The Hero is your regular action fare as far as basis for script is concerned (that and a love triangle), but its presentation is ten times more any recent Bollywood film could have proven. Considering the technical suave audience appeal which has increased over the years, the gargantuan financed big budgeted love story of a spy is bound to be a trendsetter, evidently not for its story, but the many other important attributes of good film making.
India’s premier intelligence officer Arjun Khanna (Sunny Deol) can pose as anyone from Ajay Chakravarthy (businessman) to Major Ravi Batra or Wahid Khan (scientist). Amazingly enough, despite having photographs of the Indian spy in his numerous avatars, ISI chief Ishaq Khan (Amrish Puri) or any of his cohorts are unable to recognize him when he dons the least effective of his so-called disguises (Being the forgiving audience that we Indians are, such details can be overlooked). Pakistani extremists have been given permission by their own authorities to steal their nuclear bomb and smuggle it out of the country. The bomb is to be rebuilt in its entirety in Canada with the help of a wealthy business tycoon Zakaria (Kabir Bedi) who owns a cancer radiation research facility that houses resources where the bomb can be assembled.
Sunny Deol lives the character of the army officer and delivers yet another rivetting performance, never once going overboard. In action scenes, he is first-rate, of course. But even his acting is remarkable. However, it must be said, the masses will miss glimpses of his physique and muscles as he wears suits in keeping with his character, instead of the more desirable vests and singlets. Preity Zinta is splendid as the Kashmiri shepherd girl. She looks cute and endears herself in light scenes. In the dramatic and emotional ones, she is simply fantastic. Her expressions in the sequence in which she is being frisked by the male terrorist are extraordinary.
Priyanka Chopra with her uninspiring lines and the Pakistani nuclear scientist with his incomprehensible technical mumbo jumbo compete with each other to see who can slow the movie down further. Preity Zinta is the movie’s saving grace with her spontaneous interpretation of a character that starts off well-defined but is later left undeveloped.
The album unfolds itself with the track, Dil Mein Hai Pyar. The number is folksy and melodious. Delivered by Udit Narayan and Jaspinder Narula, the track is very easy on ears and registers a good impact on the listeners. Both the singers showcase their remarkable abilities to sing the song in an accurate manner. The chorus is beautiful as well. Lyrics are well penned whereas the music scored by Uttam Singh is rhythmical. This number repeats 5 more times later on in the soundtrack.
On the whole, the soundtrack of The Hero is plain average. For being touted as the most expensive Indian film ever made, “The Hero” doesn’t do justice to that claim.
