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''An Action Hero'' is a 2022 Indian
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
-language
action thriller film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...
directed by newcomer Anirudh Iyer and produced by T-Series and
Colour Yellow Productions Colour Yellow Productions is an Indian motion picture production company founded by filmmaker and film producer Aanand L. Rai. History Colour Yellow Productions was founded in 2011 by Aanand L. Rai. The company has produced successful film ...
. It stars
Ayushmann Khurrana Ayushmann Khurrana (born Nishant Khurrana; 14 September 1984) is an Indian actor and singer who works in Hindi films. Known for his portrayals of ordinary men often battling social norms, he is the recipient of several awards, including a Na ...
and
Jaideep Ahlawat Jaideep Ahlawat (born 8 February 1980) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi films and series. He has received several awards including three Filmfare OTT Awards and nominations for two Filmfare Awards. After graduating from the Film ...
. In the film, an action star (Khurrana) goes on the run after accidentally killing the brother of a ruthless politician (Ahlawat). ''An Action Hero'' was announced in October 2021, followed by shooting schedules in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
in the first quarter of 2022. It was released on 2 December 2022 to positive reviews from critics, but underperformed at the box office.


Plot

Maanav Khurana, a famous actor known as a leading man in
action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...
s, arrives at Mandothi, Haryana for his upcoming film shoot. Vicky Solanki, an aspiring politician currently contesting the local elections, wants to meet Maanav to gain publicity. Due to the busy shooting schedule, Maanav does not pay heed. When Maanav is about to meet Vicky, he gets distracted by the delivery of his new
Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American Car, automobiles manufactured by Ford Motor Company, Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its Ford Mustang (seventh ...
and goes for a long drive. Enraged, Vicky follows and manhandles him, but Maanav pushes him away and Vicky dies from
blunt force trauma A blunt trauma, also known as a blunt force trauma or non-penetrating trauma, is a physical trauma due to a forceful impact without penetration of the body's surface. Blunt trauma stands in contrast with penetrating trauma, which occurs when an ...
, on the spot after landing head first on a rock. Frightened, Maanav flees to his house in
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
. Unbeknownst to Maanav, Vicky's brother Bhoora Singh Solanki, a municipal councilor of Mandothi, is on his tail to hunt him down. The Haryana police concludes the role of Maanav in Vicky's murder citing the side mirror of Maanav's new Mustang. Maanav's reputation is degraded and his films are boycotted. The news reaches UK as well and Maanav is forced to hide himself from the UK police, where he later witnesses Bhoora killing two British officers at his home. Maanav manages to escape the scene and tries to seek help from his UK lawyer, who does not respond. During his attempt to escape, Maanav's car runs out of gas and Bhoora confronts him. Maanav tries to prove his innocence, but Bhoora does not listen and tries to kill him. Maanav manages to overpower and lock Bhoora in the car's trunk. Upon pressuring his manager Roshan for help, Maanav finally gets to meet Sai, a lawyer and fixer, for capturing potential footage of Bhoora killing the two police officers. Sai tells Maanav to meet his contact in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
for collecting the footage. Meanwhile, Bhoora escapes by calling a towing company, where he follows and kills Sai. When Bhoora was about to kill Maanav, he is intercepted by Sai's friend Kaadir. Maanav and Bhoora together overpower Kaadir, but Maanav gets in the car and flees again leaving Bhoora behind. Bhoora manages to learn about Maanav's whereabouts from Kaadir as a hostage. Maanav gets fed up of hiding and surrenders himself to the police with the footage that Sai's contact procured from the dashcams of the cars nearby Maanav's house in Portsmouth. Masood Abraham Katkar, a feared terrorist from the
D-Company D-Company is a name coined by the Indian media for one of Mumbai underworld's organized crime syndicate founded and controlled by Dawood Ibrahim, an Indian crime boss, drug dealer and wanted terrorist. In 2011, Ibrahim, along with his D-Comp ...
and was earlier taunted by Maanav as irrelevant, abducts him through his men and is taken to a rooftop, where Katkar is awaiting him. Katkar takes a photograph with Maanav, seemingly planning on sending it to the media to paint a picture that Maanav has contacts in the
underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...
. Katkar tells Maanav to perform at his granddaughter's wedding in exchange for his freedom. Bhoora arrives and disrupts Maanav's performance, only to be held at gunpoint by Katkar's men. After an interrogation, Katkar advises Bhoora to kill Maanav. Maanav's image with Katkar becomes viral on social media. Just as Bhoora is about to shoot, Maanav deflects him and Katkar gets shot dead in the skirmish. Katkar's men are alerted and arrive to kill them both. Maanav and Bhoora manage to defeat Katkar's men before turning on each other. With his newfound inner strength, Maanav defeats and wounds Bhoora. Later, Maanav formulates a plan to make a deal with the Indian Embassy to project a story that the government used Maanav's situation and assigned him for the mission to track and kill Katkar, thus saving him from imprisonment. Bhoora refuses to spare him out of ego despite being aware of his innocence from the beginning. Without any choice, Maanav kills Bhoora and his plan succeeds. Maanav returns to India to find himself surrounded by greetings from his fans and the public outside the
Mumbai airport Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is the international airport serving Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the second-busiest airport in India in terms of total and international passenger traffic a ...
.


