The stereotypical idea of a Bollywood hero is the quintessential “mard jise dard nahi hota”. Right from Amitabh Bachchan to Salman Khan, nearly every Bollywood hero has portrayed a character whose traits echoed with this line. Even today, we find such heroes in plenty in Bollywood films. It feels unrealistic to see heroes who don’t even wince at the most gruesome wounds. Is it even humanly possible to not feel pain? Well, the latest hero at the Bollywood box office has a very logical explanation to not feeling the pain.
Surya (Abhimanyu Dassani) is born with “Congenital Sensitivity to Pain”, a condition that makes him immune to physical injuries, which makes him an accidental superhero. While his dad worries for him and tries to keep him away from the real world as much possible, his grandfather encourages him and tries to teach him to adjust to the real world. One of the things his grandfather teaches him is to say “Ouch” every time he sees blood from his wounds. He becomes a vigilante of sorts, because of his ‘superpowers’. But the film doesn’t put the entire focus on its hero Surya, but very cleverly indeed puts forth Radhika Madan’s badass character, Supri. Supri is not only Surya’s childhood crush but is also his protector from bullies. As she punches the bullies left and right and centre, Surya wonders why she is not saying “Ouch”!
Honestly, the idea of a witty superhero with quirky humour and immunity to physical pain is not new. Deadpool patented that idea long ago. But with Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota” we get a children friendly, Bollywood-ised version of Deadpool. “Mard ko Dard Nahi Hota” is what you get when you weave Bollywood, comedy and clichéd Chinese-movie plots with a strong narrative and a dash of hilarity. Directed by Vasan Bala, this movie does stand out from the regular Hindi movies wherein we get to see the typical story revolving around the hero, a timid/shy heroine, a helpless old guy/maa, with the hero equalling GOD himself.
To make the audience engage with a movie, a film-maker has nothing else but his characters. The film focuses on two most important (but unfortunately easily forgotten) aspects of any film — narrative and characters. The narration of the film often breaks the fourth wall, which adds to the overall fun quotient of the film. The characters of the film are well-developed and one can feel the touch of warmth and nostalgia attributed to each character. Furthermore, cinematographer Jay Patel manages to capture both of the above through his lens to deliver us this grungy, hilariously clichéd yet free-flowing piece of art.
Before releasing commercially in India, the film had quite a commendable run at the film festivals. It won the “People’s Choice Award: Midnight Madness” when it premiered at the Midnight Madness section of the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. The film also received a standing ovation after it was screened at the 2018 MAMI Film Festival.
Overall, the film is a fitting tribute to most of the Bollywood’s classic cliché — a hero who is free from pain, good twin vs evil twin, and fight scenes. The film is filled with many ‘blink it and you miss it’ Bollywood and Hollywood pop-culture references, right from Kung Fu Panda to Mother India. Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota is a one of its kind film and the unique storyline, character treatment, acting, direction — everything justifies the rave reviews it has been getting.
Have you watched the film? If yes, let us know how did you find it in the comments below!
Written By: Mallika Kelkar
Featured Image Credit: https://www.indiatoday.in
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