Hero | |
---|---|
Directed by | P. S. Mithran |
Written by |
|
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | George C. Williams |
Edited by | Ruben |
Music by | Yuvan Shankar Raja |
Production company | KJR Studios |
Release date |
|
Running time | 164 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Tamil |
Hero is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language superhero film directed by P. S. Mithran, who co-wrote the film with Pon Parthiban, Savari Muthu and Antony Bhagyaraj. The film was produced by Kotapadi J. Rajesh under his production house KJR Studios. It stars Sivakarthikeyan, Arjun Sarja, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Ivana and Abhay Deol in prominent roles. This film marks the Tamil film debuts of Kalyani and Deol. [1] The music for the film is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, with cinematography done by George C. Williams, and editing done by Ruben.
The film was wide released on 20 December 2019. [2] Prior to its release, filmmaker Bosco Prabhu accused Mithran for plagiarising his story. In April 2020, the Madras High Court issued an interim order banning the film from television and streaming platforms, due to which it was taken down from Amazon Prime Video. [3] [4] The ban was lifted in May 2020 once the issue was resolved. [5] The film received generally mixed reviews, with praise directed towards the performances( particularly Arjun), cinematography, story, action sequences and themes, and criticism for its screenwriting, characterization and pacing.
This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed.(April 2022) |
Sakthivel "Sakthi" is a young boy who dreams of becoming a superhero, like Shaktimaan. After being ridiculed by his teacher and classmates for believing that Shaktimaan is real, Sakthi tries to prove it by falling off the terrace of his school, injuring himself in the process. His father tries to convince Sakthi that Shaktimaan is fictitious by showing the disclaimer of the actor Mukesh Khanna advising viewers that the events depicted in the show are purely fictitious, causing Sakthi to abandon his hopes of becoming a superhero.
Years later, Sakthi and Inbaraj, a.k.a. "Ink", are friends who earn their livelihood as educational brokers and run a xerox shop in their neighbourhood that houses a certificate forgery unit to help the needy secure their desired jobs at the expense of huge commissions. Sakthi bumps into Meera, a social worker at an educational fair and falls in love with her. Meera happens to be the inspiration of Sakthi's friend Mathi, a brilliant girl who aspires to become an aeronautical engineer. Mathi devises an engine that runs on saltwater as a measure to help her father and many others thwart the problem of rising petrol prices. Meera soon learns of Sakthi's true profession and confronts him, where she learns the reason behind his dark profession; his father disowned him after Sakthi confessed to him that, in spite of securing district rank in the higher secondary examinations, he had sold his certificate in order to obtain money to save his father through surgery as he was suffering from a fatal lung infection.
Meera advises him to help Mathi secure an admission in an engineering college without any payment, in order to redeem himself. Sakthi tries to secure admission for Mathi but to no avail. He learns that the only way to help Mathi secure a seat is to demonstrate the practical applications of her engine which is rejected by Sathyamoorthy, Mathi's teacher who runs a school for the academically weak but brilliant children. Sakthi bypasses his warnings and demonstrates the engine at an educational fair by attaching it to an autorickshaw. This attracts the attention of the henchman of Mahadev. In turn, he promises a seat for Mathi with a full scholarship. The next day, the autorickshaw is seized by the police and Mathi is arrested on the grounds of Patent violation. The court convicts her guilty of the charges. Mathi is completely distraught. She attempts suicide by jumping off a running train.
Sakthi takes her to the hospital, only for the doctors to delay her treatment, and she eventually succumbs to her injuries. Sakthi and Ink are also convicted guilty and are placed on the wanted list for aiding Mathi. Sakthi, who is on the run decides that the only way to avenge Mathi's death and prove her innocence is to confront the company issuing the patents. Due to his experience in forging certificates, he easily fishes out the fact that the patent was forged by the company under Mahadev's orders, but is attacked in the process when he is rescued by Sathyamoorthy wearing a mask. Sathyamoorthy explains to him that Mahadev is a corrupt genetic scientist and industrialist whose aim is to wipe out innovation in work culture. He also subdues brilliant students and subjects them to lobotomy, rendering their frontal cortex unusable, therefore reducing them to his "puppets". He uses their innovations to sell them to foreign companies and earn profits.
