STORY: Top cop Mathur’s daughter, Radha (Athiya Shetty) is kidnapped by Sooraj (Sooraj Pancholi), the protege of her father’s arch-rival. Cupid plays his part in making them fall in love. But, this volatile love story can never end in happiness. Do they give up on each other?

REVIEW: Hero is a delectable synthesis of startling onscreen beauty, dazzling high octane action, melodious music and merry froth. Each frame of the film has been done up with care which is evident in its striking visuals. However, the same doesn’t stand true for the story, which is incoherent and often convoluted.

Cut out from the same fabric as Subhash Ghai’s 1983 hit of the same name, director Nikhil Advani creates a similar effervescent ambience as the original, bubbling with the energy of its young debutants. Nikhil makes the narrative contemporary without turning it into a ramshackle (an inevitable fate of classics, when remade). The film has so much going in its favour, that the screenplay glitches can be pardoned.

Hero is fuzzy and moving. It has a leading man whose charm will make your heart skip a beat, a defiant damsel who is lovable and a story laden with commercial trappings of naach-gaana and maar-dhaar. The thunderous power-packed action sequences, especially the one in its climax, is pitch perfect and makes you feel the giddiness synonymous with Salman Khan films.

It is cleverly set – in picturesque locales. The affable chemistry of Sooraj and Athiya has a dash of inventiveness. For two newbies, the duo has a strong screen presence. Athiya is a natural and Sooraj owns the titular role with an effortless swagger. His skillful action makes him score over most debutants of recent times.

Sculpted as a full throttle masala entertainer, Hero is plot-heavy. And while you are well acquainted with the story, Nikhil and Salman’s sensibility works as midas touch, giving the film a different texture. It is slick and never allows its viewers to feel restless. For its 132 minutes’ crisp runtime, Hero offers bucketful of entertainment and victoriously conveys that commercial movies needn’t be puerile to show people a good time.