A Hayanvi don (Prakash Raj) suddenly finds himself in a situation where his eldest daughter (Sandeepa Dhar) elopes with her boyfriend. In order to track them down, he and his henchmen trace the friends of his daughter’s lover, one of which is Bablu (Tiger Shroff). However, things get even more complicated when Bablu instead falls in love with Dimpy (Kriti Sanon), the don’s younger daughter.
Heropanti has generated quite a buzz as of late, mostly because of Tiger Shroff and the crazy stunts he’s capable of pulling. But does the film manage to impress?
While watching Heropanti, you can’t help but feel that the director made this film with a ‘masala movie’ checklist in hand, making sure to cross off everything as he went along. You’ve got a badass hero, damsel-in-distress type girl, mustachioed villain, bunch of dimwitted goons, crazy stunts, poetic dialogue, random songs, . There’s nothing in this film you haven’t seen before, and the story plays out pretty much as you would expect it to.
Having said that, although it has all the elements of the headache-inducing films we’ve seen as of late, Heropanti manages to be fairly watchable till the end. Perhaps the reason it doesn’t grate on your nerves like other movies of its genre is because of Tiger’s earnest performance. His dialogue delivery could do with some work, but he’s endearing as the boyish hero who puts loyalty above all else. Plus, he really is fantastic with his stunts, and it’s a treat to watch him in action. Kriti Sanon, too, is likable, although – as with most masala films – her role is somewhat limited. Still, she’s got good screen presence (and looks lovely!) so she manages to make an impression.
Heropanti is also, thankfully, mostly void of those disgusting “jokes” that are all the rage in these type of films (remember last year’s R… Rajkumar?). Yes, there are some lines that put you ill at ease, and yes, the misogyny is apparent, too – but, for the most part, the film avoids lewd jokes or the kind of gratuitous sleaze that a certain segment of the audience eats up. Whatever the film’s faults – story, characterization, etc – you have to at least breathe a sigh of relief that this country is capable of making a masala movie that doesn’t rely on vulgarity for entertainment.
Verdict:
Sheer timepass, so give it a go if you want to watch a film this weekend – just be warned that you are likely to have Whistle Baja stuck in your head for hours afterwards.