Review of movie Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota

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Rating:3.5/5

Supri (a terrific Radhika Madan), Suraj’s childhood sweetheart is his only escape from his lonely existence. His quirky aajoba (Mahesh Manjrekar plays the grandfather), ensures Surya doesn’t succumb to the pressure of fitting in or being seen as ‘normal’, as the world and his father expect him to. Aajoba fans Surya’s fire and even believes in his fantasies and audacious imagination without losing his grip on reality. Once Surya hits puberty, aajoba even advises his grandson, “Tujhe Bruce Lee ki nahi, ek saheli ki zaroorat hai.” (Funnier, when you see the film). Kudos to Vasan Bala. He creates a mad, bizarre, eccentric, and even absurd but an insanely entertaining world of adventure that does both — parodies the action / superhero films and reveres them in equal proportion. 

If Andaz Apna Apna and Deadpool had a love child, it would probably be like this cleverly crafted madcap dramedy. The film doesn’t pretend to be something it isn’t or try to be smarter than what it is which works. Bala’s randomness still has a meaning and evokes laughter at the most inopportune moment, much to the unsuspecting audience’s amusement. For instance, a supposedly unconscious supporting actor when ordered by the villain to wake up and fight the hero, goes back to sleep, pretending to be unconscious for his own safety. An actor squeezes orange juice into the eyes of a goon to fight him and the hero encourages himself by chanting Suraaaj, Suraj.. like sachiiinnn Sachin, before attacking the bad guys. Major comedy stems from the characters thinking aloud. Their inane thought bubbles make for a rib-tickling narrative.

The director goes a tad overboard with the slowmo action sequences but you don’t mind it, given the smartly executed stunts. Also, the comedy doesn’t jeopardise the film’s action sequences which is commendable. The ‘Avengers ensemble climax’ in particular is absolutely hilarious. On the flip side, despite its refreshing take on superhero movies and filmy fever, the story seems stagnant and stretched in portions, which could have been avoided. It also takes a while for you to slip into Suraj’s world of crazy heroism. 

Both Abhimanyu Dassani and Radhika Madan fit the bill. They display great potential and a good screen presence. Radhika’s entry scene in particular is outstanding. Gulshan Devaiah is fabulous in an intentionally clichéd double role and Mahesh Manjrekar gets the best one-liners, which he does ample justice to.