Article Updated 30 April, 2004 09:12:54 PM IST   'Main Hoon Na' - Soulless! By Prema K. ©2004 Bollyvista.com   Another film that does not live up to its hype! And yes, it is another one of Shahrukh Khan productions that revolves around him (especially the second half) in an attempt to showcase his histrionic abilities. He is our superhero; the perfect son, lover, brother, friend, charmer, dancer, and action hero (does the last bit sound like some kind of joke?) The film begins with a television interview of the Indian General (Kabir Bedi). All hell breaks loose in the studio when his ex-colleague cum friend Raghavan (Suniel Shetty in a weird looking wig and getup) decides to gun him down. The reason being, Raghavan opposes (someone please tell us why!) the General's attempt at creating peace between India and Pakistan. In the bargain, our superhero, Army Major Ram Sharma's (Shah Rukh Khan) father (Naseeruddin Shah) is gunned down. Before he breathes his last, he tells his son about his wife (Kirron Kher) and son, Laxman (Zayed Khan, who looks like he is straight out of the zoo). Is that why Ram joins college and pretends to be a college student? The reason is more than personal. He has been assigned the duty of protecting the General's daughter, Sanjana (a cute and wild looking Amrita Rao), who is also studying in the same college with Laxman. Lucky, as Laxman is known on the college campus is one of those cool dude sorts whose attention every girl vies for (including our petite Sanjana). The first half of the film is fun especially the confrontation scenes between Ram-Lucky. Had the film stuck to the college campus romance and comedy, and mother-son emotions, it would have certainly been more enjoyable fare. The entire Indo-Pak element, with predictable dialogues takes away from the film. It would be foolhardy to look for flaws in the film. One could write volumes on that. But a couple of points are worth mentioning. The chemistry teacher, Chandni (Sushmita Sen who dresses up like she is hell bent on sparking off chemistry in the classroom with her students) looks mismatched opposite Ram. There is no chemistry at all between the two. It's time Sushmita realized that she is inept at playing a coy, in-love kinda girl. She has a very overpowering screen presence for that. She is expressionless and her romantic scene with Ram lacks emotions. Amrita looks perky and Zayed is good fun as the brash college kid with a rock star hangover. This film would have been a better debut for him. In fact he steals the show from Shah Rukh in the first half. Suniel Shetty makes no impact. Satish Shah and Bindu are funny. But the man who really deserves mention is Boman Irani as the absent-minded college principal. He is simply superb! Action by Allan Amin is first rate although slightly over the top at times. The songs are catchy and well-picturized (that's the least Farah can do, considering her impressive track record as a choreographer) and have a fresh look about them. On the one hand while Farah Khan has to be lauded for being the first Indian female director to make a film that is nowhere close to being woman-oriented, on the other hand she deserves brickbats for spending lavish amounts to churn out a typical commercial masala film that we have been enduring since times immemorial. 'Main Hoon Na' is best forgotten as soon as it is over. The second half is a drag and hats off to all those who dare to sit through it! ** (TWO STARS) *poor; **average; ***good; ****very good; *****excellent Click here to check out full coverage of 'Main Hoon Na' on Bollyvista.com   close   Print this Article http://www.bollyvista.com   http://www.bollyvista.com/article/a/29/2469