The Telugu film Hero directed by debutante director (also an actor) G V Sudhakar Naidu is another cop story which combines entertainment with a message. Made in the mainstream genre, the film is mostly full of action, romance and with some songs and dances thrown in.
The story goes like this: The director of Anti-Corruption Bureau is murdered after he threatens to disclose the names of the people who have not declared their assets properly. The Commissioner of Police is assigned the case. The murderer (from Dubai) who is arrested by the Commissioner is put in jail.
Meanwhile a government order is issued by the Home Minister on a television show that any honest person can join the police academy for training. The police commissioner's son Radhakrishna (Nitin) wants to be a film hero. His mother supports him but his father wants him to be a cop. He enlists him in the police academy where he meets Krishnaveni (Bhavana Balachandran). The twist in the tale occurs then.
Though there have been similar stories revolving around cops and current incidents, it's the denouement which is slightly different in Hero. The heroine has a slightly larger role to play -- more than looking pretty even though it's a hero-centric film.
Of course the so-called serious story has its share of songs and dances. Some of the characters who come to join the police academy in the film look so unsuitable that one wonders whether it was done just to show that all kinds of people can join the force or whether it was just a spoof! The problem with films attempting or purporting to attempt such serious subjects and issues is they trivialise them to the formulaic pattern -- so much so the seriousness dwindles even though they take up the issue/cause. Hero is a case in point.
Sudhakar Naidu in his first film takes up the baton for a cause but gets stuck in the formula pattern and plays safe. He's got good performances from the lead artistes Nitin and Bhavana. Nitin is cool, casual and effortless. He is adept at dancing as well as in the fight sequences. Bhavana is sparkling and spirited on screen and makes her presence felt. She has the glam quotient too, which is reflected in the songs.
On the whole, Sudhakar Naidu delivers a mainstream film laced with a message.
Rediff Rating: 
