Main Hoon Na

Main Hoon Na is a completely crazy and an extremely entertaining flick. Done with much comedy and funny action (and a little bit of insignificant drama), this one is a film that can be watched again and again and still be an absolute treat. The film has a story, and the greatest thing about it is that it actually does not even matter. This film is made for fun, and succeeds thoroughly for that purpose.

And what does it have to work as much as it did? Well, it has a Shahrukh Khan (sorry, The Shahrukh Khan), two cool youngsters (Zayed Khan and Amrita Rao), a sexy and classy chemistry teacher (Sushmita Sen), a hilarious spit-spraying teacher (Satish Shah), another funny elderly teacher (Bindu), and a motherly, warm Kirron Kher.

Shahrukh is as always great and is fairly restrained in this role, Sushmita is damn too hot to handle, Zayed and Amrita suit their parts, Kirron is lovable as usual, Satish Shah and Bindu will have you floored, and Sunil Shetty will annoy you as he does in most of his films.

The film has an amazing soundtrack with many catchy songs composed by Anu Malik. It has a twisted, messy and senseless story that manages to provide utmost fun and pastime, and it has many great and heart-warming moments. It flows very well throughout with all the nice songs and the rather humorous proceedings.

Films are made mainly to entertain us. This film does not take itself too seriously and it is not to be taken seriously. It has some inexplicable and genuine sense of fun, and as such, can be rightfully called a successful, special and very profound Hindi entertainment.

New to the Bollywood genre, I was curious so got this DVD to see what it was all about. In the next several hours I had wept repeatedly, laughed hysterically, wanted to join in dancing, and caught myself with my mouth hanging open more than once in stunned appreciation of the shift between moods on screen. And I was amazed the entire time at what a good time I was having, and spent the rest of the evening humming the songs from it.

This film is really evidence of a completely different mindset and world, and one that I find that I like so much! There was no swearing, no blatant sex, no sneering or nastiness, which I am so tired of; all was color, music, beautiful saris, people of all ages participating, silly support characters, appealing leads, lots of action, and all set against a poignant story line about a peace initiative between the traditional enemies,India and Pakistan. I am SO impressed, and want to see many more of these Indian films from now on. I recommend it!

Amar Akbar Anthony, Naseeb, Sholay etc. Why do we love all these films? Yes, they are extremely entertaining but more so because they have action, romance, comedy, drama - EVERYTHING! In today's time, we don't get films with all that together. Farah Khan's Main Hoon Na doesn't ask you, but tells you to chill, have some popcorn and cola and have the time of your life for the next 3 hours.

Major Ram Prasad Sharma is a tough army officer who plays no games and is very serious about his work. He and his father have a dream, project Milap - to set free all Pakistani prisoners of war to put forward a hand of harmony and friendship towards Pakistan. Due to circumstances, Ram's father Shekhar is killed but before dying, he tells him that he's not his only son and he wants him to re-unite with his family. Ram asks for a temporary leave to fulfill his father's wishes, alongside that, he is asked by General Bakshi to protect his daughter who goes to the same college as Ram's brother. He wants him to protect him from Indian terrorist Raghvan.

So then starts Major Ramm's mission. To find his long lost mother and half brother, to protect Sanjana from Raghvan and to complete Project Milap which is opposed by Raghvan.

The best part of Main Hoon Na is the story, It's refreshing and unique. The viewer knows that Ram will win in the end but the going-ons in the movie are extremely entertaining. Farah Khan, Abbas Tyrewala and group have come up with an excellent plot.

Main Hoon Na has everything in the right place in terms of plot. Thee's action at the right time, songs do not stop the plot, the comedy is perfect.

The film does dip a bit in the second half but that's hardly noticeable. In fact, this is one of the few Indian movies that does not slip completely in the second half. Indian filmmakers usually put so much energy in the first half that the second half starts to fade. Not this time.

