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Review:
Woot. A back to school hijinks caper. Does not sound like something that's too inspiring does it?
Well if Bollywood can come up with an amazing film about cricket then surely one must be prepared to be surprised by even the most staid formulas of old.
Of course, with that kind of telegraphing, is it really any surprise to say Main Hoon Na is a surprisingly great film to watch and enjoy? Well I hope not because if you saw that coming, then you are sure to see a LOT of the plot of Main Hoon Na a good (minimum) 10-20 minutes before it actually happens and yet its predictability is quite charming. You don't have to worry about being challenged by plot or narrative - just be content with the visual and stylish spectacle that is presented before you.
It IS Bollywood so the spectacle is no surprise but the the style is amazing. I think I have come to a conclusion about why sometimes Bollywood seems to annoy me - it is often the case that the extravagant musical numbers and pointless posturing add nothing to the movie but are put in there because it is an expected standard. The thing with Main Hoon Na, however is that it's ridiculous premise and complete sense of artifice means you think absolutely nothing when you see the teachers recognisably caricatured or HK style wirework and completely unrealistic stunts let alone the casual dove references or regular appearance of the string quartet out of nowhere.
Besides that, the simple inffectious effervescence of the entire film lends a youthfulness that is core to the film. It really is quite interesting to see what is presented as an "average" college student in India - it's not really believable of course, but then the film has fun with it's stereotypes and that's really all that they are there for. The reconcilatory theme that acts as a premise for much of the silliness is quite nicely reflected in the more personal family reunions that act as the source of the melodrama and the romantic subplot quite amusing in its awkwardness but really quite standard.
Quite simply, Main Hoon Na is what one expects from a Bollywood film and those expectations are not disappointed. Just simple convoluted, grandoise fun. 9 Dove Extra Unionists Pimping Themselves out of 10 by Eugene Chan back to the top
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