Phata Poster Nikhla Hero – Movie Review

‘Phata Poster Nikhla Hero’ is an honest movie… the trailers looked average so you might not have expected much and the movie is strictly average as well. Director Rajkumar Santoshi himself is quite a mediocre film-maker, who had been successful in churning out a few hits in the past and then got into a relatively low phase only to return with the loud, crazy and occasionally funny but commercially successful ‘Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani’. He teams up with the same producer, Ramesh Taurani (TIPS) and delivers PPNH on the same lines. While comparisons are justified here, let’s not forget the same director’s first stint at comedy in ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ – a box-office disaster which has gained cult status over the years.

Face it… You have to expect a cliché plot in such movies. They are meant to make you roll with laughter and get entertained. You may as well have some fun if you can leave your brain at home. Mama’s boy, Vishwas (Shahid Kapoor) dreams of becoming a hero since he was a kid. His mother (played melodramatically by Padmini Kolhapure) wants her son to grow up to be an honest police officer. Reason? Her husband was a corrupt cop. Nice reason… eh! Vishwas gets an interview call from the Police Department in Mumbai and lands up in the city using the opportunity to pursue his acting ambitions. Incidents occur and he is mistaken for a cop. What follows are some genuinely funny scenes… song… melodrama… some fun again… song… melodrama… and so on. There you are! PPNH does make you laugh but intermittently.

Director Rajkumar Santoshi manages to hit the right notes in certain scenes but loses the punch trying to serve you a cocktail of comedy and drama. It’s an average attempt yet again but sadly, this will end up with average commercial success. The reason would be Shahid Kapoor. Don’t get me wrong.  Shahid is in great form in PPNH. His comic timing is impeccable here… he gets to do action, drama and he also shakes a leg (something he is great at) – this is working really well for actors in order to score into the 100 cr and 200 cr clubs. But Shahid isn’t a crowd-puller. Ileana D’cruz is okay in an average movie after the critically acclaimed and commercially successful ‘Barfi’. Padmini Kolhapure plays ‘cine-maa’ (!) quite melodramatically but effectively (Remember Rakhee playing the same?). Saurabh Shukla is hilarious. Sanjay Mishra, Darshan Jariwala and Zakir Hussain are equally funny. The remaining cast is okay. Salman Khan in a cameo sparkles. Music by Pritam is okay. ‘Dhating Naach’ (with Nargis Fakhri) and ‘Agal Bagal’ would be the picks here. Choreography by Bosco-Caesar doesn’t really do justice to Shahid’s dancing talent but is good.

Watch it or not: If you are expecting a few genuine laughs or if you are a Shahid Kapoor fan… Yes!

At the Box-Office: BO Collections have been below average and should not come as a shocker. Shahid Kapoor is not a crowd-puller and I was expecting average collections even if PPNH is his release after a brief hiatus (the last debacle was ‘Teri Meri Kahani’). It will end up being an average fare for the producers and distributors.

• About the Author

About Abhirup Dhar

I don't watch movies... I live them! Let me introduce myself. Abhirup Dhar was born in Kolkata and is still being brought up in India. A banker by profession, he is filmy to the core and is passionate about reviewing movies and writing. He likes to live on his own… he likes to be blunt, sarcastic, famous, infamous, confident, over-confident, moody at times… he likes to be himself. He is imperfect because perfection is boring. His love for movies dates back to his childhood days when he studied in a boarding school. A three-month Winter Vacation every year… and he made sure he watched as many movies then. Parents thought it was a phase... he knew it was Passion and he knew it back then itself. The craziness to watch movies on the Big Screen began during the last two years of school when he literally bunked to town so that he could catch up with the new Hindi Movie releases. Some thought he was plain crazy. He confirmed it was Passion... yet again. The hard fact is that not always can you walk a path you are passionate about. You have expectations to fulfill and Life to be made. But Life gives you chances and you have to grab them. So... here is he... your friendly critic who will be giving you his Verdict every week so that you can decide which release is worth your moolah and which is not! See you at the Movies! Stay connected at Facebook and Twitter!