Sathyamoorthy also explains his past; being an advocate of innovation and logical thinking, he tried various ways to inculcate the same in the school curriculum but was faced with opposition and his school was eventually blown up by Mahadev's men, killing the brilliant students. Sathyamoorthy survived the incident, but was beaten up and paralysed by Mahadev's cronies. Thereafter, Sathyamoorthy secretly nurtured the surviving children away from Mahadev in the outskirts of the city. Sakthi, upon hearing Sathyamoorthy's story, decides to fight the system along with him and the children, donning the mantle of the "Mask." Using the gadgets developed by the children and Sathyamoorthy's training, Sakthi fights through Mahadev's henchmen and eventually learns the truth. Sathyamoorthy apparently sacrifices himself in the struggle, prompting Sakthi to telecast the innovative inventions of students and explaining to the audience that children should be given the freedom to follow their passion and not be just mere bookworms.
Sakthi also tells the parents to check their children's journals to find out their interests and desires and encourage the same. Sakthi's father, who happens to hear the telecast, finds Sakthi's journal and realises his mistake of mistreating Sakthi. In the final fight, Mahadev's plans are foiled, and Sakthi kills him by injecting a Pathogen. Six months later while still on the wanted list, Sakthi runs the school along with Meera on the outskirts of the city. A cop approaches him and takes him in his jeep around the city, where Sakthi finds major developments in the city due to the innovations of Mathi and other brilliant students. The officer tosses away the documents relating to Sakthi's charges as he had opened his eyes about his child's dreams and requests Sakthi to continue on with the mantle of the Mask. In the end-credits scene, it is also revealed that Sathyamoorthy is alive and is helping Sakthi in his missions.
After a successful debut through Irumbu Thirai , director P. S. Mithran announced in early-2019 that he would direct a film featuring actor Sivakarthikeyan in the lead role. [6] [7]
The crew of director Mithran's previous film, Irumbu Thirai were also retained for this film as well, including composer Yuvan Shankar Raja, editor Ruben, cinematographer George C. Williams. Additionally, Arjun, who was the main antagonist in Irumbu Thirai was added to the cast. [8] Furthermore, [8] later actress Kalyani Priyadarshan was announced to play the female lead alongside actress Ivana in a supporting role. The film also marks Abhay Deol's Tamil debut, and he will be playing the main villain role for the first time in his career . [9] [10]
The film was officially announced with its title Hero on 13 March 2019, with a formal pooja held, marking the commencement of the principal photography. [1]
M. Suganth of The Times of India reviewed the film as a spiritual sequel to Gentleman (1993). [11] Some of the scenes and inventions used in the film were actually based on real-life incidents, which includes the salt-water engine and satellites using helium filled balloon. [12] [ non-primary source needed ] [13]
Hero | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | 21 December 2019 (Singles) 9 January 2020 (Album) | |||
Recorded | 2019 | |||
Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
Length | 15:20 | |||
Language | Tamil | |||
Label | Lahari Music T-Series | |||
Producer | Yuvan Shankar Raja | |||
Yuvan Shankar Raja chronology | ||||
|
The soundtrack album is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, marking his second collaboration with Sivakarthikeyan and P. S. Mithran after Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga (2013) and Irumbu Thirai (2018) respectively. All the songs were released as singles, before being released as an album. The lyrics for the songs were written by Pa. Vijay, G. Rokesh and rap versions were penned by Abby Simone and MC Sanna.
