Director: Manish Saini
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Mihir Godbole, Shivanssh Chourghe, Prateik Smita Patil, Bhagyashree, Sharat Saxena, Mihir Godbole
Where: In theatres
Rating: 3*
Amongst the many genres, Bollywood has occasionally explored the pure and innocent bond between a child and his/ her grandparent/s. This week’s release ‘The Great Grand Superhero - Aliens Ka Aagman’, walks down that exact emotional path. Whether this heartwarming narrative gets translated into a massive box office victory is what remains to be seen.
The film starts off with a young kid Deepu (Mihir Godbole) being admitted mid term in Hoshiyarpur based Adarsh Vidya Mandir. In order to break the ice with his new classmates, Deepu spins a never-ending story about his superhero grandfather Jagdish Chandra (Jackie Shroff) and his ‘too-good-to-be-believed’ adventures with the aliens.
Things get heightened when Deepu’s friends start insisting on meeting his grandfather in person so that they can see his superpowers with their own eyes. Does Deepu think of a life saving solution, does his friends discover the truth or is Deepu’s grandfather more than what meets the eye is what gets revealed as the film progresses.
Actors' performance
After having done films like Bhoot And Friends, Bhoot Unkle, King Uncle etc…, this film seems to be a home turf for Jackie Shroff, who effortlessly excels in the role. And that’s why he just does not try hard to make his performance a believable one. Onto a close second are the two outstanding kids Mihir Godbole and Shivanssh Chourghe who eventually become the soul of the film. Cameos by Prateik Smita Patil, Bhagyashree, Sharat Saxena are decent and justified.
Direction, Music and Aesthetics
The film has been directed by the award-winning Manish Saini, who has left no stone unturned in extracting praise worthy performances from his actors (esp the children). Kudos to him for handling the film with utmost sensitivity without going over the top.
One does wish that the aliens’ scenes (in totality) and the fight scenes between Jackie Shroff and Prateik could have been directed in a better and justifiable manner. In addition to that, the message that he tries to give the audience through this film comes across as half baked.
The film’s music (Night Song Records) is strictly average… unlike the background score. While the film’s cinematography (Swathy Deepak) is praiseworthy, film’s editing (Deepa Bhatia) could have been more impactful in the aforementioned scenes.
FPJ Verdict
If you are a die-hard fan of the legendary Jackie Shroff or children’s films, you can treat this film as a treat for the young and young at heart! This film can surely be seen once without boredom settling in.
