Hera Pheri (2000)

Director:

Priyadarshan

Writers:

Siddique (story) &
Lal (story) ...

Release Date:

31 March 2000 (India)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Three unemployed men find the answer to all their money problems when they recieve a call from a kidnapper. However, things do not go as planned...

Plot Keywords:

Kidnapper | Kidnapping | Daydreamer | Telephone Call | Critically Acclaimed

Awards:

5 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Paresh Rawal	...	Baburao Ganpatrao Apte
Akshay Kumar	...	Raju
Sunil Shetty	...	Ghanshyam (Shyam)
Tabu	...	Anuradha Shivshankar Panikar
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sulabha Arya	...	Raju's mom
Asrani	...	Bank Manager
Gulshan Grover	...	Kabira
Dinesh Hingoo	...	Chaman Jhinga
Mushtaq Khan	...	Devi Prasad's servant
Mukesh Khanna	...	Police Inspector, Prakash
Kulbhushan Kharbanda	...	Devi Prasad
Om Puri	...	Kharak Singh
Kashmira Shah	...	Kabira's Sidekick
Namrata Shirodkar	...	Ms. Chinga, dancer

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

India:U

Filming Locations:

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Company:

A.G. Films

Trivia:

Karisma Kapoor was offered the lead role, but turned it down because she did not find the role substantial enough.

Movie Connections:

References Gol Maal (1979)

the best comedy i have seen in my life and i have seen many

Hera Pheri is a film set in Mumbai and is not your run of the mill slapstick comedy that directors like David Dhawan indulge in. The movie is directed by Priyadarshan who proved that after making such wonderful and serious film like Virasat, he can also direct a comedy with élan.

This film is a comedy of error. Set in a Mumbai slum where our three protagonists dwell, the movie depicts the hilarious moments created by the simplicity and/or stupidity of the characters. The look of the film is that of an art film. By the look of it, it seems as if it is going to be a really serious movie but it turns out to be one roller-coaster ride of laughter.

The cast of the film includes Sunil Shetty who plays an unemployed guy who comes to Mumbai looking for work and a place to live. He lands up at the house of a simple man played deftly by Paresh Rawal who takes Sunil in. However, there is another person living in the house, namely Raju. Played by Akshay Kumar, Raju is the mischief monger and good for nothing. He keeps on getting jobs and losing them quickly. The story is taken forward by a phone call by the gangster Kabira who keeps on saying that he has kidnapped his grand daughter (sunil takes the call) and wants ransom. This call kickstarts a mayhem. Which ultimately leads us to the climax of the film where the protagonists end up becoming millionaires.

Each and every member of the cast is brilliant in the performance of their roles. Sunil Shetty and Akshay Kumar's careers were in doldrums when this film released and both of them gave a stunning performance. Especially Akshay Kumar shows impeccable comic timing. Akshay Kumar is considered of the best comic actors of Bollywood these days after performing comic roles in films like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Khakee, Aawara Paagal Deewana and Waqt.

However, the show stealer is none other that the unbelievable Paresh Rawal who plays Baburao Ganpatrao Apte. He is an absolute delight to watch. It will be an understatement to say that he completely overshadows the rest of the actors with his marvellous portrayal of a poor Mumbaiyya simpleton. This film changed the course of his career and he is now reckoned as a character actor who adds to the star value of a film.

The music is not that good though. The song "Main Ladka Pom Pom" is hilarious though. The picturization keeps you in splits even though the song is irritating if you only listen to the audio. The real hero of the film is the dialogue writer Neeraj Vohra who comes up with some never before heard one liners. Anyone who wants another example of his great work must watch Aawara Paagal Deewana. In short, a film for every comedy lover. Some clean entertainment. Moreover, I can confidently say that this is the best comedy film i have seen in my life. Brilliant!