Hero review: "Prithvi's efforts fail to salvage the pathetic script!!!"

Over the years, we have been treated to a host of action flicks which has varied in style & execution. But one thing which has remained constant is the unflinching attitude of those faceless stunt men who at times put their lives on the line, to garner applause for the hero. Taking a cue from this, Diphan is back with his latest venture "Hero", after the 2009 superhit "Puthiya Mugham". Showcased as an action thriller, the pre-release hype revolved around reunion of the combo & Prithvi's chiseled torso. So can the duo recreate the box office success???

Dharmarajan (Thalaivasal Vijay), a renowned former stunt master lands with an opportunity to work with ace director, Aadityan (Anoop Menon) to overcome his financial crisis. But owing to the competitive nature of the field, even his nephew who gathered the tricks of the trade from him refuses to lend a helping hand. Finally, help comes knocking in the form of Tarzan Antony (Prithvi), a former banished student. The film was expected to relaunch the sagging career of Home Minister's son, Premanand (Srikant) & it was also boosted by the presence of numero uno actress, Gauri Menon (Yami Gautham). However, being the arrogant jerk that he is Premanand gets incensed by Tarzan's dare devilry stunts & Gauri's attention towards Tarzan. What later issues is the dirty tricks played by Premanand to pacify his insolence.

Though marketed as an out & out action flick, it's still imperative that the film has a sensible script rather than being downright stupid. But unfortunately that's where Diphan has got it all wrong as Vinod Guruvayoor seemed to have forgotten to write anything after the interval. The first half does have its moments which meanders along satisfactorily but post interval, it all comes tumbling down culminating in a lengthy fight sequence against an antagonist who barely had a spine throughout the whole film. How he managed to atleast pack a punch is beyond comprehension. Gopi Sundar deserves a pat for his music especially "Nero Nero" but the choreography for "Mayathe Ormayil" was appalling.

Prithvi coming on the back of the disappointing run of "Masters", would be hoping for some relief which he is unlikely to get though he has worked hard for it. His performance was commendable & convincing with a well worked out physique suiting the character. Yami Gautam of  "Vicky Donor" fame looked gorgeous but her discomfort with Malayalam was evident with the lack of lip sync. Srikant was an absolute disgrace as he seemed a novice inspite of being in the industry for many years while Anoop Menon was at ease rendering out some tongue in cheek dialogues & ably supported by the rest.

Verdict:  The fans will have a gala time in the theatres as Prithvi does some impressive stunt sequences. However, that's about it as it barely has a script especially in the second half. In short, this isn't the Friday that Prithvi was waiting for & the same goes for the audience as well!!!

Rating: 2/5

Regards...Ben