All lyrics are written by Pa. Vijay, except where noted
No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Malto Kithapuleh" (Lyrics written by Rokesh) | Shyam Vishwanathan | 3:43 |
2. | "Hero Title Track" (Rap versions by Abby Simone) | Yuvan Shankar Raja, Abby Simone | 4:16 |
3. | "Overa Feel Pannuren" (Rap versions by MC Sanna) | Yuvan Shankar Raja, MC Sanna | 3:44 |
4. | "Aayiram Mugangal" | Ilayaraaja | 3:41 |
Total length: | 15:20 |
The title poster, announcing the release date of the film was launched by the makers on 27 July 2019. [14] The first look was released on 2 September 2019, on the day of Vinayagar Chathurthi, where Sivakarthikeyan was seen holding a mask. [15] The second look was released on 18 October 2019. Sivakarthikeyan is presented wearing mask with fire and chaos all around. [16] The official teaser was launched by Salman Khan on 24 October 2019. [17] The official trailer was released on 13 December 2019.[ citation needed ]
As a part of the film's promotional purposes, the makers launched a new augmented reality game experience titled Play Hero, on 23 November 2019. [18] The latest poster of the film was launched on 28 November 2019. The production company KJR Studios, advertised the film in local trains, along with Dabangg 3 , for which the distribution rights were bought by the company. [19] [20] The makers also launched a one-of-a-kind upscale promotion, in which the "Hero" symbol is lighted up in buildings. [21]
On 9 December 2019, the makers launched the official merchandise of the film teaming up with BeatRoute and Fully Filmy. [22] Later the following day, on 10 December 2019, the makers released the WhatsApp stickers of the film. [23] On 11 December 2019, the makers launched the Augmented Reality filter for Facebook and Instagram. [24] [25] Theatrical trailer of the film was released on 13 December 2019, at Sathyam cinemas in Chennai, and it was later released on YouTube. [26] The makers also announced a promotional event at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on 15 December 2019, coinciding with the first ODI match between India and West Indies which was also hosted in Chennai. [27]
The film was released on 20 December 2019, clashing with Dabangg 3 , which was also distributed by KJR Studios. [2] The film released in Dubai on 19 December 2019, a day before its original release.
The Tamil Nadu and Kerala distribution rights were acquired by the production house itself. [28] Horizon Studio acquired the Karnataka distribution rights. The overseas rights were bought by AP International and Home Screen Entertainment. [29]
The film collected ₹1.64 crore (US$210,000) in the first weekend and ₹57.19 lakh (US$72,000) in the second weekend in Chennai. The film collected ₹3.12 crore (US$390,000) in 10 days in Chennai. [30]
The Times of India rated the film 3.5 out of 5, stating that "A superhero story origin, that's also a spiritual sequel to Shankar's Gentleman". [11] For Firstpost, Sreedhar Pillai rated the 3/5, stating that "Mithran has given a neat commercial entertainer, which also calls for a rethink of our educational policy." [31] Sify rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stating that "Hero is a must watch for families this holiday season, which has a relevant message on the modern-day educational system." [32]
India Today rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, stating that "Hero had all the potential to become a proper superhero film sensible to Tamil cinema standards. But, the lumbering narrative (in a few portions), exaggerated scenes and illogical loopholes ruin the entire experience." [33] Sudhir Srinivasan rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, stating that "Hero takes its messaging very, very seriously. The film is a scathing criticism of the good education system. It attacks colleges, pressurising parents, the spineless government, and above all, a syllabus that stifles originality and creativity, and in the words of Mahadev (Abhay Deol), "that is designed to create labourers." Moorthy (Arjun) says as much." [34] The Indian Express rated 2 out of 5 stating that "Sivakarthikeyan's superpower is being super preachy." [35]
Baradwaj Rangan for Film Companion reviewed it as "The film is surprisingly understated. It steers clear of massy "hero" moments, and there's a lot of clear, clean thinking in the writing." [36] Haricharan Pudipeddi for Cinestaan reviewed the film as "PS Mithran's Hero is the Gentleman tribute we needed and it's a film that pretty much gets everything right." [37]
