti follows the template of Prabhu Deva’s recent blockbusters and to a large extent holds up. The pacing is right and the entertainment is also there. Even though Tiger Shroff isn’t much of an actor right now, you can watch Heropanti for his action capabilities. He pulls it off masterfully. Watch Heropanti if you are in the mood for a youthful bollywood masala.

Box Office: Heropanti will take an average opening because of the fine publicity campaign. If the tone of the film clicks, then Heropanti could go on to be a good earner.