An Action Hero Movie Review: Ayushmann Khurrana Film Is All About Style, Substance, Action & Everything In Between

If you have been waiting for Ayushmann Khurrana to do something new and totally off his game, 'An Action Hero' is a film to watch. A performance of swagger and substance; Ayushmann hits the ball park

New Delhi: If you have been waiting for Ayushmann Khurrana to do something new and totally off his game, 'An Action Hero' is a film to watch him in. A performance of swagger, style and substance; Ayushmann hits the ball park with this Anirudh Iyer directorial.

'An Action Hero' is thoroughly engaging. The sequences have a penchant for detail. The film also stars Jaideep Ahlawat, an ace performer whose characters' crude, satanic depth is easily matched and complemented by the level-headed, and cool swagger of Ayushmann's character.

'An Action Hero' is a film about an action hero, played by Ayushmann Khurrana, who becomes an action hero in reality by battling real life people who are after his life for various reasons. Ayushmann plays Superstar Maanav who is on a run after an accident happens in Haryana while shooting a film.

The opening sequence of the film starts in the present day where Ayushmann is undergoing interrogation and the film then moves the narrative in the past to show how the current state of things came about.

What is really commendable about the film is the lack of voiceovers, monologues( explaining why, what, how, when) which plague most films today. 'An Action Hero' strikes a perfect balance between show and tell, and even though that happens with meticulously choreographed action-sequences; the effort really shows. That kind of effort is not so well-blent in the text. This could also be because of the uneven pace of the film or the overpowering meta-referencing to incidents, dialogues within the film, or the genre of action-filmmaking, or about stardom in India etc.

All such elements used to add layers to the syntax to the film deserve a mention as they add much-needed depth to the movie.

'An Action Hero' is not just about an action hero literally becoming one and seeing his life become a film and he playing the part in it, it is also a lot of ego and vanity.

The film also tries to make use of every scene, shot and give meaning to it-at least in the first half, this is very evident. For this, the makers use varying camera movements to give a sense of perspective and exposition. This gets lost in the second half which becomes metaphysical( to an extent) and is loaded with too much content that is idealistic and childish.

'An Action Hero' is too much about giving literal meaning to its title or the dialogues or scenes that happen in the film. For instance; the extended opening sequence is about Maanav battling goons in the climax of a film to avenge the death of his reel brother. This is a sort of hint to what follows; Jaideep avenging the death of his brother in the film which later becomes something else.

What is also striking about 'An Action Hero' is the soundtrack and it's lack of moral compass.

To talk about the first, the background score and the songs suit the genre very well and work as devices to further the narrative. The theme music really adds style to an already shining Ayushmann in sequences of chase and action.

The moral compass is on the greyscale. What happens when life happens by accident? How does a regular human or a superstar actor deal with the repercussions? And, as audiences, why do you root for either of them even when they actually kill people.

What does this say about the audience, the film or the psyche with which we accept what is fed to us on celluloid are some questions that most recent Hindi film releases like 'An Action Hero' and 'Drishyam 2' leave you with.

This Ayushmann Khurrana film also uses landscape and backdrop to heighten a sense of emotion by interlacing a character in distress with serene landscapes and vice versa and use the backdrop as more than a prop and accessory to participate in the film. For instance; we see Maanav take the guise of a Trafalgar to hide, or Ayushmann and Jaideep engage in hand-to-hand combat in the meticulously arranged kitchen of a house or Maanav checking his phone for news about his career's end in the midst of picturesque landscapes of London countryside.

'An Action Hero' is really good in parts, and especially the pre-interval film which has you surprised and hooked when the interval card plays. The post-interval film gets way out of bounds of believability but the fact it is so relatable with the way Ayushmann is invested in his performance, 'An Action Hero' deserves a special mention.

The dialogue gets even better in the second-half, screenplay- borderline unreal, pace-tight and edgy, editing-sharper and design-suiting the context. Though the context and plot feels nonsensical with a most-wanted criminal getting killed by accident, it all comes together when Maanav says, “Kahani hai.. Kya farq padta hai koi mane ya na mane”. Ayushmann and Jaideep flex their acting skills and it is a delight to watch their love-hate banter. Ayushmann actually looks like this suave action-hero ( for the first time perhaps) with his heart in the right place.

'An Action Hero' is a must-watch film this weekend for all things style, substance and everything in between.