Cast

*
Ayushmann Khurrana Ayushmann Khurrana (born Nishant Khurrana; 14 September 1984) is an Indian actor and singer who works in Hindi films. Known for his portrayals of ordinary men often battling social norms, he is the recipient of several awards, including a Na ...
as Maanav Khuranna *
Jaideep Ahlawat Jaideep Ahlawat (born 8 February 1980) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi films and series. He has received several awards including three Filmfare OTT Awards and nominations for two Filmfare Awards. After graduating from the Film ...
as Bhoora Singh Solanki *
Asad Shan Asad Shan is a United Kingdom, British actor, fashion model, TV presenter, and producer/director. He was formerly an investment banker, having worked for RBS (ABN AMRO) and HSBC. He was crowned Mr. Asia UK, beating 20 contestants in the proces ...
as Imaad * Jitender Hooda as
Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia The rank of Inspector is present in all Australian police forces excep ...
Roop Kumar *
Neeraj Madhav Neeraj Madhav (born 26 March 1990) is an Indian actor and rapper who predominantly works in Malayalam film industry Early life Neeraj was born on 26 March 1990, in Kozhikode, Kerala into a Malayali family. He did his schooling from St. Jose ...
as Sai *
Harsh Chhaya Harsh Chhaya (born 2 December 1966) is an Indian actor. He debuted in a minor role as "Jijo" in the early 1990s Zee TV series '' Tara'', but first came into prominence in the role of Krishnakant Trivedi (KT) in mid 1990s TV series ''Hasratein'' ...
as Roshan, Maanav's assistant * Gautam Joglekar as Masood Abraham Katkar * Akanksha Vishwakarma as Sheetal, the Assistant director * Ajay Raju as a spot boy Cameo appearances *
Akshay Kumar Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career span ...
as Action Star Anupam *
Malaika Arora Malaika Arora (born 23 October 1973) is an Indian actress, dancer, model, Video Jockey ( VJ ) and television personality who appears in Hindi-language films. She made her debut as a film producer in 2008 with her former husband Arbaaz Khan, f ...
as Maanav's co-star (cameo) *
Nora Fatehi Nora Fatehi (born 6 February 1992) is a Canadian dancer and actress based in India. She has appeared in Hindi cinema, Hindi, Telugu cinema, Telugu and Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. Fatehi made her acting debut with the Hindi film ''Roar: ...
as Maanav's heroine in the song "Jehda Nasha"


Production


Development

The film was announced in October 2021.


Filming

Filming began in January 2022 in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and concluded in March 2022.


