Hero Movie Review: Sivakarthikeyan's superhero-vigilante movie is unique.

Cast: Sivakarthikeyan, Arjun Sarja, Kalyani Priyadarshan and Abhay Deol

Directed By: PS Mithran

Tamil Cinema has never given a legit superhero movie but it has an ample number of vigilante films thanks to Shankar who is the pioneer of this genre in Tamil cinema.

And Sivakarthikeyan's Hero is an ode to Shankar films. In the movie too his character is a big fan of Gentleman and always wanted to be like Arjun and interestingly Arjun is also in the film. 

Director PS Mithran and his team of writers (MR Pon Parthiban, Savari Muthu, Antony Bhagyaraj) seem to have asked themselves the most basic and legit necessary question, Why do we need a superhero in Tamil cinema? And might thought about earlier Tamil films which are a vigilante film and came with the idea of Hero.

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Shakthi (Sivakarthikeyan) runs a printing press with his sidekick Ink (Robo Shankar) and they produce fake degree certificates. Later on, Shakti realizes that he is jeopardizing the young students. On the other hand, there is Moorthy (Arjun) who is rational with rebel thinking but with serious intentions to change the education system. And then there’s Mahadev (Abhay Deol), one of the influential people in the city who believes in producing educated laborers than encouraging young minds and their innovation. What happens when these three characters meet forms the crux of Hero.

Mithran who gave us a good thriller in Irumbu Thirai last year liberally borrows cinematic tropes that we would generally associate with Shankar but still manages to give us a heady mix of action and thrills that keeps us engaged. The story’s theme could be summed up in two words: dream big (there’s even an Abdul Kalam photo in a newspaper somewhere), but to the makers’ credit, the drama surrounding the protagonist is weaved in with intelligence.

Arjun’s role is an extended version of his iconic character in Shankar’s Gentleman. He is a vigilante masquerading as a teacher who doesn’t believe in textbook teaching. Particularly, his flashback portions create a much-needed impact on the story of Hero. 

Sivakarthikeyan as Shakthi is a perfect fit for Hero as he nails his expressions, emotions, and stunts too. Yet, it becomes extremely difficult for the audience to look past the clichés. Arjun, in his role, has performed exceptionally well. 

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Kalyani Priyadarshan plays a motivational speaker named Meera. While she performed her role with ease, her character didn't add any substance to the film. Ivana, who proved her mettle as an actress in Bala's Nachiyaar, has appeared in a brief yet impactful role in Hero, which sets the tone for the film.

Abhay Deol has done a good job has a villain and his lip-sync better than other North Indian actors who are imported from Bollywood.

One of the highpoints of Hero is its cinematography by George Williams. The framing and use of colors set the tone for the film. Yuvan Shankar Raja’s songs and background music failed to elevate the important moments.

Overall, Hero is a different take on superhero film with all the commercial elements with Shankar's vigilante.