Not too long ago in the 1990’s, movies directed by David Dhawan featuring Govinda were considered guaranteed money-spinners; the genre was mindless slapstick comedy with entertainment as the USP – this about an era when no-brainers were not attempted by 
directors and actors who aspired to follow the crowd and compete for some 100 or 200 crore clubs (movies never made so much money then). Apparently then, it was a monopoly and may we agree the two introduced the genre in Cinema. They came together often and almost all the movies were super hits. Dhawan did well with Salman Khan or even Sanjay Dutt too but his collaboration with Govinda still remains among the best ones in the industry. Over the years, Dhawan’s favourite actor and his stardom have dwindled and even a successful ‘Partner’ could not bring him back to limelight but the fact remains his brand of comedy and impeccable comic timing can’t still be easily matched up with.
Straight after graduating as one the ‘Students of the Year’, Varun Dhawan joins his father and attempts a mass-appealing comic caper. Father Dhawan directs his younger son in ‘Main Tera Hero’ and borrows the style from his own movies made in the past so much so that a few scenes seem to be just lifted. There isn’t really any plot and one doesn’t expect it in a David Dhawan movie as well. Seenu (Varun Dhawan) is a naughty boy who goes out of 
his town to study in a city. Damn studies! He falls for a girl (Ileana D’Cruz) in the campus without knowing a short-tempered corrupt cop (Arunoday Singh) is obsessed about her. And then there is the pretty, spoilt and pampered daughter (Nargis Fakhri) of a don (Anupam Kher) who is besotted with the hero and decides to marry him. Seenu’s girl gets kidnapped by the don and our hero now has to spend ten days in the don’s house to know his daughter well before tying the knot with her.
David Dhawan isn’t really in form for some years now. Yes – his last movie ‘Chashme Baddoor’ did work but it was a remake. ‘Main Tera Hero’ is original and he seems to try recreating the magic he did in the 90’s. Varun Dhawan himself reminds you of an energetic and hyper Govinda and a shirtless, sweet-looking but naughty Salman Khan – both like they acted in David Dhawan movies. Father Dhawan has all the same ingredients – one guy, two girls, some confusion, one house and some catchy songs thrown in between. But the ingredients don’t necessarily have to add up to the same quality – this one too doesn’t end up being delicious enough. Some gags work but most don’t manage to tickle the funny bone and fall flat. The confusion doesn’t add up well either. Add to that – scenes being lifted 
directly from Dhawan’s previous movies. Take for example, the one in which the hero tells his rival obsessed lover – ‘kissing ek art hain ek kalaa hain’ and goes on to lip-lock with his heroine to show the same. Straight out of ‘Kunwara’! Then there is a scene where he trails behind the don’s right-hand man (a funny Saurabh Shukla with some funny lines) without him noticing it. You have seen Govinda doing that in so many movies. Dialogues are good; some are funny. Music (Sajid-Wajid) is catchy. ‘Palat’ and ‘Besharmi Ki Height’ are mass-appealing numbers.
‘Main Tera Hero’ is a showcase for Varun Dhawan and he gets to do it all – comedy, romance, action, dance
and go shirtless much like Salman Khan (referred to him as ‘bhai’ in the film). He does it all well and with much zeal. If he graduated in KJo’s SOTY, he goes a step further here. However, I feel it will take him time to do justice to meaningful roles if he bags any. He seems to be too casual and that is used well here. Comic timing could have 
been better. Ileana and Nargis don’t really have anything much to do apart from looking good and dancing when there is a song. Ileana can still act; the latter needs to first learn Hindi like most other desi firangs in Bollywood, whether they will ever be able to act is a big question. Anupam Kher, Anunoday Singh, Rajpal Yadav, Evelyn Sharma and others are all okay but it is Saurabh Shukla who gets the funny lines. Shakti Kapoor is wasted. He could have ‘aaaauu’-ed a little more.
Watch it or not: Yes; if you want some entertainment and expect it from David Dhawan when he is not at his best. If you are not okay with it, I suggest you again watch any of his movies with Govinda.
At the Box-Office: It will start okay, pick up business, will do better in single screens and recover costs. Semi-hit.
My Verdict
My Rating
With the same lazily-written script directed by David Dhawan in the 90’s, ‘Main Tera Hero’ would have been a blockbuster had Govinda, Karishma and Raveena starred in it.