Music

The music of the film is composed by
Tanishk Bagchi Tanishk Bagchi (born 23 November 1980) is an Indian music producer, composer, singer and lyricist in Hindi films. He is known for tracks like "Vaaste", "Bolna", "Ve Maahi", " Aankh Maarey" (recreated), " Dilbar" (recreated), "Jehda Nasha" (recr ...
,
Biddu Biddu Appaiah (born 8 February 1945) is a British-Indian singer-songwriter, composer, and music producer who composed and produced many worldwide hit records during a career spanning five decades. Considered one of the pioneers of disco, Euro ...
, Parag Chhabra and Amar Jalal. The
background score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...
is composed by
Sunny M.R. Sunny M. R. is an Indian music composer, music producer, sound engineer, and playback singer. He is best known for his music in the Telugu films ''Swamy Ra Ra'' (2013) and ''Uyyala Jampala'' (2013). He won Global Indian Music Award, Mirchi Music ...
and the Action Hero Theme is composed by Parag Chhabra. The song "Jehda Nasha" was recreated from the 2019 track ''Nasha'' which was sung by IP Singh, Amar Jalal, written by Amar Jalal Group and composed by Faridkot, Amar Jalal. The song "Aap Jaisa Koi" was recreated from the 1980 film ''
Qurbani Qurbani may refer to: * ''Qurbani'' (film), a 1980 Bollywood film * Qurban (Islamic ritual sacrifice) ''Qurbān'' () or ''uḍḥiyah'' () as referred to in Islamic law, is a ritual animal sacrifice of a livestock animal during Eid al-Adha. ...
'' sung by
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
i singer
Nazia Hassan Nazia Hassan (3 April 1965 – 13 August 2000) was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, lawyer, political analyst and philanthropist. Referred to as the " Queen of South Asian Pop", she is considered one of the most influential singers in South Asia ...
, and was composed by British Indian producer
Biddu Biddu Appaiah (born 8 February 1945) is a British-Indian singer-songwriter, composer, and music producer who composed and produced many worldwide hit records during a career spanning five decades. Considered one of the pioneers of disco, Euro ...
. The song was featured in the film as an
item number In Indian cinema, an item number or special song is a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. The term is commonly used within Indian films ( Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu c ...
, picturised on
Zeenat Aman Zeenat Amanullah Khan (born 19 November 1951), known professionally as Zeenat Aman, is an Indian actress and model who mainly works in Hindi films. One of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema, she established herself as one of the highest paid ...
. The film version of "
Aap Jaisa Koi "Aap Jaisa Koi" () is a song from the 1979 soundtrack of the 1980 Indian film '' Qurbani''. It was the debut song of Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan, and was composed by British Indian producer Biddu. The song was featured in the film as an item n ...
" replaces original male vocalist Altamash Faridi with Yash Narvekar.


Release

''An Action Hero'' was theatrically released on 2 December 2022.


Home media

The satellite and digital rights were acquired by Sony Max and
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
. The film began streaming on Netflix from 27 January 2023.


