Hero
- Director
- Nikhil Advani
- Studio
- Emmay EntertainmentMukta ArtsSalman Khan Films
- Release Date
- 10 September 2015
- Running Time
- 145 min
- Language
- Hindi
- Budget
- ₹36.00 Cr
- Box Office
- ₹34.82 Cr
Review
Sooraj Barjatya's *Hero* attempts to weave together a romance spanning continents with crime-thriller elements, and while the central premise—a kidnapper and captive falling genuinely in love amid snow-capped mountains—possesses undeniable charm, the execution stumbles under the weight of its own ambition. The first act crackles with energy; there's real chemistry between the leads, and the isolation of Jammu provides an intimate backdrop for their unlikely connection. However, once the narrative shifts to Paris and introduces the manipulative Ranvijay character, the film loses narrative cohesion. What should have been a compelling exploration of redemption and acceptance becomes a melodramatic slog, with too many antagonists (the crime boss father, Radha's stubborn father, the smuggler) diluting the emotional core. The direction, which shows promise initially, becomes increasingly muddled, relying on convenient plot devices rather than earned character development.
The performances, particularly in the quieter moments between the lead pair, suggest there was something genuine worth exploring here, and one credits Barjatya for attempting sincerity over cynicism. Yet the supporting cast feels underutilized, and the film's overlong runtime only amplifies its structural weaknesses. For a story about redemption, it ironically lacks the patience to let its characters—or audience—breathe. The film wanted to be *Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge* meets a crime saga, but instead landed so
Storyline
Sooraj pulls off the ultimate con—a gangster pretending to be a cop who kidnaps the police chief's daughter, Radha, on his crime boss father's orders. But here's the beautiful twist: stranded together in the isolated mountains of Jammu, the fake kidnapper and his captive actually fall in love, and it's genuinely electric! When they're discovered by police and caught in a chase that ends with them tumbling off a bridge into the water, everyone thinks they're dead—and that's when things get real.
Rescued by Buddhist monks, Sooraj wakes up to find Radha's confession of love waiting for him, and he comes clean about the whole kidnapping scheme. She loves him anyway (because Bollywood!), and when they return to Mumbai, Sooraj faces the music—jail time for his crimes while his crime boss father gets locked up too. Radha's father absolutely loses it, so her brother Dheeraj smuggles her off to Paris to wait it out, but his cover story about a fake boyfriend named Ranvijay accidentally backfires when that guy actually shows up at their door—except he's a criminal smuggler secretly working with Pasha to destroy the couple!
Ranvijay plays the long game, charming Radha's family while slowly poisoning them against Sooraj, and it works devastatingly well. Radha's father becomes a roadblock to their happiness, stubbornly refusing to accept the reformed ex-con despite Sooraj's best efforts to prove he's changed. As Ranvijay manipulates everyone around them and Sooraj's past keeps haunting their future, the couple faces their biggest test yet—whether their love can survive when literally everyone is working to tear them apart!
