BollyCurry is back with its next edition of
Retro Review of the Week! This time, the movie in question is the one with some really liked characters and actors - the movie of it's time:
Main Hoon Na.
Main Hoon Na
was released on 30th April, 2004, starring
Shah Rukh Khan,
Sushmita Sen,
Suniel Shetty,
Zayed Khan and
Amrita Rao. This action comedy marked the
start of choreographer Farak Khan's successful foray into direction. Its
story was written by popular writer/lyricist Anvita Dutt Guptan, while
Farah Khan and Abbas Tyrewala worked on the screenplay.
What
happens when an army officer goes undercover for the sake of his
country, while harboring a hidden personal
motive? What happens when he
ends up in a college full of teens, half his age, not as a professor but
as a student? Yes, it is just as intriguing as it sounds - a complete
mixture of two drastically opposite environments that this film does a
very well job at portraying. The adventures Ram (
Shah Rukh Khan) comes
across while protecting Sanjana (
Amrita Rao), while looking for his lost
brother, Lucky aka Laxshman (
Zayed Khan), foiling the country's enemy
Raghavan's (Sunil Shetty) plans all worked in favor of the film, making
it a super hit! The plus factor of this film is that of his romantic
equation with the hot and sizzling chemistry professor, Chandni
(
Sushmita Sen).
When
going in depth of what worked and what didn't, all one finds are
positives! At each turn is a twist, followed by a heroic act of Major
Ram. The movie has it's complete share of everything: action, drama,
youthfulness, betrayal, romance, singing, dancing and comedy. The
beautiful relationships portrayed amongst a backdrop of patriotism
include that of a mother-son relationship between Ram and Madhu (Kirron
Kher), the friendship between Ram and Lakshman (the irony!) and Ram and
Sanjana. The sizzling romance between Ram and Chandni and the brewing
teenage love between Lucky and Sanjana add a steamy hot and innocently
cute effect respectively.
Letting
the music flow into us, this Bollywood musical has some marvelous pieces
at each turn such as '
Main Hoon Na' sung by ace singer Sonu Niigam and
the talented Shreya Goshal - for which Nigam received an MTV Immies Best
Male Singer Award and Star Screen Awards for Best Male Playback Singer.
Other soulful tracks include 'Tumse Milke,' 'Tumhe Jo Maine Dekha,'
'Gori Gori,' and 'Chale Jaise Hawaein'. The music of this film was
composed by the famous
Anu Malik, earning him his second Best Music
Director Award. It wouldn't be false to claim and conclude that these
pieces can still be listened to and sung at various celebrations.
The movie went on to receive largely positive reviews from most of the critics, who appreciated the novel way in which a normal
masaledaar Bollywood script was executed. It also won the hearts of the audience, which is what catapulted its revenue.
Main Hoon Na then went on to become the second highest grossing Bollwood movie of 2004 behind
Veer Zaara,
and Box Office India declared the film to be a hit within India, and a
blockbuster overseas! For first time producers
Shah Rukh Khan and
Gauri Khan's Red Chillies Productions, this was surely a boost!
Looking
at the movie as a whole, it was indeed a complete package with its
equal share of heart stopping action with it's army backdrop, and the
light-hearted fun and romance within the college environment. Indeed,
the movie justifies its title - a message that there is a savior amongst
everyone to protect them of all harms. This movie can be called nothing
short of perfection.
Did You Know?- Hrithik
Roshan was the first choice for the character of Lucky, but he chose to
opt out of the film. The role eventually went on to Zayed Khan, and the
rest is history.
- The film's original title was to be "The Outsider", but while working on the screenplay with Tyrewala, Khan realised that Main Hoon Na would
be a better title. SRK was not very happy with the change, and it took a
lot of persuasion from Farah Khan to make him accept the title.
- While choreographing the hit item number "Mehboob Mere" for the film Fiza with
the gorgeous Sushmita Sen, Farah Khan had promised her that she would
cast her if and when she ever decided to direct a film. As we all know,
Khan did decide to direct a film, and she didn't forget her promise!
Needless to conclude,
Main Hoon Na is
one of Bollywood's classic movies, and one that can be watched
repeatedly without getting bored. BollyCurry hopes the legacy of this
film lives on for at least another decade at hand!
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