Sometimes it takes only a moment to bring about a big change. One experience can transform you forever. One journey can set you on a path that you will follow all your life. Heroes is the story of one such journey.
A journey enriched with moments and experience that changes the outlook of two young boys.
Sammy and Ali are childhood friends. They have taken joint decisions in life, right from choosing a school to taking up a career. Even though they are not like-minded, they are together because they rely heavily on each other - two bodies, one soul.
Sammy is an eccentric boy, high-spirited and has an uncanny knack of finding humor in the weirdest of situations. He's generous, compassionate yet impulsive. He is like a kid who needs to fall to learn how to walk. Ali on the other hand is quieter and more mature.
Heroes is the story of these two boys who travel a thousand miles to deliver three letters as a part of their film school assignment. But little do they know that the journey they have embarked upon will give a new meaning to their life. They discover the power within themselves to change lives and events that are of importance.
Heroes emphasizes on the simple experiences that can awaken feelings of patriotism. A fun road trip for two boys and a series of experiences that finite emotions that have never been experienced before, this is the underlying crux of the film. The film is an attempt to bring out the new age meaning of patriotism - 'You don't have to be a soldier to love your country'
Character Sketch
Sunny Deol as Vikram Shergill
A strong personality who epitomizes never-ending hope. Vikram lives for the moment and stands up for social issues and causes. To man patriotism isn't the stereotypical term, but dying for the nations is. As Vikram puts it, "Any act done towards the progress of the country", is patriotism. Vikram believes in putting your sorrows behind and moving on.
Bobby Deol as Dhananjay Shergill
Dhananjay, aka DJ, is a handsome young man whose presence you would miss after a single meeting. He possesses immense charm and affection. DJ's battle of porting himself better than his solar brother is evidence of the child that still lives within him. Yet when need be, that child takes a backseat to let the soldier in him take charge.
Dino Morea as Sahil Naqvi
Sahil Naqvi is a young boy who can be found in every neighborhood. Smart, good-looking and intelligent, he could have easily chosen a lucrative career. Yet he chose to be a soldier.
Salman Khan as Balkar Singh
A man of few words, Balkar Singh is lovable and endearing. His soft - spoken attitude cannot be mistaken for the clarity of thought he possesses. Balkar has pledged his life for his country and everything else follows. Like every man Balkar has beautiful dreams for his family but he knows he might not be able to fulfill them and he does not regret it.
Preity Zinta as Kuljeet Kaur
A woman who's the son of the house, Kuljeet takes pride in being an army man's wife and is happy that her son wants to walk the path as his father. Kuljeet is a loving wife, a caring mother, a single daughter and the best daughter-in-law anyone could ask for. Sacrifice comes naturally to Kuljeet and so does hard work.
Mithun Chakraborty as Dr. Naqvi
Every father brings up his child with one dream. That one day when the child becomes a man, and when he would take care of the old man. Dr. Naqvi is one such man who loves his son to death, yet has masked his feelings even after the vacuum his son's absence has created. Like all fathers, Dr. Naqvi feels incomplete without his son.
Heroes
Maxabout Review
A Moving Experience..
Friday, October 24, 2008Jog your memory a bit. Samir Karnik's first two movies (KYUN HO GAYA NA, NANHE JAISALMER) have been critical and commercial disasters. But Samir has assembled an impressive cast for his new outing HEROES.
The billboards look really impressive. Will his fortunes change for better? Come to think of it, you saunter into the auditorium with zilch expectations. HEROES is an underdog.
Just because the promos highlight the men in uniform, it doesn't mean HEROES is a 'war film'. Sure, it talks about love for the nation, but HEROES is not anti-Pakistan, is not jingoistic either, is nowhere close to BORDER, LOC and the likes, in terms of content.
HEROES talks about a journey undertaken by two boys and the three letters they've to deliver to the families of the deceased. HEROES is more of an emotional experience, how each family copes with life after their beloved has become a martyr. Besides evoking strong emotions, HEROES also arouses strong patriotic feelings. There're moments in the film that compel you to salute those who guard our nation, so that we can sleep in peace. At the end, the message it delivers is simple -- You don't have to be a soldier to love your country.
HEROES salutes the heroes who guard our nation. It's a powerful film. A moving experience! HEORES unfolds in three chapters. But before that you get to see the wild side of two misled youth who don't take life seriously. The first chapter, Salman-Preity, is the highpoint of the film. The emotional moments in this chapter are worth applauding.
Note the moments between Salman-Preity and also between the kid (Dwij Yadav) and the two youth. The scene at the Indo-Pak border -- the fence dividing the two nations -- is amazing. Watch Preity missing her husband and also embracing his uniform. Another brilliant stroke! This chapter deserves a 10 on 10 for its high emotional quotient and captivating performances.
Chapter 2 is slightly less impactful than Chapter 1. The portions between Sunny and Bobby are well executed, but the writing isn't as compelling. Yet, the fight sequence -- when a group of hooligans act smart with Sunny's girlfriend (Hrishitaa Bhatt) -- is superb. Sunny's 'dhai kilo ka haath' and the way it shatters the tiles on the floor leaves a strong impact. Watch this sequence with the masses and you'd only hear whistles and claps. Another scene from this chapter -- Sunny paying his last respects to Bobby -- is moving.
The third chapter (Mithun, Dino) is the softest link. Nothing wrong with the writing or its execution, but something is missing, the pace suddenly dips. The match in the end works mainly because it has been edited well.
Samir Karnik takes giant strides as a storyteller. Binod Pradhan and Gopal Shah's cinematography is top notch. The DOPs have done complete justice to the panoramic locales of North India. Sajid-Wajid's music is a major asset. 'Mannata' is the pick of the lot. What a soothing composition! Ditto for 'Makhana' (filmed on Sunny, Bobby). Dialogues are magnificent at places.
The ones who leave the maximum impression in this multi-starrer are, in this order, Salman (superb; one of his finest works), Preity (outstanding; has spoken Punjabi so fluently), Sohail (pleasant surprise; evolving into a very fine actor), Sunny (very likeable) and Mithun Chakraborty (mature).
Bobby is effective in a cameo. Wish he would've got more footage. Vatsal Seth is decent. Dino is just about okay. Dwij Yadav is first-rate. Prateeksha Lonkar is fair. Amrita Arora and Ria Sen are passable.
On the whole, HEROES is a genuinely well-made film with strong emotions as its trump card. The film deserves to be tax-exempted for its noble theme and noble intentions.