Finally, Bollywood has a classic superhero to stand against all odds and evil, but this common man turned superhero in the making is just out of the uncertainties. 'Hero paida nahi hota, Banna padta hai' a dialogue that echoes in our head as we move out of the theatre. This Vikramaditya Motwane directorial is 2 hours 34 minutes long and it is extremely gripping and enticing that we barely blink our eyes for a moment. After 'Trapped', 'Lootera' and 'Udaan', Motwane comes up with a cinematic beauty blending up with an interesting plot that takes a dig at our corrupt institutionalised system.
Priyanshu Painyuli as Bhavesh Joshi, Harshvardhan Kapoor as Sikander Khanna and Ashish Verma as Rajat, three life-long friends from Mumbai meet each other at the Jan Lokpal protest in a prison. What Motwane kindly reflects is the empathy of the millions of youngsters who feel for the country, who want the corruption to shrink out of the society but it is their uncontrolled life full of responsibility and challenges that keep them busy and out of the arc to oppose someone. This trio comes up with their youtube channel 'Insaaf'; Sikander and Bhavesh hide their identity behind a paper bag mask to stand against what's wrong. The start is gradual but damn quirky as they yell at those people pissing in public, take the axe away from the person chopping trees, oppose an individual breaking traffic rules, screaming at the kids who are bunking schools and the little tiny wrongs what they observe around them.
Years pass by and they are a slave to the system working for clients of the corporates and here comes an offer for Sikander aka Harshvardhan Kapoor to shift base to America officially. It is then when they get hit with a huge mess of unwinding the Water Scam from the City of Mumbai. Things get even worse as politicians and cops work hand in hand and nobody can oppose them. The first half is of a seeming light-hearted tone although the moment when it proceeds towards the interval, things go dark and serious for all of them.
Not revealing much of it for you, the second half shifts to a thriller with quite alot of action sequences that are fun to watch. It is the antagonist Nishikant Kamat the main man behind the scams and to take him down looks like a deal of the century. And now our Super Hero is on a task to expose these corrupt men from the city with some honest journalism and on-ground reporting. The climax has ceased our soul and we get the clear-cut intention of standing against what we see is wrong actually rather than neglecting the fact.
Talking about the performances Priyanshu Painyuli aberrant act steals the show. Standing firmly courageously with the zest of changing the society for the good. Priyanshu steals our heart by playing a casual young lad with an aim to make a difference. Falling down in his debut outing 'Mirzya', Harshvardhan Kapoor rises strongly making a vast place in audiences head this time, acting perfectly like an ordinary common young guy would behave in such situations. His dapper and cloistered moves set him apart from the rest of the superheroes and yes he has made some impact with this feature film. Although we would have wanted to see more of Nishikant Kamath rather than those press-conference and phone calls. Also, many other such scams could have added up, but the writers decided to go in one flow which was indeed the good decision we must say.
Talking about the songs, Arjun Kapoor was not at all there in the 'Chavanprash' song. Even the narrative wasn't of a fightclub but of an ossified and tawdry dance bar where Harshvardhan appears as a bald man to spy on these government corporators. The song that is locked in our heart is the Papon's number 'Qasam Kha Li' a lenient lachrymose affair striking every right chords of emotions. Another catchy number from the film is 'Hum Hain Insaaf' that can be termed as the Justice Anthem of the film although its narrative is quirky and unserious.
The film is technically power-packed and Vikramaditya Motwane's direction and the screenplay is what makes it an iconic Superhero flick. Along with Motwane, Anurag Kashyap and Abhay Koranne have screen-written it and yes the compelling and cagey screenplay has rocked it in the end. Cinematography by Siddharth Diwan is efficacious and productive. Every scene from the film is truly cinematic and an awe to the eye. Amit Trivedi's background score and composition elated the narrative to a whole new level.
Overall, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero lights up the spark in everyone of us that we all can be superheroes by opposing whatever is wrong around us.
Director :Vikramaditya Motwane
Cast :Nishikant Kamat, Harshvardhan Kapoor