Movie Review: Phata Poster Nikla Hero

When the promo of Phata Poster Nikla Hero was released I had made up my mind as to how the film is going to be and greatly whatever I had imagined came true on the big screen. PPNK stars Shahid Kapoor and Ileana D'Cruz in lead roles and is directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. It is quite impossible to believe that the director who gave us the laugh riot called Andaz Apna Apna once upon a time has presented its audience with Phata Poster... (Pun Intended). 

Shahid Kapoor is Vishwas Rao who wants to be a 'Hero' but his mom played by Padmini Kolhapure wants her son to be an honest police officer, as honest as honest can get. She is an auto-rikshaw driver in the film and is so honest that she herself pays money to a cop for breaking a traffic signal the previous day. Oh! Really?

So, the mother wants the son to be a police officer and the son wants to be a hero and from there begins the 'supposed' comedy of errors. If you're expecting that this would be a zany comedy which will tickle your funny bone left right and centre, you're highly mistaken because this seemed like the longest 146 minutes of my life. 

Ileana D'Cruz who was wonderful in Barfi seemed like she has lost the plot here. She plays the role of this social activist called Kaajal and her sole motive in life is to get complaints registered with the police about every goon around. The police department calls her 'complaint Kaajal' and after this oh my god so funny line, we all roll on the floor laughing. She has a taped smile on her face in many scenes and sometimes her eyes pop out for no reason at all. Seems like something is up with both the female stars of Barfi. First Priyanka Chopra's Zanjeer and now this. Did that film take everything out of these actors? I hope not. 

Ileana looks stunning in the entire film . She looks so pretty that she can give any damsel a run for her money. But thats it then. 

Kaajal mistakens Vishwas for a real cop and Vishwas who is Chulbul Pandey-cum- Bajirao Singham-cum Bahatar Singh in one boxes the goons left right and centre. (Action sequence, CHECK.) He is made to pretend like a cop because his mother comes to visit him. Gradually Kaajal and Vishwas fall in love and begins a not so romantic love story. ( Romancing the heroine in a song, CHECK). In the second half the good that has been instilled in Vishwas by his mother speaks out loud. Mother gets to know about the pretence cop and the goodboy Vishwas wakes up and wants to amend whatever he has done to hurt his mother. ( Mother-son emotion, CHECK). Alot of random things happen and after that when you finally crawl till the climax of the film you find yourself in 2009 when Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahaani was released. The climax is so similar to Santoshi's previous film that you know, 'by the power vested in you' that what the end will be. The chaotic climax spoils the already spoiled film and there is nothing in this dish to savour. 

 

Watching this over the top, loud Shahid broke my heart many times as I was wondering if he was the same person who did films like Ishq Vishk, Vivaah and Kaminey. The best thing about this film and Shahid is the way he dances in all the songs. He dances like a dream and there is no denying that. Whenever a song comes and Shahid breaks into a dance, you want to watch it. He floats like water and is effortless when he's dancing. 

In PPNH every character is trying too hard to grab attention and thats where the humour dies. Forced comedy is never a good thing. Another moment of smile which comes while watching this flick is when Salman Khan enters. He has the power to make you smile even when he is in the film for exact 2 minutes. Well, he's Salman Khan then. 

All in all the plot of the film is messy and too much is happening resulting in nothing. If this film is meant to be funny, then its not. If this one is action, then ummm.. I dont know and if its something else then I really would want to know. If you're planning to miss this one, you're not missing on anything.