Hindi
Heropanti: Of a one man army
MUMBAI: There are a few oddities about Heropanti, probably created on purpose. The film is identified with the 1983 film Hero which launched, Jackie Shroff, the father of the hero of Heropanti, Tiger Shroff. All that is common between Hero and Heropanti is that the latter uses the signature flute tune of Hero, that too in a badly slaughtered and remixed version. The genes of both films have nothing in common. This film seems to have been made on a shoestring budget with the intent of cashing in on Jackie Shroff’s goodwill of over 30 years and freshness of Tiger Shroff.
In fact, Heropanti resembles any south Indian film where a strong family with a lot of muscle power finds suitors for its daughters in a similar family status. Even the treatment meted out is like any recent south film though here the strong muscle-wielding family is Jat, who don’t mind killing their own daughter if she marries outside of the family arrangement.
The story goes like this: the daughter of the most dreaded Jat Chaudhary, played by Prakash Raj, has eloped with her lover on her wedding day (in films they have to vanish from the mandap for greater effect). The Chaudhary is devastated as his izzat is at stake. He decides to follow the tradition, find his daughter and her lover and kill them. To find them, he rounds up the guy’s friends because they should know where the couple has gone. While the two friends are easily picked up and half beaten to death and imprisoned, the third one, Tiger, is not as easy to handle. He bashes up all of Prakash’s goons until he is taken by surprise.
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Director: Sabbir Khan. Cast: Tiger Shroff, Kriti Sanon, Prakash Raj, Vikram Singh. |
Producer: Sajid Nadiadwala.
Tiger too is locked up in a barn with his other friends and they try to escape on the first opportunity. However, Tiger wastes the chance when he spots the girl he had fallen in love at first sight back in Delhi. He decides to stay back, track the girl and win her over. As happens in film stories, the girl he loves is the Chaudhary’s other daughter. Chaudhary, who is overly possessive about his daughters and can’t bear to think that his daughters can love somebody else more than they love him.
As Tiger displays his prowess with action and dancing while chasing his love, the second half of the film succeeds in generating more interest than the earlier part which dragged a lot. In fact, with no known face except Prakash Raj, the film is all about Tiger’s abilities.
The fact is, Heropanti, like its title, is forced (the real Mumbai slang is Herogiri). While the background of the film is about north Jats, it is made to look like a typical southern film. The direction is shoddy with chalta hai attitude. The dialogue is good in parts. Action is very well shot. The film has two good numbers with well choreographed dance moves. Performance wise, Tiger excels in action and dance but needs to improve in dialogue delivery. Kriti Sanon is a mismatch with Tiger; she looks much more mature and manly. Prakash Raj is his usual self. Rest of the goons are okay.
Heropanti has opened to over 50 per cent houses which are very good for a new face film and considering its budget. The film should jump to plus side on its first weekend of business thanks to curiosity to watch Tiger.
Hindi
Jio Studios, Sanjay Dutt team up to revive Khal Nayak
Rights acquired for new version, format under wraps as remake plans take shape.
MUMBAI: The villain is back and this time, he’s rewriting his own script. Jio Studios has partnered with Three Dimension Motion Pictures and Aspect Entertainment to revive the 1993 cult classic Khal Nayak, marking a fresh chapter for one of Bollywood’s most iconic anti-hero stories. The original film, directed by Subhash Ghai under Mukta Arts, was a commercial and cultural milestone, with Sanjay Dutt’s portrayal of Ballu becoming one of Hindi cinema’s most memorable performances.
Dutt, along with Aksha Kamboj, has now acquired the rights from the original creators, bringing on board Jio Studios and its President Jyoti Deshpande to steer the project creatively.
While the exact format whether remake, sequel, prequel, or a completely new narrative remains undisclosed, the collaboration aims to reinterpret the story for contemporary audiences while retaining the essence that made the original a defining film of the 1990s.
The move taps into a broader industry trend of reviving legacy intellectual property, particularly characters with strong recall value. “Khal Nayak” was notable for pushing mainstream Hindi cinema into morally grey territory at a time when heroes were largely one-dimensional, making Ballu’s character a standout.
The project also marks the film production debut of Aspect Entertainment, signalling a push towards more technology-led storytelling frameworks. Meanwhile, Jio Studios continues to expand its slate, having built a library of over 200 films and series, with more than 60 titles collectively winning 500-plus awards.
For Dutt, the revival is as much personal as it is strategic, a return to a role that reshaped his career. For the industry, it is another sign that nostalgia, when paired with scale, remains a powerful box-office proposition.
Because in Bollywood, some villains never fade, they just wait for the perfect comeback.
