An Action Hero

Anirudh Iyer's story is interesting, and topical, and boasts of a nice twist. Neeraj Yadav's screenplay is simple and peppered with some entertaining moments. But the writing drops at places and could have been tighter. Neeraj Yadav's dialogues are funny and wicked. Anirudh Iyer's direction is first-rate and quite good for a debut. For a film titled AN ACTION HERO, he has added enough action and heroic moments. He has also made an important comment on clickbait journalism, how the public can easily be misguided about the workings of the industry etc. But what works the most is the face-off between Maanav and Bhoora. The twist in the tale is also unexpected.

The biggest strength of An Action Hero is director Anirudh Iyer’s conviction to narrate this quirky tale of revenge in a certain way. His storytelling pattern and direction manage to hold attention all throughout the narrative. The screenplay is laced with some great one-liners and movements that take you by shock. The entire first half moves in a brisk pace, with engaging episodes, one after the other. Right from the entire style of setting up the story in India, to the airplane block with Akshay Kumar and finally, the cat-and-mouse chase between Manav, the cops, and Bhoora in London – the screenplay keeps you hooked. The second half too has some solid moments, especially the climax, though, it might get varied reactions from the audience.

But people work for money, bro,

An Action Hero makes fun of everything it can get its hands on while weaving a story worthy of its strong cast. Jaideep Ahlawat remains an actor who steals the scene every time and Ayushmann is still a star who knows how to keep the audience watching.

The film is a consistently engaging show, even when you find yourself disagreeing with it. And debutante director Iyer deserves all the credit for it. Consistently inspired performances from its leading men is the fuel that powers this film. Khurrana and Alhawat are pure magic. These two need to be paired again to just showcase their crackling chemistry. There is no doubt Khurrana is a versatile actor and this surely is one of his best works. He really gets into his part, giving us a wholesome sense of a life of a superstar. His intensity doesn’t feel made up or fake, just like Alhawat’s angst and ego as he wants to kill his brother’s murderer. He is simply fantastic as the actor goes for the kill in every scene and walks away with all the applause too.