Prior to the film's release, aspiring filmmaker Bosco Prabhu reported Mithran to South Indian Film Writers Association, accusing him of plagiarising his script registered with the association in 2017 and making it into Hero. After a scrutiny with 18 EC members, film director K. Bhagyaraj, who is the head of the association, pointed out the plots of Hero and Bosco's scripts were both the same. Mithran denied any plagiarism, claiming the film had a different plot. Post the association's decision, Bhagyaraj sent Mithran a letter telling him to compensate and give Bosco credits for Hero's story. When Mithran did not respond and went ahead with the film's release, Bhagyaraj insisted Bosco to go to court, assuring him of the association's support. [38]
Feeling the members of the association compared the core plots instead of screenplay, Mithran stated that the film's story was incorporated from many stories found in newspaper articles and real-life incidents. [39] He also wrote back to the president of the Writers' Association, denying any plagiarism of Bosco's script, and requesting them to compare and reviews both scripts before reaching a conclusion. [40] In 2020, months after the film started streaming on Amazon Prime Video, the court gave a judgement in favour of Prabhu and issued an interim order that resulted in the film being banned from television airings and getting taken down from Prime Video. [41] In May 2020, the case was resolved and the film was reinstated on Prime Video. [5]
Ajay Singh Deol, better known as Sunny Deol, is an Indian actor, film director, producer, politician and incumbent Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian Parliament. He was elected from the Gurdaspur constituency of Punjab. One of the highest grossing actors of Indian cinema, he has worked in more than 90 Hindi films in a career spanning over four decades and is particularly known for his angry action hero persona. Deol has won several awards including two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards.
Winner is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Sundar C. The film stars Prashanth and Kiran Rathod in the lead roles, while Vadivelu, Vijayakumar, M. N. Nambiar and Riyaz Khan play important supporting roles. The film, which has music scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja and camera work handled by Prasad Murella, released on 27 September 2003 and became a commercial hit. This film is best known for Vadivelu's comedy.
Abhay Deol is an Indian actor and producer who is known for his work in Hindi films alongside Tamil cinema. Born in the Deol family, he made his on-screen debut in 2005 with Imtiaz Ali's romantic comedy Socha Na Tha.
Vishal Krishna Reddy, professionally known as Vishal, is an Indian actor and producer who works in Tamil films. Born to film producer G. K. Reddy, Vishal is known for his roles in action films. He also produces films under his production company, Vishal Film Factory. Vishal was conferred with the Kalaimamani award in 2006, for his contributions to Tamil cinema.
Irumbu Thirai is a 1960 Indian Tamil-language film produced and directed by S. S. Vasan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Vyjayanthimala, K. A. Thangavelu and B. Saroja Devi, with S. V. Ranga Rao, Pandari Bai and Vasundhara Devi in supporting roles. A remake of Vasan's own Hindi film Paigham (1959), it revolves around two brothers Manikam and Kondamuthu and their mill owner.
Sivakarthikeyan, also known by the initialism SK, is an Indian actor, singer, film producer, lyricist, and television presenter, who works predominantly in Tamil films. He is a recipient of a Tamil Nadu State Film Award, four Edison Awards, four SIIMA Awards, and two other Vijay Awards.
Devgn Films, formerly known as Ajay Devgn FFilms, is an Indian film production and distribution company established by actor Ajay Devgn and his father Veeru Devgan in 1999. Based in Mumbai, it mainly produces and distributes Hindi films.
Ayalaan ( transl. Alien) is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language science fiction film written and directed by R. Ravikumar, and produced by Kotapadi J. Rajesh under KJR Studios. The film stars Sivakarthikeyan and Rakul Preet Singh, with Sharad Kelkar, Isha Koppikar, Karunakaran, Yogi Babu, David Broughton-Davies, Bhanupriya, and Bala Saravanan in supporting roles while Siddharth has a voice role. It follows a man who teams up with an alien to stop a rogue scientist from making a deadly Nova gas, which would endanger the Earth.
