Hero rhymes with zero and it's tempting, for the sake of the headline and because in the first five minutes of the film my hand went lurking about in search of an eject button, to just write off this film as a big, fat zero. And it doesn't help that many of us, of a certain glorious vintage, still remember that moment in our lives and in Subhash Ghai's 1983 Hero when we heard Reshma's soulful, stirring rendition of Lambi Judai...1983 was a very important year in our lives.

Such a gorgeous face. Such athleticism. What a bore. If these are the sentiments that the makers want the audiences to leave with, then they have succeeded in this remake of Subhash Ghai's hit 1983 film. That film gave us Jackie Shroff aka Jackie Dada, the star from the streets of Mumbai. The contemporary version introduces Sooraj Pancholi, who plays Sooraj, a heavily tattooed bad boy with the heart of Robin Hood, great physique and fighting skills.

Pyaar Karne Wale Kabhi Darte Nahi...Jo Darte Hain Vo Pyaar Karte Nahi'. Really? I mean what rings a bell in your ear after this dialogue. Undoubtedly, 1983 classic 'Hero' featuring Jackie Shroff and Meenakshi Sheshadri was way ahead of its time both in terms of story and music.

Why are remakes made? I would think to take a crackling story that can stand the test of time, and tweak it to fit into the current scenario, so that the new audience gets to enjoy it too. But the exercise seems futile if the remake is also stuck in the same time as the original was, or perhaps goes further back.

"If you want this love story to work, then buy yourself some time," warns a concerned brother to his distraught sister half-way through the film Hero. This warning is probably meant for the audience as well, who by now seem to be restlessly squirming in their seats. With punchlines like Ek goonda kya ek IG ki beti se pyaar kar sakta hai kya, you would expect the plot of the film - a remake of Subhash Ghai's 1983 superhit of the same name - to be gripping.

Now who will break a coconut on Subhash Ghai's head? I guess he will have to do a 'selfie coconut break' looking in the mirror. Another interesting aspect is that both the original films were created 32 years before its attempt to duplicate. SHOLAY in1975 and RGV KI AAG in 2007, while HERO with Jackie Shroff in 1983 and now, in 2015.

Remaking old classics is the latest trend to hit Bollywood. This week will see the release of HERO (directed by Nikhil Advani), which is a remake of the Subhash Ghai's 1983 cult film by the same name. Will Nikhil Advani's HERO match the expectations that have been set by Subhash Ghai's HERO or will it turn out to be a villain at the box-office

Way back in 1983, Subhash Ghai had made Jackie Shroff an overnight success by casting him in his film Hero, a love story between a criminal and the daughter of a cop, who is kidnapped by the former. In 2015, Salman Khan hoped to recreate the same magic with a remake of the film starring Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty, but we must say that the Bhaijaan could not do the same for his protgs.

Boy! Does history repeat itself. In 1983 Subhash Ghai's Hero gave the film industry two new stars. Thirty two years later the same might come true with Nikhil Advani's revisit to the classic love story. This time the credit goes to Sooraj Pancholi. In his debut film, he exhibits a great deal of control and showcases enough talent to excite. He is the veritable hero of the film.

In one of the iconic scenes in the film, Radha advices Sooraj to ctrl- alt- del his violent past and start afresh for a peaceful future. That's the kind of wish you would make once you leave the theatre after watching this 132 minute struggle. 32 years back, Hero catapulted Jackie Shroff and Meenakshi Sheshadri into the big league of Bollywood stars. Unfortunately, it is very unlikely that the film's remake will do the same for the debuting duo.

Director Nikhil Advani's Hero revives the famous dialogue from Subhash Ghai's Hero (1983) at a crucial juncture in the film and IG Shrikant Mathur (Tigmanshu Dhulia) responds to it in the next shot. The expression on Dhulia's face immediately reminds us of his iconic Gangs Of Wasseypur dialogue, "Beta humko tumhare lachchan theek nahi lag rahe hain. Tum se na ho payega." And, you, in all probability, would agree with him.

I cannot recall the last time I heard a character say the legendary, "Main Gita pe haath rakh ke kasam khaati hoon jo kuch kahoongi sach kahoongi sach ke sivah kuch nahi kahoongi." As I recover from this unexpected surge of nostalgia, pat comes another blast from the past, "Chhodddddd do mujhe!!!"

This week is one of the most exciting ones for Bollywood as two star kids - Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty will make their Bollywood debut with Salman Khan's production venture. Aditya Pancholi's son and Suneil Shetty's daughter will star in Nikhil Advani's directorial venture, Hero, which is a remake of Subhash Ghai's 1983 classic that starred Jackie Shroff and Meenakshi Sheshadri. I saw the film and here's my take on the new version of the classic film...

With minor changes as per the changing times, the basic plot of Hero remains the same. Pasha (Aditya Pancholi) is held up in prison and is finding ways to irk the IG of police Shrikant Mathur (Tigmanshu Dhulia) who is responsible for his arrest. Sooraj (Sooraj Pancholi) is Pasha's right hand whom he has grown up as a son. Sooraj is a local goon and on insistence of Pasha, he agrees to kidnap IG's daughter for Pasha's release.

Hero is a delectable synthesis of startling onscreen beauty, dazzling high octane action, melodious music and merry froth. Each frame of the film has been done up with care which is evident in its striking visuals. However, the same doesn't stand true for the story, which is incoherent and often convoluted.

This one line theme was turned into a full-fledged melodrama back in the early 80s, in Subhash Ghai's superhit film of the same name, in which Jackie Shroff and Meenakshi Seshadri had played the lovers from either side of the railway tracks. The overblown storyline and treatment matched the time it was made in: the yawning gap between the good-bad boy and the goody-goody girl, the winsome fit between Jackie and Meenakshi, and the nearly three hours of running time to make sure we rooted for young love as it battled parental disapproval and evil villains.

Sooraj Pancholi does a headstand on a platform of nails, drives a bulldozer through a wall, slams dudes through solid objects, does a laser dance in a disco and swings Athiya Shetty (who has taken three selfies within 15 seconds) around like a weapon to knock out a giant baddie. These are the first few minutes of Hero, directed by Nikhil Advani, and if there was any justice in this world, the film would have ended there.