As mentioned before, the writing is nearly flawless. Screenplay keeps you awake and dialogues are first rate. Production values, sets, locales etc. All perfect.

The music is out of this world. Anu Malik's best work. All the songs are brilliant and beautifully picturised.

Farah Khan's direction is top stuff. Hard to believe this was her first film and her best. Sorry to say, I liked Om Shanti Om and hated Tees Maar Khan but I do not think Farah will make a better film than this.

Main Hoon Na would be incomplete without Shah Rukh Khan. SRK puts the right energy into the role and is perfect in every frame. The scenes with Kirron Khere, the scenes with Sunil Shetty are all terrific. Even the light scenes are excellent. A superior act!

Another actor that stands out is Sunil Shetty. He's first rate as the baddie. Zayed Khan can't act better than this, seriously. Sushmita Sen, Amrita Rao don't do as much but are efficient. Kirron Kher is terrific. Satish Shah and Boman Irani are hilarious. Kabir Bedi is good. Naseer makes a significant appearance.

On the whole, Main Hoon Na is fun, crazy, and most of all - it isn't the type of film that asks you to lave your brain at home, bring it with you. Recommended!

Great flick that was a blast from start to finish! When the "Red Chillies Entertainment" logo came up at the start, I had no idea this film was going to be such a celluloid party! Farah Khan delivers one mega punch after another. The song "Chale Jaise Hawaien" is priceless -- reminiscent of K2H2 -- but her choice to shoot the song in two long-take sequence shots was phenomenal --> exhibiting some of the best human and camera choreography since Welles's classic opening to Touch of Evil. All the songs shine in the film, but the qawaali "Tumse Milke Dilka Jo Haal" -- coming right after the interval -- is an absolute showstopper; the choreography, set design, and costuming come as close to Hindi cinema perfection as any mere mortal can get! Shah Rukh kicks as an action hero, and ALL the actors play their characters with conviction and just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek! And the comic punch of this film is brilliant --> when Satish Shah first appears on the screen (no spoiler here), I laughed so hard I had tears streaming down my face (appropriate, I guess....). There are also some absolutely amazing digital effects shots, particularly during some of the Shah Rukh-Sunil Shetty fight scenes (I don't think anyone has ever had so much fun lampooning The Matrix [thanks, Farah!]). Finally, Anu Malik delivers what I think must be his absolutely finest pop-Indian soundtrack. The songs are totally addictive and immensely hummable. I am looking forward to snatching up the DVD when it's released so I can hear the songs in a proper surround-sound mix.

Overall, this is an incredibly entertaining mix of all that is wonderful in contemporary Hindi films -- great story (inspired by the Ramayana), terrific choreography and acting, rib-splitting comedy, just the right amount of pathos, stunning cinematography, catchy songs, and dynamite directing. Both thumbs up!

The story was a fantasy, not plausible in any way - yet this movie was fun. This was the first time I'd seen an Indian film, at the urging of someone who has already seen it twice (she is a big Shah Rukh Khan fan). It's quite different in every way from the American films I've always seen, but very entertaining and had almost every type of movie one can imagine all rolled into one film: action, drama, romance, musical and comedy. Some of the acting was a bit "hammed up", but was still right for the material. The woman who played Lucky's mom was quite good. I liked the Matrix references and how it was done in an obvious way, more of a fun "hats off"(let's look like what they did in Matrix) instead of merely copying. Even though I speak English and no Hindi, I easily followed along with the story and had no problem with the subtitles. This was a long movie (3 hours), yet time flew. The end of the movie was touching with the exchange (don't want to spoil it) and loads of "real people" cast in the parts. At the very end the credits were fun, too, with the cast and crew holding up different signs with their names - if these people didn't have a great time doing this film, they fooled me! I'd say this film is good for most all ages. Even though there are loads of pretty girls, nothing seems too suggestive and seemed more in fun. I left feeling good and as if I had honestly been entertained. Good work!