Sathish Muthukrishnan is an Indian actor and comedian working in the Tamil film industry. He made a breakthrough portraying a role alongside Sivakarthikeyan in Ethir Neechal (2013). He won Edison Award for Best Comedian for his performance in Kaththi (2014), Thangamagan (2015) and Remo (2016) and Edison Award for Best Appearance for the film Tamizh Padam 2 (2018).
Irumbu Thirai is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language techno-thriller action film directed by debutant P. S. Mithran. The film stars Vishal, Arjun, and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, with Yuvan Shankar Raja composing the soundtrack. The film was produced by Vishal Film Factory, and the venture began production in October 2016. The narrative centers around an army officer, who starts hunting down a gang of hackers after they steal money from his bank account.
Silukkuvarupatti Singam is a 2018 Indian Tamil language action comedy film written and directed by Chella Ayyavu. Produced by Vishnu Vishal, the film also features Vishnu in the lead role alongside Regina Cassandra. P. Ravi Shankar, Anandaraj, Yogi Babu, Karunakaran, Livingston, and Mansoor Ali Khan, among others, form an ensemble cast. The film features Leon James as composer, Ruben as editor, and Laxman Kumar as cinematographer. The venture began production in February 2017 and released on 21 December 2018. Upon release, the film received mixed to positive reviews from the critics.
Nelson Dilipkumar, known mononymously as Nelson, is an Indian director and screenwriter who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. His films are primarily in the crime and action genres and are known for featuring elements of black humour. He directed the crime comedy Kolamaavu Kokila before working on the action comedies Doctor, Beast and Jailer. He is one of the highest paid director
Namma Veettu Pillai is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action comedy drama film written and directed by Pandiraj and produced by Kalanithi Maran under the banner Sun Pictures. The film stars Sivakarthikeyan and Aishwarya Rajesh, with a supporting cast including Anu Emmanuel, Samuthirakani, Soori, Bharathiraja, and Natarajan Subramaniam. The movie marks the third collaboration between Pandiraj and Sivakarthikeyan after Marina and Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga. The music for the film is scored by D. Imman, while cinematography and editing is handled by Nirav Shah and Ruben. The film released on 27 September 2019. The film received positive response from audience and become a successful venture at the box office.
P. S. Mithran is an Indian film director and writer, who is currently working in the Tamil film industry. Mithran's native place is Mannargudi. He made his directorial debut through Irumbu Thirai (2018). He followed it up with the superhero film, Hero (2019), and spy thriller, Sardar (2022).
What Are the Odds is an 2019 Indian Hinglish drama film directed by Megha Ramaswamy. Starring Abhay Deol, Yashaswini Dayama and Karanvir Malhotra, the film tells the story of two unintentional teenage friends who end-up spending an entire day together.
Doctor is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. It is produced by Sivakarthikeyan, under Sivakarthikeyan Productions, who co-produced the film with KJR Studios. The film stars Sivakarthikeyan, alongside Vinay Rai, Priyanka Arul Mohan, Archana Chandhoke, Yogi Babu, Milind Soman, Redin Kingsley, Deepa Shankar, Sunil Reddy and Shiva Aravind. It revolves around a military doctor seeking to rescue his fiancée's niece from human traffickers.
The 2022 WNBA season was the 26th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Chicago Sky were the defending champions.
Love Insurance Corporation is an upcoming Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by Vignesh Shivan. The film is produced by S. S. Lalit Kumar and Vignesh himself under Seven Screen Studio and Rowdy Pictures. It stars Pradeep Ranganathan, S. J. Suryah and Krithi Shetty in the lead roles, alongside Yogi Babu in a comic role, Muhammed Rasool, Gouri G. Kishan, Sha Ra and Seeman.