Reception


Critical response

''An Action Hero'' received mostly positive reviews from critics. ''
Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides n ...
'' gave 4/5 stars and wrote "''An Action Hero'' works due to Ayushmann's action-oriented role and Jaideep's screen presence. The twist in the last 30 minutes adds to the fun".
Saibal Chatterjee Saibal Chatterjee is an Indian film critic, editor and documentary screenwriter. He was a columnist at ''BBC News'', ''Business Standard'', ''Hindustan Times'' and '' The Financial Express''. He has also written for ''The Telegraph'', ''The Tim ...
of ''
NDTV New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. It was founded in 1984 by economist Prannoy Roy and journalist Radhika Roy. NDTV began as a production house for news segments, ...
'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "The film bustles with coiled energy every time Jaideep Ahlawat is on the screen as a toughie responding to a rough, ready and rustic notion of justice and self-worth". Sonil Dedhia of ''
News 18 Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (d/b/a Network18 Group) is an Indian media conglomerate owned by the Reliance Industries, headed by Mukesh Ambani. Rahul Joshi is the managing director, chief executive officer and group editor-in-chief, a ...
'' gave 3.5/5 stars and said that the film is "wacky, breezy, bizarre and outlandish". Pratikshya Mishra of ''
The Quint ''The Quint'' is an English and Hindi language Indian general news and opinion website founded by Raghav Bahl and Ritu Kapur after their exit from Network18. The publication's journalists have won three Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism ...
'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "The film makes fun of everything it can get its hands on while weaving a story worthy of its strong cast". Devesh Sharma of ''
Filmfare ''Filmfare'' is an Indian English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of India's most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, reviews, events, ...
'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "The film is cleverly written. It serves us twists and turns admiringly well. The insider jokes are a hoot. The arrogance of a superstar is on point". Kartik Bhardwaj of ''
Cinema Express ''Cinema Express'' was an Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language entertainment fortnightly magazine published from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was a part of The New Indian Express, The New Indian Express Group, which also publishes ''Samakalika Mal ...
'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Ayushmann Khurrana and Jaideep Ahlawat lock horns in this cheeky take on stars, fans, and media culture". Himesh Mankad of ''
Pinkvilla Pinkvilla is an Indian entertainment and lifestyle platform. As of June 2022, Pinkvilla has over 50,000,000 visitors on its website and app. Overview Pinkvilla covers entertainment and lifestyle stories. Its coverage extends to Hindi cinema, ...
'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "''An Action Hero'' is an intelligently written action thriller, wherein the director follows his conviction to strike the right balance in the genre with some humor and whacky scenarios". Rohit Bhatnagar of ''
The Free Press Journal ''The Free Press Journal'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper that was established in 1928 by Swaminathan Sadanand, who also acted as its first editor. First produced to complement a news agency, the Free Press of India, it was a s ...
'' gave 3.5/5 stars and said that the film might derail from the set formula concept, but it might entertain and delve deeper into world affairs. Pallabi Dey Purkayastha of ''
OTTplay HT Media is an Indian mass media company based in Delhi. It has holdings in print, electronic and digital media. HT Media's flagship newspaper is the ''Hindustan Times'', the second most widely read English newspaper in India after ''The Times of ...
'' gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Forget about the questionable choice of title, An Action Hero is actually an intelligent dark comedy that will leave you in splits on more than one occasion. And that, for any moviegoer, is good enough reason to give it a go". Sukanya Verma of ''
Rediff Rediff.com, stylized as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...
'' gave 3/5 stars and wrote "''An Action Hero'' oil and water combination of genres doesn't always gel, gets overly far-fetched in places but still holds up on the strength of whimsy and surprise". Archika Khurana of ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'' gave 3/5 stars and wrote "The interesting thing about the film is not so much the story itself, but seeing Ayushmann Khurrana get into the skin of an action hero and flex his muscles (literally) on screen".
Anna M. M. Vetticad Anna Marie Mathew Vetticad is an Indian journalist, film critic, and cultural commentator. She has been in the field of journalism since 1994. Vetticad is known for her political critiques of Indian cinema and the Indian film industry. She is a ...
of ''
Firstpost Firstpost is an Indian news website owned by Network18 Group, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC TV18. It has posted misinformation on multiple occasions. The Network 18 group was originally owned by Raghav Bahl. In January 2012, the gro ...
'' gave 2.75/5 stars and wrote "An Action Hero combines slick action with crackerjack chemistry between its leads. The near-erasure of women in the story is depressing, but the film’s pace gives us little time to think". Anuj Kumar of ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'' wrote "Debutant writer-director Anirudh Iyer delivers a piquant entertainer that makes sharp observations on the fickleness of fame and futility of bloated egos". Monika Rawal Kukreja of ''
Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...
'' wrote "Watch An Action Hero for some brash and raw action, and if you enjoy cat and mouse chase, you would find this crazy ride equally funny".


Accolades


References


External links

*
An Action Hero
on
Box Office India Box Office India is an Indian film website dedicated to tracking, reporting, and analyzing the financial performance of films released in the Hindi entertainment industry. Established in 2003, Box Office India has become a prominent source of ...

An Action Hero
on
Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides n ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Action Hero, An 2022 films Indian action films 2022 action films Films about actors Films set in England Indian chase films Hindi-language action films Indian films about revenge